20/20 MONEY: The Business of Optometry

As an optometrist, saving for college for your child or children can be a sensitive subject. Depending on how or if you had to pay for your own education can influence your mindset and how high on the priority list college savings is for you and your family. If you decide that you want to save funds for higher education, there are a number of vehicles to consider with vary tax advantages. In this...

We've had a number of tax planning strategies for optometrists to consider in the past, but we've never really covered the basics of our tax system. In this episode, I'll share with you how our income tax system works. I'll also cover the difference between deductions and credits, explain which one's better, and some common tax fallacies that we've seen over the years. If you're interested in havi...

Understanding whether optometrists qualify for the R&D tax credit is not a simple answer. There are many questions that need to be asked and parameters that must be met. Unfortunately, not all of those parameters are met with clear, black-and-white definitions from the IRS but are rather subjective in nature. This can open the door for misunderstanding of the credit at best or outright fraud and a...

Owning an optometry practice requires you to wear many hats. As the owner, sponsoring a retirement plan in your practice is not without its share of responsibilities. In this episode, we talk about some of those administrative tasks that not only fall on you as the plan sponsor, but which of those responsibilities can be delegated to your professional team. We also share some additional resources...

The Solo 401(k) is a viable option for independently contracted, 1099 compensated optometrists. It has many of the same benefits and options that a "normal" 401(k) has but without many of the testing and compliance requirements. However, they are not without their own limitations. In this episode, I share what optometrists need to know about when and whether a Solo/Individual 401(k) is a viable re...

One of the most popular questions we get asked is whether their 401(k) contributions should be Traditional or Roth contributions. There are many factors that play into that decision and some of the variables that impact the decision are unknown (like future tax rates). In today's episode we break down the difference between the two types of contributions and situations and strategies an optometris...

Understanding the different types of profit-sharing plans that exist can help an optometrist determine which type of plan is going to be best for their practice. In this episode we talk about the different type of profit-sharing plans that exist and the advantages and disadvantages of each. We also share the different vesting schedules that exist and wrap up with some thoughts on how to use a prof...

Optometrists that own their own practice are always looking for strategic ways to reduce their tax liability. The tax bill that's generated when an optometrist sells their practice can have a big impact on how much money they keep as a result of the transaction. Retirement plans like the 401(k) profit sharing plan are usually go-to strategies, but there are limitations in how much one can contribu...

Utilizing a retirement plan like a 401(k) profit sharing plan is a great tool to help optometrists save money for retirement. It's also a way for them to reduce taxes in higher earning years and deferring that tax liability until future years. While most optometrists may be familiar with Traditional 401k and profit sharing plans, a little known planning tool that exists is the ability to make afte...

Having a website that stands out, drives new patient growth, and creates a great patient experience is a tall order for any optometrist that owns their own practice. Knowing where to begin or what areas of your website and digital marketing strategy to focus your time and dollars is another challenge. Thankfully, there's someone out there that can see the challenge from multiple different perspect...

Choosing a retirement plan for your optometry practice is an important decision and it's one of those processes that can often be put on the back burner by ODs. It's common for us to see mature practices still utilizing a SIMPLE IRA in their practice and, when asked why they still use a SIMPLE IRA, a common answer we hear is "Because it's much cheaper than a 401(k)." This is also advice that we se...

As optometrists continue to deal with the personal and professional financial implications of COVID-19, the CARES Act has been the focal point for those looking for relief and assistance. The PPP, EIDL, and other provisions of CARES captured our attention for the last couple of months, but, on this episode, we discuss three strategies and provisions of CARES that are still worth evaluating in your...

Hello, and welcome to this episode of 20/20 Money! On today's episode, I discuss 7 proactive strategies that you can consider as you evaluate your financials through the latter half of 2020. I discuss the importance of reviewing your list of itemized deductions even if you didn't itemize and whether a charitable lumping strategy would be beneficial to consider. I also talk about why partnerships s...

Hello, and welcome to this episode of 20/20 Money! On this episode, I highlight seven line items on your tax return that optometrists should review to ensure you're not paying too much in taxes. Those seven items (along with the location of where to find them on your personal tax return) are listed below: Health insurance deduction for SE (Schedule 1, line 16) Taxable interest (1040 Line 2b) QBI d...

On this episode of 20/20 Money, Nathan Hayes from IDOC and I discuss how optometrists should be thinking about cash flow in their practice. We discuss how much cash reserves ODs should have in their practice in the wake of COVID-19 as well as why it's important to get cash out of your practice instead of letting it sit in your business. Nathan also shares why leaving cash in your business might ac...

Hello, and welcome to this episode of 20/20 Money! My guest on today's show is Dr. Mick Kling, OD . Mick has been on the show in the past and he joins me today to talk about a concept that is gaining more traction in the OD community and that is the accounting philosophy known as Profit First . Profit First is based on the popular book by Mike Michalowicz and Mick has unique experience in that he'...

Hello, and welcome to this episode of 20/20 Money! My guests on today's show are Drs. Zac and Joelle Holland. Joelle and Zac have been listeners of the show for some time and Joelle reached out to me to ask if I'd be interested in interviewing them about how they have both been laser focused on paying off their student loans. For me, it was an easy decision as creating a student loan repayment str...

Hello, and welcome to this episode of 20/20 Money! My guest on today's show is Colin Carr . Colin is the founder and CEO of CARR , a nationwide commercial real estate company specifically focused on representing the needs and interest of healthcare providers. Colin has mastered several niches in healthcare real estate and is passionate about helping others maximize their profitability through real...

Hello, and welcome to this episode of 20/20 Money! My guest on today's show is Dr. Steve Vargo, OD . Steve has had a storied career in optometry, starting out as a clinician after graduating from ICO in 1998. His interest for business led him to earn his MBA and eventually land at IDOC in the role of a practice management consultant. Having had over 3,000 consultative conversations over the years,...

This is part 2 of my conversation with Jason Preator. Please be sure to check out part 1 from last week!  As a reminder, you can get all the information discussed in today's conversation by visiting our website at www.integratedpwm.com and clicking on the Learning Center. While there, you can also set up a 15min pre-discovery conversation to learn a little bit more about what it means to work with...

Hello, and welcome to this episode of 20/20 Money! My guest on today's show is Jason Preator. Jason is one of the leading resources and advisors in the optometric space when it comes to helping optometry practice owners sell their practice to a private equity firm. Today's conversation was so good and long that I actually made the decision to break it up into a two-part episode. In today's episode...

Hello, and welcome to this episode of 20/20 Money! My guest on today's show is Dr. Damon Dierker. Damon already has a very storied career in optometry, so I was excited to have him on today to talk about dry eye and I feel it's important to give a bit of a backstory to help set the stage. Clinically, he is a partner and Director of Optometric Services at Eye Surgeons of Indiana, one of (if not the...

Hello, and welcome to this episode of 20/20 Money! My guest on today's show is Dr. Gina Wesley. Gina joins the show to discuss various ways in which scheduling has impacted the profitability of her practice. We talk about the direct and indirect benefits of having a scheduling philosophy and why empowering your team is an important component to helping you manage an efficient practice. We also dis...

Welcome to another episode of 20/20 Money. My guest on today's show is Matt Howard. Matt is a CPA and CVA, which is a Certified Valuations Analyst, with Blue and Co here in Indianapolis. I've known Matt for a number of years and have always appreciated and valued his opinion. Today's conversation is a bit unorthodox as there really wasn't a whole lot of planning behind the content. What started ou...

Hello, and welcome to this episode of 20/20 Money! My guests on today's show are Drs. Jeremy Ciano and Jennifer Stewart. Longtime listeners of the show will recognize those names as I've had them both on a number of times in both 1-1 interviews as well as a three-way discussion. I respect both of their opinions and perspective as they both run highly successful practices, and that success does not...