

20/20 MONEY: The Business of Optometry
Adam Cmejla
20/20 Money is the top podcast for optometrists, private practice owners, and ODs who want to master optometry practice management, financial planning, and long-term business strategy. Hosted by Adam Cmejla, CFP®, the show delivers practical guidance on everything that affects the profitability, growth, and value of your optometry practice.
Episodes cover:
• Optometry practice management & operations
• Financial planning for optometrists
• Practice growth strategies & profitability tips
• Selling your practice & OD exit planning
• Private equity deals in optometry
• Hiring, leadership, and team development
• Tax planning, cash flow, and retirement readiness
• Student loan strategies for ODs
• Cold starts, acquisitions, and multi-location scaling
With expert interviews, case studies, and step-by-step breakdowns, you'll learn how to make smarter business decisions, build personal wealth, and create a thriving career inside and outside the exam room.
If you're an OD serious about elevating your practice and improving your financial future, 20/20 Money is your competitive advantage.
For more information on the show and on Adam, please visit https://www.integratedpwm.com/
Episodes cover:
• Optometry practice management & operations
• Financial planning for optometrists
• Practice growth strategies & profitability tips
• Selling your practice & OD exit planning
• Private equity deals in optometry
• Hiring, leadership, and team development
• Tax planning, cash flow, and retirement readiness
• Student loan strategies for ODs
• Cold starts, acquisitions, and multi-location scaling
With expert interviews, case studies, and step-by-step breakdowns, you'll learn how to make smarter business decisions, build personal wealth, and create a thriving career inside and outside the exam room.
If you're an OD serious about elevating your practice and improving your financial future, 20/20 Money is your competitive advantage.
For more information on the show and on Adam, please visit https://www.integratedpwm.com/
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 28, 2022 • 54min
Student loan planning in a post-COVID and uncertain legislative environment with Rob Bertman from Student Loan Planner
Welcome to this episode of 20/20 Money! My guest on today's show is Rob Bertman. Rob is a senior consultant for Student Loan Planner who specializes in making customized, easy-to-implement student loan plans for people with 6-figure student debt and up. He has been a financial professional for nearly 20 years and holds both the CFA and CFP® designations. Rob is also the founder of Family Budget Expert where he helps parents who feel behind financially finally find the extra money to build savings and pay off debt without a restrictive budget and even if they don't see eye-to-eye with their spouse. In this conversation, Rob shares an update on the current state of affairs in the student loan area given all the changes that have occurred legislatively and politically. He also talks in detail about the new IDR (Income Driven Repayment) waiver, what the change in servicers have meant to borrowers, how to begin understanding what you actually owe, how optometrists should think about a student loan repayment plan in a rising interest rate environment, and refinancing options for ODs that are going to be refinancing their loans. As a reminder, you can get all the information discussed in today's conversation by visiting our website at integratedpwm.com and clicking on the Learning Center. While there, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter and you can also set up a 20-30min Triage conversation to learn a little bit more about how we serve in the capacity of a personal and professional CFO: helping OD practice owners around the country reduce their tax bill, proactively manage cash flow, and make prudent investment decisions both in and out of their practice to help them live their best life on purpose. You can also check out any number of additional free resources like our eBooks, blog posts, and on-demand webinars. Lastly, if you're interested in learning more about the upcoming launch of the 20/20 Money Membership, please check out the link in the Resources to learn more about what we have in store for you! And with that introduction, I hope you enjoy my conversation with Rob Bertman. Resources: 20/20 Money Community Information Studentloanplanner.com Optometry Posts NSLDS link Refi Page at Student Loan Planner Refi Page at ODs on Finance ————————————————————————————— Please rate and subscribe to 20/20 Money on these platforms Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts Stitcher ————————————————————————————— For past episodes of 20/20 Money with full companion show notes, please check out our episode archive here!

Nov 21, 2022 • 1h 11min
Planning for the success and succession of your practice (emotionally and financially) with Dr. Pete Kehoe, OD
Welcome to this episode of 20/20 Money! My guest on today's show is Dr. Pete Kehoe, OD. Dr. Kehoe is a fellow of the Academy of Optometry, National Academies of Practice and a Diplomate of the American Board of Optometry. He has served the profession in a variety of roles and was president of the American Optometric Association 2008-2009. He is a partner in three private practices in central Illinois and serves Vision Source as an administrator in Illinois since 2000 and a variety of roles as a senior advisor since 2014. Dr. Kehoe served as a non-executive board member of Optos, Plc and currently serves as a consultant in professional development for Transitions Optical, Heru and Optos. During this episode, we spend the majority of our conversation talking about the importance of planning for the success and succession of your private practice…whether you're 35, 55, 65, or even 75 and the owner of a practice. Pete shares what was successful for him in recruiting and retaining providers that eventually became partners in his practice. We talk through how he financed the buy-in, the emotional component of selling part of one's practice, the compensation structure that has worked well for their partnership, and some of the headwinds and tailwinds he observes in optometry and what practice owners can do about them. As a reminder, you can get all the information discussed in today's conversation by visiting our website at integratedpwm.com and clicking on the Learning Center. While there, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter and you can also set up a 20-30min Triage conversation to learn a little bit more about how we serve in the capacity of a personal and professional CFO: helping OD practice owners around the country reduce their tax bill, proactively manage cash flow, and make prudent investment decisions both in and out of their practice to help them live their best life on purpose. You can also check out any number of additional free resources like our eBooks, blog posts, and on-demand webinars. Lastly, if you're interested in learning more about the upcoming launch of the 20/20 Money Membership, please check out the link in the Resources to learn more about what we have in store for you! We made the announcement back on episode 200 and are still "cooking in the kitchen;" we'll keep you posted as we have updates around the timeline of the launch and what the model will look like, etc. And with that introduction, I hope you enjoy my conversation with Dr. Pete Kehoe. Resources: 20/20 Money Community Information ————————————————————————————— Please rate and subscribe to 20/20 Money on these platforms Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts Stitcher ————————————————————————————— For past episodes of 20/20 Money with full companion show notes, please check out our episode archive here!

Nov 14, 2022 • 45min
An update on the mortgage markets with Kim Hockaday from Nations Lending
Welcome to this episode of 20/20 Money! My guest on today's show is Kim Hockaday (links) from Nations Lending. Kim has been on the show previously, is a long-time friend of mine, and has a lot of experience in the mortgage business. I wanted to have her on the show today to talk about the current state of the mortgage market as we close in on the 4th quarter of 2022 and what both buyers and sellers should be considering in this new environment we're in (relative to 2020 and 2021). As a reminder, you can get all the information discussed in today's conversation by visiting our website at integratedpwm.com and clicking on the Learning Center. While there, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter and you can also set up a 20-30min Triage conversation to learn a little bit more about how we help OD practice owners around the country reduce their tax bill, proactively manage cash flow, and make prudent investment decisions to help them live their best life on purpose or check out any number of additional free resources like our eBooks, blog posts, and on-demand webinars. Lastly, if you're interested in learning more about the upcoming launch of the 20/20 Money Community please check out the link in the Resources to learn more about what we have in store for you! And with that introduction, I hope you enjoy my conversation with Kim Hockaday. 20/20 Money Membership Information ————————————————————————————— Please rate and subscribe to 20/20 Money on these platforms Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts Stitcher ————————————————————————————— For past episodes of 20/20 Money with full companion show notes, please check out our episode archive here!

Nov 7, 2022 • 60min
Peeling back the layers of private equity with Dr. Chris Wolfe (my guest appearance on EyeCode Media Podcast)
Welcome to this episode of 20/20 Money! This episode is the guest appearance I did on Dr. Chris Wolfe's podcast Eyecode Media (which is part of Eyecode Education). Chris had me on the show to unpack private equity a bit more and talk about how PE is structured from an investment perspective and what the "end game" looks like for a PE fund. This is a follow up conversation to an article that I wrote for Review of Optometric Business (link) where I showed the math on how selling to a PE firm could actually cost a practice owner 6 figures. Before I get into the episode, I'd like to just acknowledge that I have no horse in this race: the purpose of this show has always been to be objective about any of the planning strategies or concepts that I discuss and lay out the pros and cons or benefits and exchanges to the decisions that one makes with their money. With private equity getting a lot of attention lately it could be perceived that I'm taking a contrarian view for the purpose of building exposure, and that's simply not the case. For some practice owners, a private equity exit might be the best option for them. For others, not so much. My position, with a decision like this, has been to be transparent about the entirety of the process and, using history as our guide, what it could mean for the profession of optometry. Everything that we do with our money comes at a cost—sometimes that cost is explicit and sometimes it's implicit. But it's our job (responsibility?) to ensure that we know as much as we can about the implications of our decision…and that's been the focus of this show. With the subject of this episode and the conversation that Chris and I have, I wanted to just share that additional update. As a reminder, you can get all the information discussed in today's conversation by visiting our website at integratedpwm.com and clicking on the Learning Center. While there, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter and you can also set up a 20-30min Triage conversation to learn a little bit more about how we serve in the capacity of a personal and professional CFO: helping OD practice owners around the country reduce their tax bill, proactively manage cash flow, and make prudent investment decisions both in and out of their practice to help them live their best life on purpose. You can also check out any number of additional free resources like our eBooks, blog posts, and on-demand webinars. Lastly, if you're interested in learning more about the upcoming launch of the 20/20 Money Membership, please check out the link in the Resources to learn more about what we have in store for you! And with that introduction, I hope you enjoy my conversation with Dr. Chris Wolfe. Resources: Review of Optometric Business: Why Selling to PE Could COST You Six Figures Research paper: Financialization in Health Care: The Transformation of US Hospital Systems 20/20 Money Community Information ————————————————————————————— Please rate and subscribe to 20/20 Money on these platforms Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts Stitcher ————————————————————————————— For past episodes of 20/20 Money with full companion show notes, please check out our episode archive here!

Oct 31, 2022 • 51min
Don't get "spooked" by a surprise tax bill: capital gain distributions during a market downturn—and how to plan accordingly
Welcome to this episode of 20/20 Money! On today's show we discuss the relationship between tax loss- and gain-harvesting and capital gain distributions from ETFs and mutual funds. We'll run through a couple of examples of how you can proactively review your portfolio and potentially reduce your tax liability and not be surprised by a large 1099-DIV report during 2023's tax season. Resources: What is the "wash sale" rule? Fidelity's Tax Loss Harvesting article 20/20 Money Community Information Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/2020moneypod/ ————————————————————————————— Please rate and subscribe to 20/20 Money on these platforms Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts Stitcher ————————————————————————————— For past episodes of 20/20 Money with full companion show notes, please check out our episode archive here!

Oct 24, 2022 • 1h 1min
The benefits of implementing the EOS® operating system in your practice with Dr. Larry Golson, OD
Welcome to this episode of 20/20 Money! My guest on today's show is Dr. Larry Golson. Larry is the founder of Envision Eyecare & Eyeware in Ashville, NC and in addition to practice ownership he has taken on another role in the optometric profession, serving as a consultant and coach to practice owners looking to implement the concepts and applications discussed in the book Traction by Gino Wickman. Larry and I talk through his implementation journey with EOS® and what he's learned through that journey. He shares how important the beginning stages were of the process, how he knew he was ready for change, the importance of empowering team members to provide feedback, why culture is a driving force in any business (including optometry), the cost that bad-fit team members can have on a practice, how he's measured success with the system, and when a practice is ready for EOS.® As a reminder, you can get all the information discussed in today's conversation by visiting our website at integratedpwm.com and clicking on the Learning Center. While there, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter and you can also set up a 20-30min Triage conversation to learn a little bit more about how we help OD practice owners around the country reduce their tax bill, proactively manage cash flow, and make prudent investment decisions to help them live their best life on purpose. Lastly, if you're interested in learning more about the upcoming launch of the 20/20 Money Community please check out the link in the Resources to learn more about what we have in store for you! And with that introduction, I hope you enjoy my conversation with Dr. Larry Golson. Resources: Radical Candor Rocket Fuel Multiplication by Substraction www.sherpaconsulting.net Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/2020moneypod/ ————————————————————————————— Please rate and subscribe to 20/20 Money on these platforms Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts Stitcher ————————————————————————————— For past episodes of 20/20 Money with full companion show notes, please check out our episode archive here!

Oct 17, 2022 • 50min
Estate planning considerations for practice owners: the importance and consequences of not acting with Ali Oromchian
Welcome to this episode of 20/20 Money! My guest on today's show is Ali Oromchian. Ali is an attorney and founder of DM Counsel, a law firm based in the SF Bay area that serves medical professionals nationwide. Ali joins me on the show today to revisit the ABCs and 123s of estate planning and the importance of not putting off a planning item that oftentimes see go neglected. We share some anecdotal stories of why you shouldn't delay taking action, the differences between trust and will estate planning techniques and outcomes, and a nuance of beneficiary designations that can impact your planning. We then dive into some of the planning considerations that practice owners need to be aware of and what strategies you can consider to ensure that not only your family but also your team and patients are planned for accordingly in the unfortunate situation of something happening to you, the practice owner. As a reminder, you can get all the information discussed in today's conversation by visiting our website at integratedpwm.com and clicking on the Learning Center. While there, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter and you can also set up a 20-30min Triage conversation to learn a little bit more about how we help OD practice owners around the country reduce their tax bill, proactively manage cash flow, and make prudent investment decisions to help them live their best life on purpose or check out any number of additional free resources like our eBooks, blog posts, and on-demand webinars. If you're interested in learning more about the upcoming launch of the 20/20 Money Community please check out the link in the Resources to learn more about what we have in store for you. Lastly, this is again another personal ask to you, the listener, to take 30 seconds and leave us a 5 star review and positive feedback in your podcast player. That's the biggest catalyst to this show getting found by more ODs just like you. And with that introduction, I hope you enjoy my conversation with Ali Oromchian. Resources: Phone: 925-999-8200 www.dmcounsel.com Integrated Planning's Estate Planning Questionnaire Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/2020moneypod/ ————————————————————————————— Please rate and subscribe to 20/20 Money on these platforms Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts Stitcher ————————————————————————————— For past episodes of 20/20 Money with full companion show notes, please check out our episode archive here!

Oct 10, 2022 • 1h 3min
Attracting and retaining non-OD team members in today's competitive marketplace with Amy Alvarez of IDOC
Welcome to this episode of 20/20 Money! My guest on today's show is Amy Alvarez with IDOC. Amy joins me on the show today to discuss a topic that is certainly impacting practice owners in multiple different ways and at multiple different level: attracting and retaining staff in your practice. Amy shares a lot of great information and insights, including tips on how to how to best create a job ad to attract quality candidates, why yet again it "starts with why" in your practice, the mismatch in available candidates relative to open positions that she's seeing in the marketplace, how bonus structures have changed in today's marketplace, and different strategies to search for the ideal team member. As a reminder, you can get all the information discussed in today's conversation by visiting our website at integratedpwm.com and clicking on the Learning Center. While there, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter and you can also set up a 20-30min Triage conversation to learn a little bit more about how we help OD practice owners around the country reduce their tax bill, proactively manage cash flow, and make prudent investment decisions to help them live their best life on purpose. Lastly, if you're interested in learning more about the upcoming launch of the 20/20 Money Community please check out the link in the Resources to learn more about what we have in store for you! And with that introduction, I hope you enjoy my conversation with Amy Alvarez. Resources: IDOC Amy's profile Indeed Employer Page QR Code generator Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/2020moneypod/ ————————————————————————————— Please rate and subscribe to 20/20 Money on these platforms Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts Stitcher ————————————————————————————— For past episodes of 20/20 Money with full companion show notes, please check out our episode archive here!

Oct 3, 2022 • 33min
Correlating your savings rate to your practice production
Welcome to this episode of 20/20 Money! Today, I talk about the importance of understanding your savings rate and how that relates to the overall owner income that the practice produces. We'll also tie this into the long-term planning implications of NOT knowing and understanding your savings rate and how lifestyle creep can be silent headwinds as you work towards making work optional. As a reminder, you can get all the information discussed in today's conversation by visiting our website at integratedpwm.com and clicking on the Learning Center. While there, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter and you can also set up a 20-30min Triage conversation to learn a little bit more about how we help OD practice owners around the country reduce their tax bill, proactively manage cash flow, and make prudent investment decisions to help them live their best life on purpose or check out any number of additional free resources like our eBooks, blog posts, and on-demand webinars. 4 Levers in Retirement Backdoor Roth IRA Hierarchy of savings for optometrist SECO 20/20 Money Community Information Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/2020moneypod/ ————————————————————————————— Please rate and subscribe to 20/20 Money on these platforms Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts Stitcher ————————————————————————————— For past episodes of 20/20 Money with full companion show notes, please check out our episode archive here!

Sep 26, 2022 • 36min
Rethinking the perception of sales in your office with Kayla Ashlee, Founder of Spexy
Welcome to this episode of 20/20 Money! I'm joined by Kayla Ashlee (founder of Spexy) live at Vision Expo West. Kayla and I spend our time talking about a word that often gets a very negative connotation in practices: sales. We talk about ways to make sales a positive experience, we each share our definition of what sales means to us, and ways to think about changing sales culture in your office. We wrap up the conversation with Kayla telling us what two words, if given the chance, she would abolish from every optometry office. As a reminder, you can get all the information discussed in today's conversation by visiting our website at integratedpwm.com and clicking on the Learning Center. While there, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter and you can also set up a 20-30min Triage conversation to learn a little bit more about how we help OD practice owners around the country reduce their tax bill, proactively manage cash flow, and make prudent investment decisions to help them live their best life on purpose or check out any number of additional free resources like our eBooks, blog posts, and on-demand webinars. Resources: Spexy 20/20 Money Community Information Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/2020moneypod/ ————————————————————————————— Please rate and subscribe to 20/20 Money on these platforms Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts Stitcher ————————————————————————————— For past episodes of 20/20 Money with full companion show notes, please check out our episode archive here!


