In this Five Minute Friday, I break down one of the most misunderstood conversations in orthodontics: real return on investment and equity value in private equity-backed organizations.

After hosting bankers, CPAs, venture capital leaders, real estate experts, and private equity professionals at Vanguard, I walked away with one very clear realization: far too many orthodontists are being modeled at 6–8% annual returns — and that thinking alone can completely distort whether selling, affiliating, or holding makes financial sense.

This episode is not about convincing you to join an OSO or DSO. It’s about education. It’s about understanding equity, multiples, long-term capital gains, private equity performance benchmarks, and — most importantly — transparency. If someone refers you to a broker, a CPA, or an investment opportunity, you need to know what questions to ask. Because if you don’t understand how money truly compounds, you’re making decisions in the dark.

Quotes

“If my financial planner told me to plan on 8% per year for the rest of my life, I would fire them.”
 — Dr. Glenn Krieger

“Always ask questions of people and find out — are there any relationships that you should be aware of?”
 — Dr. Glenn Krieger

Key Takeaways

Intro (00:00)
Rethinking “Acceptable” Returns (01:20)
How Wealthy Investors Think (02:05)
Understanding Private Equity Multiples (05:10)
Capital Gains vs. Practice Income (08:30)
Transparency & Conflicts of Interest (10:40)


Additional Resources

If you’re even remotely considering selling, affiliating, recapitalizing, or exploring private equity — do not make a decision without understanding the math.

🟦 If you want to have an honest, no-pressure conversation about your situation, DM me directly. I’ve had hundreds of these conversations, and sometimes the right answer is “wait.” Sometimes it’s “grow more.” Sometimes it’s “move now.” But it should always be informed.
And if this episode opened your eyes, share it with another orthodontist who deserves to understand how their money can truly work for them.

Register for the Make More Money Meeting: https://ortho4m.com/home

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