Living a Successful Life Series: A Hospice Doctor on Money and Meaning with Jordan Grumet, MD

In this episode of our series exploring success, Ashley is joined by Dr. Jordan Grumet, hospice medical director, author of Taking Stock and The Purpose Code, and host of the Earn & Invest podcast.

Jordan was seven years old when his father, a physician, died suddenly of a brain aneurysm. Believing he was somehow responsible, Jordan set out to become a doctor himself, hoping it would make things right. Years later, burned out and unfulfilled, he discovered financial independence and began practicing what he calls “the art of subtraction,” slowly letting go of the work that drained him until only hospice care remained. It was there, at the bedsides of his dying patients, that he found the answers his financial heroes couldn’t give him: what money is really for, and what makes a life well lived.

Ashley and Jordan discuss the difference between meaning and purpose, why so many of us try to “purpose our way to enough,” the trap of “once I have” thinking, and why money is just one of many tools for building a life you love. Jordan shares what hospice has taught him about regret, why we tend to die the way we live, and how decades of Harvard research point to one surprising key to happiness: other people. He closes with an unforgettable story about how his great-grandfather’s simple love of math rippled across generations to save a life.

Like many conversations On the Table with Ashley holds around death and dying, this episode ultimately becomes a conversation about life.

Learn more about Dr. Jordan Grumet.

Subscribe to Jordan’s Substack.

Follow Jordan on Instagram, X, and LinkedIn.

Join the Earn & Invest Facebook group.

Listen to the Earn & Invest podcast.

Pre-order The Happiness Code by Dr. Jordan Grumet.

Read The Purpose Code by Dr. Jordan Grumet.

Read Taking Stock: A Hospice Doctor’s Advice on Financial Independence, Building Wealth, and Living a Regret-Free Life by Dr. Jordan Grumet.

Read The White Coat Investor by Dr. Jim Dahle.

Read The Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins.

Read From Strength to Strength by Arthur C. Brooks.

Learn more about the Harvard Study of Adult Development.

Read Siddhartha and Demian by Hermann Hesse.

Read Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series.

Watch Citizen Kane.

Follow On the Table with Ashley on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Table with Ashley is presented by Âme Atendre, a luxury home goods and tableware brand with a mission to connect people to all that matters. If you have ideas for new episodes or guests, or just want to share feedback, email us at reachoutanytime@ameatendre.com.