BUSINESS

Young athletes no stretch for physical therapist

BY COTY DOLORES MIRANDA

Contributor

Ahwatukee natives and residents Dr. Matthew Fletcher and his wife Amy opened their first practice, Fletch Physical Therapy, in Gilbert last spring, and since then the youthful pair has been helping area athletes – and even local seniors – step up their game. “We’ve got your back,” is a tongue-incheek phrase Fletcher has used in communicating on Facebook and Instagram. Yet, it holds true as he works in his modern clinic at Suite M, 1400 N. Gilbert Road, and when he literally hits the road with his fold-and-go physical therapy treatment table to travel to Chander.

Fletcher is geared to helping youthful athletes learn effective ways to minimize risk of injury in their chosen sport, improve their game by targeting specific muscle groups, and if and when needed, provide exercises to safely hasten recovery from injuries.

He is scheduled to visit high schools throughout the East Valley this month with his preventive physical therapy approach to aid athletes perform at their optimum. Left: As a former athlete himself, Dr. Matthew Fletcher knows the value of a physical therapist. Right: Ahwatukee native Dr. Matthew Fletcher and wife Amy, seen here with daughter Evelyn, opened a physical therapy clinic in Gilbert earlier this year.

(Special to The Arizonan)

at a seemingly-invincible age.

“I tore my ACL three times in my early twenties while playing basketball in college! And that was when I was in my

“My long-term goal would be to see patients one time a week while teaching aspiring physical therapists at a local college. I want to have my business so organized that we can hire anyone on and give them a comfortable and warm environment so they can take care of their family.”

– Dr. Matthew Fletcher

As a former Desert Vista High School and college athlete, Fletcher said he learned the hard way the value of a physical therapist’s knowledge and advice when going gung-ho at sports, even prime,” he said. “It’s scary to think that even though I was at my strongest, I was still so weak and susceptible!” Those experiences, from ages 21 to 25, moved Fletcher toward his career in physical therapy. “Yes, that’s why I became a physical therapist so that I could help other young athletes not have to experience what I did. The injury I had was easily preventable. That’s why I’m all about providing free screenings and watching people’s form while they run to make sure they are doing it safely.”

Fletcher graduated from Brigham Young University Idaho with a BA in exercise physiology with an emphasis on personal exercise prescription and nutrition.

He then earned a doctorate degree from Loma Linda University, one of the top 10 physical therapy schools in the nation. After receiving his doctorate, he completed 70 hours of a manual orthopedic residency from Ola Grimsby Institute. He and his wife Amy and their then4-month-old daughter Evelyn - opened their clinic in Gilbert, augmenting their business with what is proving to be a popular mobile therapy program that travels throughout the East Valley. Amy Fletcher, who serves as president of Fletch Physical Therapy, is a part-time dental hygiene instructor at Carrington College in Mesa. She also teaches weightlifting classes twice weekly at the Ahwatukee Foothills Family YMCA. “And while the baby naps, Amy’s answering emails, making phone calls and scheduling patients,” Fletcher said of his 30-year-old wife. “Slow-cooked meals are a big deal in our house.” The pair, Ahwatukee residents, are avid runners having competed twice in the Phoenix Half Marathon and other area running competitions.

“My wife is the one who got me into running. She started having knee problems from all the running since she wasn’t doing any strength training, so I put her on an exercise routine and now she’s pain free and teaches the weightlifting classes and often subs yoga classes,” said Fletcher. As a physical therapist, he’s also treating other area runners before injuries hobble them. A major goal this fall for the 34-year-old Fletcher is helping athletes in high schools throughout the Valley of the Sun, but especially those throughout the East Valley.

“My plan is to travel to high schools to give free screenings for their athletes. These screenings show if the kids’ muscles are strong enough to prevent injury, and you’d be surprised at the results I have found with some of my screenings with young athletes,” he said. “They might look strong, but quite often some muscle groups are weak, making other muscles overcompensate. And, do you know what happens when some muscles overcompensate? You guessed it. Injury. If we know that the kids are prone to injury, we can discuss what exercises they can do to strengthen the weak muscles.”

Fletcher said he has found that adults of all ages appreciate the convenience of his mobile physical therapy, as well as the one-on-one private therapy hour.

“We actually prefer treatment in the home because that’s where clients are comfortable, and it really helps us help them when going through their daily activities,” he said. “For instance, if someone has trouble going up and down stairs, we can see what stairs are causing the problem and how we can make adjustments or prescribe exercises.

“We can show them how to use their therabands a certain way on the door or we can see what equipment they have at home and help them how and where they need it. Mobile physical therapy is safe, convenient and a great fit for patients who don’t want the hassle of going to a traditional clinic. We really want our patients to feel understood and comfortable.” At the Gilbert clinic or by mobile, each client receives a free evaluation.

“At this appointment we discuss what the client is experiencing and what their long-term goals are. We spend an entire hour with our clients. There are no technicians or assistants,” Fletcher said. “It’s one hour with a board-certified physical therapist. We pride ourselves on providing the best treatment and that’s why we give the free evaluation, so that they have time to tell us everything they need,” he said.

“If I’d gotten an hour appointment with my physical therapist after my first ACL surgery rather than being run through a ‘patient mill’ maybe I wouldn’t have needed surgery the second or third time.” Fletcher admits starting his own practice with he and his wife in their early 30s is both exciting and daunting, yet they are fully optimistic that they can be successful and give back to their community.

“Our goals are to be a contributing member of the community, and I’d love to earn enough money to provide jobs to others in the community who have helped us,” he said. “My long-term goal would be to see patients one time a week while teaching aspiring physical therapists at a local college. I want to have my business so organized that we can hire anyone on and give them a comfortable and warm environment so they can take care of their family.”

Family life is very important to the couple, Fletcher said as he looked at a recent family snapshot of he, his wife and Evelyn, now 8 months.

“We want the same for our patients. We want them to be part of the family and we want them to get to their goals and aspirations,” he said emphatically. “That young baseball player wants to throw the fastest pitch in their school’s history? We can help them get there safely.

“What about the grandpa that wants to pick up his grandbaby without feeling back pain? We know we can help him and we want to hear about her favorite foods and first words at the appointment. What about the young mom who wants to run her first marathon?

“We have already helped one client qualify for the Boston Marathon. We want to help our patients succeed, whatever their goals may be.” His needs, he said, are simple. “I want to provide for my family, give back to the community and prepare the next generation for success,” he said.

Information: �letchPhysicalTherapy. com or 602-492-3019.

Got News? Got News? Contact Paul Maryniak at 480-898-5647 or pmaryniak@timespublications.comContact Paul Maryniak at 480-898-5647 or pmaryniak@timespublications.com

Saving can have a powerful impact on retirement

BY DR. HAROLD WONG

Guest Writer

There are only so many variables to any retirement plan: how much you save; your investment return on investment; how much you lose in taxes; and the income generated by your savings when you retire. There is a final factor, however: losses in future stock market crashes. Before the coronavirus pandemic, Americans averaged a savings rate of 7.6 percent of disposable, after-tax household income. The field of financial planning claims that one should save 10 percent. One must actually save 20-30 percent of gross income to enjoy the same standard of living in retirement as when working.

This article examines the retirement challenges of a high-income couple that starts saving at age 40. If these numbers are too high for your situation, just reduce the numbers by half or 2/3rds. Example 1: A married couple has $300,000 gross household income. If they save 10 percent, or $30,000/year and earn a 5 percent annual ROI for 25 years, the future value will be $1,503,403. This assumes there are no stock market crashes and no tax, which is of course fantasy land. Moneychimp.com shows that 4.57 percent is the compound growth rate of the S&P 500 stock market index from Jan. 1, 2000, to Dec. 31, 2020. If one retires at 65 and continues to earn 5 percent of $1,503,403, that’s a $75,170 annual income, not counting Social Security. This is 25 percent of the $300,000 household income when working. One would need a 30 percent savings rate for 25 years to generate a $225,510 annual income. When one adds SS, now income approaches one’s working income. Example 2: Suppose that the couple in Example 1 have a 28 percent average combined federal and AZ tax rate. Now, the assumed 5 percent ROI becomes a net 3.60 percent due to a 28 percent tax rate. The couple still saves $30,000 a year for 25 years, but their future retirement fund will drop to $1,226,792 and annual income is $44,164 (3.6 percent of $1,226,792). Not counting SS, this $44,164 retirement income is only 15 percent of their $300,000 working income.

Example 3: Suppose that the couple can earn a 7 percent steady ROI, but pays no tax on that income. In 25 years, their $30,000 of annual savings becomes a $2,030,294 retirement fund. In retirement, 7 percent of $2,030,294 becomes a $142,120 annual retirement income, which is still only 47 percent of working income. Example 4: Suppose the household with $300,000 gross income has $50,000 of annual deductions, reducing taxable income to $250,000. In 2021, that would result in $48,042 federal tax and around $7,206 of AZ tax, for a total of $55,248 of income taxes.

If this household does serious tax planning, saves $40,000 a year of tax, and earns an average 7 percent ROI, in 25 years this becomes $2,707,058. When one adds it to the $2,030,294 retirement fund in Example 3, total retirement savings is now $4,737,352. Retirement income can now become 7 percent ($4,737,352) = $331,614, which exceeds the $300,000 income while working.

If one adds SS that is maximized by waiting until age 70, SS might be $72,000/year even if the spouse never worked. Now total retirement income is $403,614, or 135 percent of one’s $300,000 income while working.

Conclusions: The above four examples show that substantial income tax savings has a much more powerful effect on one’s future retirement fund and income than ROI.

You don’t have to do risky Wall Street investments if you save taxes. This is why many have to work until age 70 or beyond because of their small retirement income. Free live seminars and lunch: at 10:45 a.m. Sept. 18 and Oct. 9 at The Old Spaghetti Factory, 3155 W. Chandler Blvd.; Chandler. Topic is “Double Your Social Security & Other Retirement Income and Pay Less Tax.”

To RSVP or schedule a free consultation, please contact Dr. Harold Wong at 480-706-0177 or harold_wong@hotmail. com. His website is drharoldwong.com.

Dr. Harold Wong earned his Ph.D. in economics at University of California/ Berkeley and has appeared on over 400 TV/radio programs.