Questions? Thoughts? Send a Text to The Optometry Money Podcast! We'll answer your question on the show.

Episode Summary

Most optometrists believe the path to a better bottom line runs through growth — more patients, more marketing, more demand. But what if that's the wrong problem to solve?

In this episode, Evon sits down with Dr. Kerry Reeves, owner of Advanced Eye Care in North and South Carolina, to unpack a different way of thinking about practice performance. Drawing on 27 years in optometry — including five years rebuilding systems in post-earthquake Haiti — Kerry makes the case that optometry doesn't have a growth problem, it has a capacity problem. 

We dig into how systems and bottlenecks shape everything from daily stress to the eventual value of your practice, and why simply adding more patients to a strained system creates pressure instead of progress.

What You'll Learn

• Why capacity, not growth, is the real constraint for most mature practices
• How to find the "Herbie" — the bottleneck — in your practice
• What happens when demand increases but your systems don't
• Why handoffs are where practices break under pressure
• How over-dependence on the owner creates fragility and lowers practice value
• The four rungs of the "dependency ladder"
• How a lack of capacity drives stress and burnout for both doctors and staff
• Where AI can remove friction in a practice — and where it's overhyped

Key Takeaways for Optometrists

For most established practices, the instinct to chase growth misses the real issue. As Kerry puts it, growth without redesign becomes pressure, not progress. A system built to handle 14 patients a day doesn't simply stretch to 22 — it cracks, usually at the handoffs between staff, and the strain shows up as burnout, turnover, remakes, and a worse patient experience. Adding patients before fixing the system tends to surface problems you didn't know you had.

There's a direct line between systems and practice value, too. The more a practice depends on the owner to solve every problem and make every decision, the more fragile — and less valuable — it becomes to any future buyer. 

Building a practice that runs well without you isn't just about reducing daily stress; it's one of the most meaningful things you can do for both the value and the resilience of the business. The work is ongoing: as Kerry notes, the bottleneck never stays in one place, so finding and fixing "Herbie" is a continuous process, not a one-time fix.

Resources for Optometrists

• Connect with Dr. Kerry Reeves on LinkedIn
• EyeCoin Patient Interaction Platform
• The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt — the systems book referenced in the episode
• Podcast Ep 160: How to Maximize Your Optometry Practice Value Before You Sell with Erich Mattei
• Podcast Ep 157: The Location-Independent OD: Compensation, Licensing & the Future of Remote Care with Crystal Edison, OD
• Podcast Ep 164: Planning Your Practice Exit – The Retirement Math That Sets the Floor

Want a more proactive approach to your planning?

You can schedule a no-commitment introductory call to discuss what's on your mind financially and learn how we help optometrists navigate those same decisions nationwide.

👉 Schedule an introductory call

The Optometry Money Podcast is dedicated to helping optometrists make better decisions around their money, careers, and practices. The show is hosted by Evon Mendrin, CFP®, CSLP®, owner of Optometry Wealth Advisors, a financial planning firm just for optometrists nationwide. 

Questions? Thoughts? Send a Text to The Optometry Money Podcast! We'll answer your question on the show.

Episode Summary

Most practice owners spend close to two decades building their business — and too often only a few months planning how they exit it. That imbalance shows up in the outcomes.

This episode kicks off a new series on planning for the sale of your practice, built around five questions worth answering long before a sale shows up on your calendar. We start with the first and most important one: not "what is my practice worth?" but "what does this sale actually need to do for my retirement to work?"

Because those are two completely different questions — and the gap between what you assume the practice is worth and what you actually need it to do is where a lot of the regret lives. We walk through why your retirement gap sets the floor for every other exit decision, how to actually build that number, and why the earlier you start, the more flexibility you'll have on your way out.

What You'll Learn

• The five questions to answer when planning to exit your practice (and why this one comes first)
• Why your practice valuation only matters in relation to your retirement gap
• How two identical practices can lead to two completely different sale strategies
• Why earlier owners have far more flexibility — and how to "pre-fund" your future buyout
• How to build your retirement gap: lifestyle spending, guaranteed income, existing assets, and the gap that remains
• How that gap becomes your negotiating floor — shaping timeline, buyer type, and payment structure
• The what-if scenarios worth testing before you ever sell

Key Takeaways for Optometrists

Your practice valuation is only meaningful in context. The number that actually matters is the gap between what you've already built outside the practice and what your retirement plan needs to succeed. Until you know that gap, every conversation about price, structure, and buyer is theoretical — you have nothing to measure an offer against.

Figure out that number first, and it becomes your negotiating floor. It tells you whether you can wait for the right buyer, whether you can sell to an associate at a friendly price or need to chase a higher multiple, and whether work is truly optional afterward. Too many owners step into a sale unsure of what their family actually needs — and let the deal determine their retirement plan rather than the other way around.

Resources for Optometrists

• Podcast Ep 160: How to Maximize Your Optometry Practice Value Before You Sell with Erich Mattei
• Podcast Ep 50: Guide to Due Diligence on Practice Purchases with Erich Mattei
• Podcast Ep 80: Intro to Optometry Practice Valuations with Erich Mattei
• Podcast Ep 70: Financial Planning Considerations for Owners of Established Optometry Practices

Want a more proactive approach to your planning?

You can schedule a no-commitment introductory call to discuss what's on your mind financially and learn how we help optometrists navigate those same decisions nationwide.

👉 Schedule an introductory call

The Optometry Money Podcast is dedicated to helping optometrists make better decisions around their money, careers, and practices. The show is hosted by Evon Mendrin, CFP®, CSLP®, owner of Optometry Wealth Advisors, a financial planning firm just for optometrists nationwide. 

Questions? Thoughts? Send a Text to The Optometry Money Podcast! We'll answer your question on the show.

Episode Summary

The largest IPO in history is here. SpaceX goes public this week with an expected total value of $1.77 trillion, and OpenAI and Anthropic have both announced plans to go public this year at valuations around $1 trillion each. In optometry forums and online communities everywhere, ODs are asking the same question: should I get in?

In this episode, we look at 45 years of data and research on how IPOs have actually performed for investors - and then dig into the question that matters more for most listeners: how index funds and other passive funds will add these mega IPOs to their portfolios, and what that means for you.

Have questions about your own investment approach? Reach out at [email protected].

What You'll Learn

• What an IPO is and why 2026's IPOs are historic in size
• How IPOs have historically performed compared to the broad US stock market
• Why the famous "first-day pop" doesn't benefit everyday investors
• The distribution of individual IPO outcomes over 3 and 5 years — and why most lose money
• Why periods of peak IPO hype tend to be followed by the worst returns
• How the S&P 500, Russell, CRSP, and MSCI indexes decide when (and how much of) an IPO to include
• What "float adjustment" means and why these trillion-dollar companies will enter index funds as tiny slivers
• How the Nasdaq-100's approach to IPOs differs from broad market indexes
• Whether index fund "front-running" around IPO inclusions should worry long-term investors
• How factor-based funds like Dimensional handle newly public companies

Key Takeaways for Optometrists

Investing in IPOs right after they go public has historically been a poor strategy. IPOs as a group have trailed the broad market, and when you look at individual companies, roughly 60% lost money over their first three to five years - while a small sliver delivered lottery-like gains that lift the averages. Betting on IPOs means betting you can pick those rare winners.

For index fund investors, these mega IPOs will eventually show up in your funds - but because indexes are float-adjusted, even a $1.77 trillion company may enter as a fraction of a percent of the index. The impact on your portfolio, good or bad, is small.

The bigger lesson: when hype is at its highest, expected returns tend to be at their lowest. Staying broadly diversified, keeping costs low, and not chasing shiny objects continues to be the prudent approach - and if you do want a lottery ticket, be honest about what it is and size it accordingly.

Related Episodes:

• Ep 134: The Case for Index Funds – Why Optometrists Should Embrace Passive Investing
• Ep 135: Beyond Indexing – An Optometrist’s Guide to Factor-Based Investing
• Ep 58: Investing Fundamentals – Understanding Stocks, Bonds, Mutual Funds, and ETFs
• Ep 153: How to Invest Tax-Efficiently and Keep More of Your Returns (After-tax)

Resources for Optometrists

• Loughran & Ritter (1995), "The New Issues Puzzle" — Journal of Finance
• Dimensional Fund Advisors (2019), "What to Know About IPOs" research study
• Dimensional Fund Advisors 2025 video: Do IPOs Have a Place in Your Portfolio?
• Jay Ritter's Long-Run Returns on IPOs (University of Florida)
• 2025: Primary Capital Market Transactions and Index Funds
• Cullen Roche's Article: Three Things – 100s, SpaceX, & Indexing
• Morningstar's Jeff Ptak: Lessons From a Private Markets Bust: Why This ETF’s Investors Missed Out on SpaceX Gains

Want a more proactive approach to your planning?

You can schedule a no-commitment introductory call to discuss what's on your mind financially and learn how we help optometrists navigate those same decisions nationwide.

👉 Schedule an introductory call

The Optometry Money Podcast is dedicated to helping optometrists make better decisions around their money, careers, and practices. The show is hosted by Evon Mendrin, CFP®, CSLP®, owner of Optometry Wealth Advisors, a financial planning firm just for optometrists nationwide. 

Questions? Thoughts? Send a Text to The Optometry Money Podcast! We'll answer your question on the show.

Episode Summary

With the stock market trading near all-time highs again, it's natural to wonder — should you be worried? Is a crash inevitable? Should you hold off on investing?

In this rewind of one of our most popular 2024 episodes, we dig into what history actually tells us about all-time highs in the stock market — and why optometrists should stay the course with the long-term investment plan they've already built.

What You'll Learn

• How common all-time highs actually are historically
• Average S&P 500 returns one, three, and five years after record highs
• How often significant market corrections follow all-time highs
• Why declines are a normal and expected part of long-term investing
• What optometrists should focus on instead of market noise

Key Takeaways for Optometrists

All-time highs sound alarming — but history says otherwise. Since 1950, the S&P 500 has hit roughly 1,250 all-time highs, averaging about 16 per year. Research from Dimensional Fund Advisors shows that average returns one, three, and five years after record highs are nearly identical to returns after any other given month. And data from RBC Global Asset Management found that only 9% of all-time highs were followed by a 10%+ decline within one year — with that number dropping to 0% over a five-year window.

None of this means declines don't happen — they do, and they're a normal part of investing. But for long-term investors, the focus belongs on the things within your control: your savings rate, your practice, your career, and maintaining the right investment mix for your goals. The headlines will always find a reason to worry. Your job is to tune them out and stay invested.

Resources for Optometrists

• Podcast Ep 153: How to Invest Tax-Efficiently and Keep More of Your Returns (After-tax)
• Podcast Ep 140: What Most Investors Get Wrong About Dividend Investing
• DFA: Why A Stock Peak Isn't A Cliff
• RBC GAM: Investing at All-Time Highs
• Have a question for a future episode? Email: [email protected]

Want a more proactive approach to your planning? Let's schedule a call.

You can schedule a no-commitment introductory call to discuss what's on your mind financially and learn how we help optometrists navigate those same decisions nationwide.

👉 Schedule an introductory call

The Optometry Money Podcast is dedicated to helping optometrists make better decisions around their money, careers, and practices. The show is hosted by Evon Mendrin, CFP®, CSLP®, owner of Optometry Wealth Advisors, a financial planning firm just for optometrists nationwide. 

Questions? Thoughts? Send a Text to The Optometry Money Podcast! We'll answer your question on the show.

The Department of Education just released its final rule implementing the federal student loan changes we’ve been tracking over the past couple of years — and while most of it lines up with what we expected, two surprises stood out. 

In this episode, we recap how we got here (the official end of the SAVE Plan and the sweeping changes from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act), break down the income-driven options ODs have going forward, and dig into the two surprises in the final rule that could affect your repayment strategy.

If you have questions about navigating these decisions alongside the rest of your cash flow, tax, and practice planning, reach out at [email protected].

What You’ll Learn

•Why the SAVE Plan is officially dead and the 90-day decision window for borrowers still in SAVE forbearance
•How the One Big Beautiful Bill Act splits borrowers into two groups based on the July 1st date
•Why consolidating your federal loans right now could restrict your repayment options
•The difference between old and new IBR — and which ODs qualify for each
•How the new Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) works, including its payment calculation and 30-year timeline
•The first surprise: new restrictions on who can enter Pay As You Earn before it sunsets in 2028
•The second surprise: how RAP payments are (and aren’t) treated for forgiveness under IBR

Key Takeaway

July 1st is the date to circle. Whether you’re deciding how to exit SAVE forbearance, weighing a consolidation, or trying to lock in Pay As You Earn before new restrictions hit, the window to act on your best options is closing — and the right move depends heavily on your specific path toward forgiveness or payoff.

Resources

• Podcast Ep. 152: Listener Q&A: Practice Ownership, Backdoor Roths, and Student Loans
• Podcast Ep. 151: How Filing Taxes Separately Impacts Student Loan Outcomes for Optometrists
• Ep 143: How the Final One Big Beautiful Bill Act Impacts Optometrists – Taxes, Student Loans, and More!

Want a more proactive approach to your planning?

You can schedule a no-commitment introductory call to discuss what's on your mind financially and learn how we help optometrists navigate those same decisions nationwide.

👉 Schedule an introductory call

The Optometry Money Podcast is dedicated to helping optometrists make better decisions around their money, careers, and practices. The show is hosted by Evon Mendrin, CFP®, CSLP®, owner of Optometry Wealth Advisors, a financial planning firm just for optometrists nationwide. 

Questions? Thoughts? Send a Text to The Optometry Money Podcast! We'll answer your question on the show.

Whether you're five to ten years from exiting your optometry practice or just starting to think about it, the decisions you make right now have a major impact on what your practice is ultimately worth. 

In this episode, Evon is joined by Erich Mattei of Akrinos — a returning guest who specializes in practice transitions and valuations — to break down the key levers practice owners should be focused on long before they're ready to sell. From profitability and expense benchmarks to payor mix, capital expenditure, and add-backs, this conversation gets into the mechanics of how fair market value is actually determined and what you can do to improve it.

What You'll Learn

• How fair market value for an optometry practice is determined
• The two primary drivers of practice value: profitability and capital expenditure
• Key expense benchmarks for COGS, occupancy, non-doctor payroll, and general overhead
• Why growing revenue matters — and why growing the right revenue matters even more
• How payor mix and cash pay percentage affect practice value and buyer negotiation
• What add-backs are and why minimizing seller discretionary spend before exit is critical
• How associate doctors and full-time equivalent coverage factor into valuation
• Why outdated equipment can undermine an otherwise profitable practice

Key Takeaway

The time to prepare your practice for sale is long before you're ready to sell. The ODs who get the most at exit are the ones who ran their businesses like a business — with clean financials, controlled expenses, growing revenue through the right channels, and a practice that a buyer can step into with confidence.

Resources

• Erich Mattei / Akrinos: [email protected]
• Akrinos 360 Due Diligence Resource — reach out to Erich directly or contact Evon at [email protected]
• Akrinos Website
• Podcast Ep 50: Guide to Due Diligence on Practice Purchases with Erich Mattei
• Podcast Ep 80: Intro to Optometry Practice Valuations with Erich Mattei

Want a more proactive approach to your planning?

You can schedule a no-commitment introductory call to discuss what's on your mind financially and learn how we help optometrists navigate those same decisions nationwide.

👉 Schedule an introductory call

The Optometry Money Podcast is dedicated to helping optometrists make better decisions around their money, careers, and practices. The show is hosted by Evon Mendrin, CFP®, CSLP®, owner of Optometry Wealth Advisors, a financial planning firm just for optometrists nationwide. 

Questions? Thoughts? Send a Text to The Optometry Money Podcast! We'll answer your question on the show.

It's tax day — and whether you're celebrating a finished return or still working through an extension, tax payments are on your mind. In this episode, we walk through a practical framework for planning your quarterly estimated tax payments so you're not scrambling, stressed, or surprised come tax time. 

We cover the two ways ODs pay taxes through the year, IRS safe harbor targets to avoid underpayment penalties, and a simple system to automate the whole process so you stay ahead all year long.

What You'll Learn

• The two ways ODs pay federal taxes through the year — payroll withholdings vs. quarterly estimated payments
• Which payment method applies based on how you practice (W2, sole prop, S Corp)
• The three IRS safe harbor targets that protect you from underpayment penalties
• How to calculate your quarterly payment amount step by step
• How to set up a dedicated tax savings account and automate deposits
• Where quarterly tax payments fit in your practice's cash flow priority order
• How to adjust your payments as income changes through the year
• The importance of working proactively with your professionals

Key Takeaway

The biggest tax payment headaches come from not having a system. Pick your safe harbor target, calculate your quarterly amount, automate deposits into a dedicated tax account, and adjust as you go. It's not glamorous — but it's how you move from reactive and stressed to in control.

And keep in close contact with your financial and tax professionals to make sure you're making proactive decisions with tax payments and planning throughout the year!

Resources & Links

• IRS Pay Online
• IRS Form 2210 — Underpayment of Estimated Tax
• Schedule a call with Optometry Wealth Advisors

The Optometry Money Podcast is dedicated to helping optometrists make better decisions around their money, careers, and practices. The show is hosted by Evon Mendrin, CFP®, CSLP®, owner of Optometry Wealth Advisors, a financial planning firm just for optometrists nationwide. 

Questions? Thoughts? Send a Text to The Optometry Money Podcast! We'll answer your question on the show.

In this replay of a popular 2023 episode, Evon revisits an important topic for optometry practice owners and independent contractors - the differences between different business entities!

How do the different business entities work? How are they taxed? How are they different?

In this episode, Evon provides optometrists a basic guide to the differences between:

• Sole Proprietorships
• Partnerships
•  Limited Liability Companies (LLCs)
• S-Corporations
• Corporations

If you own an optometry practice or are an independent contractor, hopefully this episode brings some clarity around how the different types of businesses operate. 

Have questions on anything discussed or want to have topics or questions featured on the show? Send Evon an email at [email protected].

Check out www.optometrywealth.com to get to know more about Evon, his financial planning firm Optometry Wealth Advisors, and how he helps optometrists nationwide. From there, you can schedule a short Intro call to share what's on your mind and learn how Evon helps ODs master their cash flow and debt, build their net worth, and plan purposefully around their money and their practices. 

Resources mentioned on this episode:

• The Optometry Money Podcast Ep. 47: An Optometrist's Guide to How Income Taxes Work
• IRS.Gov Reasonable Compensation for S Corporation Officers
• IRS.Gov How to Apply for an EIN

The Optometry Money Podcast is dedicated to helping optometrists make better decisions around their money, careers, and practices. The show is hosted by Evon Mendrin, CFP®, CSLP®, owner of Optometry Wealth Advisors, a financial planning firm just for optometrists nationwide. 

Questions? Thoughts? Send a Text to The Optometry Money Podcast! We'll answer your question on the show.

Remote optometry is growing fast - and there's quite a range of opinions on what that means for optometry. In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Crystal Edison, a remote optometrist practicing across nine states from her home office, to break down the ins and outs of providing comprehensive remote care. 

We cover contracts and compensation of remote ODs, how to navigate multi-state licensing, the technology involved, and Crystal addresses some of the most common myths about the quality and credibility of remote optometry.

Whether you're a practice owner struggling to find associate coverage or an OD looking for more flexibility and independence, this one's worth a listen.

What You'll Learn

• What comprehensive remote optometry actually looks like and how it differs from screening-only models
• How remote ODs are compensated - W2 vs. 1099 roles and the financial trade-offs of each
• Key contract negotiation considerations including malpractice coverage and reimbursements
• How to navigate multi-state licensing without a national compact (and tools like ARBO's CELMO that help)
• The technology investment needed on both the practice side and the remote OD side
• How practice owners can use remote staffing to fill empty chairs and reduce reliance on locums
• Common myths about remote care quality - and the clinical reality behind modern tele-optometry

Resources Mentioned

• Crystal Edison on LinkedIn
• Edison Remote Strategies — Crystal's course, The Remote OD Blueprint
• Crystal's Independent Strong article - Tele-optometry for Owners and Associates
• CELMO through ARBO — Council on Endorsement Licensure Mobility for Optometrists
• Podcast Ep. 2: Financial and Tax Planning for 1099 Optometrists
• Podcast Ep. 51: An Optometrist's Guide to the QBI Deduction
• Podcast Ep. 66: Retirement Plan Options for Independent Contractor Optometrists

Want a more proactive approach to your planning?

You can schedule a no-commitment introductory call to discuss what's on your mind financially and learn how we help optometrists navigate those same decisions nationwide.

👉 Schedule an introductory call

The Optometry Money Podcast is dedicated to helping optometrists make better decisions around their money, careers, and practices. The show is hosted by Evon Mendrin, CFP®, CSLP®, owner of Optometry Wealth Advisors, a financial planning firm just for optometrists nationwide. 

Questions? Thoughts? Send a Text to The Optometry Money Podcast! We'll answer your question on the show.

We're back with our second listener Q&A episode, tackling real questions from ODs around the country. From S Corp salary decisions and how much cash to keep in your practice, to buying your commercial real estate, preparing your practice for sale, and whether you're overfunding your kids' 529 plans — we cover a lot of ground in this one.

Have a question you'd like answered on a future episode? Submit it at optometrywealth.com/podcastquestion.

What You'll Learn

• What goes into determining a "reasonable salary" as an S Corp optometry practice owner — and why you should rely on your CPA
• Two practical methods for calculating how much cash your optometry practice should keep on hand
• Key factors to weigh when deciding whether to buy your practice's commercial real estate
• What drives practice valuation and how to start preparing 10 years before you want to sell
• How to build balance in your net worth over over time and not be overly concentrated in your practice
• The flexibility built into 529 plans that most ODs don't realize they have

Key Takeaway

Many of these questions come down to the same principle: your practice's cash flow is your most powerful financial tool. Whether you're deciding how much salary to pay yourself, how much cash to hold in the business, or how to diversify your net worth — using that cash flow intentionally and efficiently is what moves the needle over time.

Links & Resources

• Submit a question for a future Q&A episode
• IRS: S Corporation Compensation and Medical Insurance Issues
• Ep 139: Optimize Your Pay – 7 Key Factors for Setting Practice Owners’ Compensation
• IDOC Practice Cash Reserve White Paper
• IDOC How Should Optometry Practices Manage Cash?
• Ep 154: Trump Accounts for Kids - What Optometrists Need to Know

Want a more proactive approach to your planning?

You can schedule a no-commitment introductory call to discuss what's on your mind financially and learn how we help optometrists navigate those same decisions nationwide.

👉 Schedule an introductory call

The Optometry Money Podcast is dedicated to helping optometrists make better decisions around their money, careers, and practices. The show is hosted by Evon Mendrin, CFP®, CSLP®, owner of Optometry Wealth Advisors, a financial planning firm just for optometrists nationwide.