Annual Report 2025: In Review, and a Look at 2026!
Overview
(I) A Review of 2025
(1) Growth and Engagement
Growth and engagement at the highest level were definitely ongoing themes of the past year. We're thrilled to announce that our current Newsletter subscriber list now includes nearly 70% of U.S. ODs!
For context, average email open rates typically fall between 12–15%, with average click-through rates around 2.5%, according to Emma Email Marketing & Automation. Seeing engagement levels well above these benchmarks speaks volumes about our readers’ interest in the content and the trust they place in ODs on Finance.
Our biweekly newsletter delivers a curated mix of industry news, CE and event announcements, and current deals on equipment and services—designed to keep ODs informed, educated, and financially empowered.
ODs on Finance began in January 2018 with our Facebook group, starting modestly with around 100 ODs. As of 2026, over 8 years, we're pleased to report that our Facebook group now includes:
21,354+ ODs, growing at 1000+ members annually
To maintain productive and high-level conversations, membership remains exclusive to ODs and student ODs. The only non-ODs in our group are our vetted partners (who make up 0.30% of our membership), OD spouses, and a handful of office managers for owners without a Facebook profile.
An exciting change we have seen in membership growth this year is the amount of students that have both joined and engaged in the group.
91.69 % daily engagement
According to Meta's Group Management Dashboard metrics, it's no surprise that ODs on Finance is consistently optometry's most engaged community, limited to doctors and students only (per Facebook Analytics).
We champion free and productive speech, accompanied by accountability and tactfulness. We strive for a community that builds itself up, embracing open-mindedness and recognizing the learning opportunities in our differences.
Discourse is vitally important for growth both at a personal level and for our profession as a whole.
This means over 19,581+ ODs/students are viewing or commenting on content daily, with Wednesday being the most popular day.
7,123+ posts | 121,471+ comments | 276,372+ reactions
This equates to roughly 20+ insightful posts, over 332+ comments, and more than 757+ reactions daily. While we appreciate humorous memes, ODs on Finance is primarily an informative financial platform where doctors can discuss crucial wealth-building strategies and practice management topics.
Even with ODs on Finance's focus on practice/personal finance, we understand that many doctors have found the forum to be the most safe and productive space to have conversations with industry colleagues. Thus, the discussion floor has been opened for select conversations on student issues/board exams and general optometry questions.
Ultimately - all of these discussions can have contributions to the financial health of our profession in an indirect way.
65% Female | 35% Male
In our demographic breakdown, a significant majority of our members are female doctors, with the average age falling within the 25-34 years range. The second most common age group is 35-44 years old. Our community includes over 17,522 practicing U.S. ODs, with the top cities being New York, NY; Houston, TX; Los Angeles, CA; Chicago, IL; San Diego, CA, Memphis, TN. Additionally, we have a notable presence of international ODs, especially from Canada, Puerto Rico, Australia, and the UK.
Our Instagram account has 4,185+ followers, primarily ODs. We regularly share content through posts and stories, mirroring the material found in our Facebook group with quick financial tips.
Throughout 2025, our website has undergone continuous enhancements, adding new features and resources to our extensive collection of financial articles, resources, and calculators.
Additionally, our website now consists of 5 different websites under the ODs on Finance umbrella:
- ODs on Finance: Main Page, Finance Blogs & Guides, Resources
- ODoF Practice Owner: Resources & Equipments
- ODoF Merchant Services: Lowest Credit Card processing
- ODoF Brokerage: Buy/Sell Practice & Cold Start Accelerator
- ODs on Education: Monthly Free CE webinars
On average, our combined websites attracts:
125,180+ views per month and 45,625+ unique visitors per month.
This consistent online engagement underscores our commitment to providing valuable content and resources to the optometric community.
(2) Current Projects in 2025
1) ODs on Finance Merchant Services
A big part of ODs on Finance's mission is ensuring practice owners save as much as possible, and one glaring issue we found with most optometric practices was overpaying for Merchant Services.
Thus, ODs on Finance Merchant Services was born. Through the program, we've been able to lower Merchant Service costs on 100% of practices that present their existing statements to us (Yup, we mean it)
We run the program through a partnership with Elavon that ensures fully transparent interchange plus pricing (average effective rate of 1.73%) with ZERO fees. Additionally, top of the line smart POS.
Since its inception in April 2024, ODs on Finance Merchant Services has added the following number of practices to its network with respective estimated savings based on previous merchant statements:
850+ Practices
55+ Surcharge Account
$300 million/yr transactions processed
$10 million/yr estimated savings collectively
Here's the most awesome thing about our Merchant Service program: the more practices we add, the more leveraging power we have for even lower rates - so if you haven't done so yet, submit your statement online to get a FREE RATE ANALYSIS within 24hrs.
A core part of ODs on Finance’s mission is helping optometrists make smart, well-informed decisions around practice ownership—whether that means buying, selling, or planning a long-term transition. As our community grew, one issue became increasingly clear: too many ODs were navigating practice transactions without optometry-specific valuation insight, proper financial modeling, or legal and tax guidance aligned with how deals actually close.
That’s why ODoF Brokerage was created, with Industry-lowest brokerage fees 7-10%, compared to 12-15% from other competitors, including legal fees.
Leveraging our massive community of 30,000+ doctors, ODoF Brokerage is built as a fully integrated, optometry-focused brokerage platform, combining valuation, deal strategy, legal, and tax expertise under one roof. Unlike traditional broker models that outsource critical pieces, ODoF Brokerage operates with an in-house team, allowing us to move faster, price more accurately, and reduce friction during transactions, all with the marketing reach that is unmatched by any other brokerage
The ODoF Brokerage Team
- ✅ Aaron Neufeld, OD – Practice valuation, deal strategy, and buyer/seller advisory
Aaron leads valuation modeling, pricing strategy, and lender-facing deal structure, ensuring transactions are realistic, debt-serviceable, and aligned with SBA and conventional underwriting standards. - ✅ Chris Lopez, OD – Buyer strategy, transition planning, and operational diligence
Chris works closely with buyers and sellers to assess practice operations, growth opportunities, and transition planning, helping ODs evaluate deals through both a financial and real-world practice lens. - ✅ Justin Morgan, JD, MBA – In-house attorney & licensed broker
Justin oversees legal structuring, contract negotiation, and transaction execution. Having an attorney in-house allows ODoF Brokerage to streamline LOIs, purchase agreements, and escrow coordination while reducing delays and misalignment between brokers and legal counsel. - ✅ Jackson Pace, CPA – In-house CPA & tax strategy
Jackson provides transaction-level tax analysis, entity structuring guidance, and post-sale planning. His involvement ensures buyers and sellers understand after-tax outcomes, timing considerations, and how each deal impacts long-term financial planning.
Why This Matters
By integrating clinical insight, brokerage expertise, legal execution, and tax strategy, ODoF Brokerage delivers transactions that are:
- Accurately valued
- Bank-defensible
- Tax-aware
- Structured to close
The most powerful advantage of ODoF Brokerage is data. As we support more transactions nationwide, our valuation benchmarks, lender feedback, and deal outcomes continue to sharpen: allowing us to price practices more precisely and guide ODs with confidence grounded in real market activity.
If you’re considering buying or selling a practice in the next 6–36 months, ODoF Brokerage is designed to help you navigate that process the right way—with clarity, transparency, and a team that understands optometry from every angle. Get Started today
3) Student Initiatives
Students and new graduates represent the future of our profession, and supporting them early in their careers remains one of ODs on Finance’s highest priorities. Our student initiatives are designed to reduce financial stress, improve career decision-making, and provide practical education that bridges the gap between school and real-world practice.
A) Free Student Loan Guidance
Our website serves as a comprehensive resource hub for optometry students and new graduates, covering everything from student loan management to identifying the most competitive refinancing options available.
In addition, students can receive direct student loan guidance with Dr. Dat Bui, accessible by texting 📲 STUDENT to 55444 or completing a short form to receive a free, customized student loan plan. We also maintain a regularly updated comparison of negotiated student loan refinancing rates from all major lenders to help students make informed decisions.
B) The Financial Student & Career Books
Over the past year, we’ve expanded our educational outreach through two core publications:
- 📘 “The Optometry Student’s Guide to Financial Freedom”
Rather than selling the book, we chose a philanthropic approach—gifting it to optometry students nationwide. To date, it has been distributed to students across 22+ optometry schools, providing foundational guidance on student loans, insurance, investing, and early career planning.
7,000+ books donated | $209,000+ total value
- 📘 “The Optometrist’s Guide to a Successful Career: From Associate to Owner”
Our newest book focuses on the critical transition from graduation to ownership. It covers associate contracts, compensation models, practice acquisition fundamentals, and long-term career strategy. This book has already been distributed to most optometry schools in the U.S., helping students and residents better understand what ownership really looks like—before they’re forced to learn the hard way.
3,000+ books donated | $44,970+ total value
Together, these two books aim to give future ODs clarity and confidence at every major career milestone.
C) Financial & Career Education for Optometry Schools
Beyond written resources, we’ve developed financial literacy and practice management coursework that has been incorporated directly into Practice Management curricula at multiple optometry schools.
Additionally, we’ve delivered our 1-hour Financial Basics 101 seminar to nearly every optometry school in the country. This seminar is provided completely free of charge to all schools.
If your school has not yet received the seminar—or is due for its annual session—please reach out to us at admin@odsonfinance.com.
D) Student Ambassador Program & Free EyeDock Pro Access
To further support clinical education, every student and faculty member is eligible for free access to EyeDock Pro through our Student Ambassador Program.
In 2025 alone, we provided:
3,905+ free EyeDock Pro subscriptions | $562,320 total value
We encourage students to activate their access early, use the platform consistently, and share feedback to help us continue improving the tool. Students, residents, and faculty can sign up to receive free access at any time.
E) Scholarships & Support During Current Challenges
Having gone through optometry school ourselves, we understand both the financial and emotional pressures students face. To help address this, we’ve established revenue models dedicated to funding student scholarships, along with support for major issues such as NBEO pass rates, which will be awarded to select students throughout the year.
Additionally, we have been engaged in open and frank dialogue with leadership regarding current issues facing students, most notably NBEO boards.
In 2023, EyeDock (founded by Dr. Todd Zarwell) officially merged into the ODs on Finance network. EyeDock has since grown into the #1 clinical online tool for optometrists, offering high-impact resources used daily in practice.
- Contact lens parameters
- Medication lists
- Patient diagrams
- Billing and coding guidance
- Clinical calculators
- Ocular Disease & TX Database
33,488+ users (Free & Paid Pro Users) | Average session time: 3.70 hours
This level of engagement highlights EyeDock’s essential role in everyday clinical decision-making. As part of our ongoing efforts to enhance the quality of our offerings and continue improving EyeDock, we’ve made the decision to transition to a paid subscription-only model. Starting January 1, 2026, all EyeDock features (including the free Contact lens, Meds & ICD-10 database) will require the same low-cost monthly EyeDock Pro subscription ($15/month). This change will allow us to focus on delivering even more comprehensive and innovative features to meet your practice needs.
This decision wasn’t made lightly. EyeDock has grown significantly over the years, and with that growth comes the need for ongoing development and rising maintenance cost over tens, if not hundreds of thousands to ensure new features are added, our tools remain accurate, reliable, and up to date. By moving to a subscription model, we can continue to invest significantly in the platform and provide you with the best possible experience. Additionally, your monthly subscription helps support the next generation of eye care professionals
To help with the 2026 transition, we’re offering a special discount for NEW EyeDock Pro users.
Use the coupon code PRO2026 at checkout to receive 30% OFF your first year of subscription (normally $144 annually, discount to ~$100 per year), less than $8.40 per month.
⚠️ Expires 1/15/26
5) ODs on Finance Practice Owners
As the ODs on Finance community grew, so did the number of vendors, lenders, and service providers offering exclusive pricing and solutions to our members. To bring structure and clarity to these opportunities, we created ODs on Finance Practice Owners—a dedicated hub built specifically for private practice owners.
The Practice Owners platform centralizes all current deals and resources tailored to running and growing a successful optometry practice. This includes equipment, consumables, financing options, marketing and website solutions, billing and revenue cycle management services, and other essential tools. Many of the operational and financial topics discussed in our CE webinars are also reflected on the platform, allowing practice owners to revisit key concepts and resources in one place.
6) Practice Purchase & Cold Start Accelerator
Following the launch of ODs on Finance Practice Owners, we began receiving a significant number of inquiries from ODs interested in either purchasing a practice or starting from scratch. Many shared frustrations with existing “cold start” and acquisition support—often centered around overpriced consultants, mandatory paid buying groups, and recommendations that encouraged early and excessive debt for the consultant’s benefit rather than the doctor’s.
In response, we built a lean, OD-first solution: the Practice Purchase & Cold Start Accelerator.
Modeled after accelerator programs in the tech world, the program is designed to help new owners launch or acquire practices intelligently, efficiently, and with long-term financial sustainability in mind. The Accelerator is built around four core pillars:
- Free guidance via video calls and email to help ODs start as lean as possible. Access is simple—just text PRACTICE to 55444.
- Expanded cold start financing, negotiated up to $575,000, with favorable terms that do NOT require an SBA loan, alongside partnerships with the three most competitive banks in optometry financing.
- Exclusive access to equipment and services, often at even lower pricing for first-time owners.
- A vetted network of trusted consultants with proven track records, offering support at reasonable monthly rates tailored specifically for cold starts and practice purchases.
206+ ODs utilized the Accelerator to successfully purchase or launch their practices in 2025
All Accelerator consultations are conducted directly with Dr. Aaron Neufeld (co-founder of ODs on Finance and multi-practice owner), ensuring guidance comes from clinicians who have built and operated real practices.
7) Equipment Buying Group
Leveraging our network of 32,000+ optometrists, ODs on Finance has negotiated equipment and service pricing that consistently undercuts trade show pricing and traditional buying groups. This buying group is offered 100% free to members and is made possible in large part by the leadership of our Marketing Director, Dr. Julie Phan. We currently partner with:
52+ vendors and equipment companies
Rather than overwhelming practice owners with endless options, we intentionally feature a limited number of partners per category—typically two, occasionally three when demand warrants. This approach forces deeper due diligence, ensures competitive pricing, and eliminates unnecessary noise.
By doing so, we help practice owners eliminate two major sources of waste:
- ⚠️ Time wasted navigating countless vendors in search of the best deal
- ⚠️ Money wasted on pay-to-play buying groups that often erase any real savings
In 2025, through aggregated pricing data and vendor reporting, we estimate that ODs collectively saved:
Over $13M+ on equipment and consumables
This significant saving is in comparison to prices offered at other tradeshows and by different buying groups/alliances. Our ability to provide such substantial savings is a testament to our commitment to the OD community, ensuring our members have access to the best possible deals and resources.
8) Business & Practice Financing
To further support practice growth, we established direct partnerships with Bank of America, U.S. Bank, and Huntington Bank, securing competitive financing options for ODs across a wide range of needs.
In 2025:
97+ practice loans funded | $85 million total financing deployed
These loans supported practice acquisitions, cold starts, equipment purchases, and building or expansion projects. This financing activity reflects our ongoing commitment to helping optometrists grow responsibly by pairing strong opportunities with lender relationships that understand the realities of private practice optometry.
9) Online Teachable Course Series:
We launched our Billing & Coding MasterClass, which is a comprehensive online course—designed and taught by optometry billing experts Chris Lopez and Andreas Zacharopoulos, ODs—is built to give optometrists and office managers everything they need to master the billing and coding landscape of modern eyecare.
Through 30+ high-yield video lectures (over 6+ hours), real-world case studies, and step-by-step walkthroughs, you'll gain the tools to: Improve billing accuracy, Navigate audits with ease & Boost practice revenue
The best part? 🔂 Lifetime Access to "Living Course" with with yearly CPT and ICD-10 video updates. The price will go up annually, so secure the lowest price it will ever be by purchasing today.
We are currently working on other courses such as:
- 👁️Aesthetics & Dry Eyes Masterclass: Q2 2026 Release!
- 🤓 Binocular & Vision Therapy Masterclass: Q2 2026 Release!
- Myopia Management (Pending)
- Glaucoma Management (Pending)
10) Continued Expansion of Resources
- A) Comprehensive Financial Guides
One of ODs on Finance’s ongoing points of pride is our library of fully accessible, unabridged financial guides. These resources cover the core financial topics optometrists face throughout their careers, including practice ownership, student loan management, retirement investing, and insurance planning.
All guides live on our website, are free to access, and are updated annually to reflect changes in tax law, lending environments, and market conditions. In 2025, we will continue expanding and refining these guides to ensure they remain practical, current, and easy to apply.
In 2025, we launched the second iteration of an initiative born out of a clear gap in the profession: reliable, current income data for optometrists. Too often, published income figures were based on small, outdated, or unverified samples.
To address this, we conducted the largest optometrist income survey our profession has ever seen. With 2,203+ verified OD participants, the results provided meaningful insights into compensation trends across geography, practice type, and experience level.
The 2025 Income Report has already helped both employers and employees better understand market pay and negotiate compensation more confidently. In 2026, we plan to continue refining and expanding this dataset to further improve transparency across the profession.
(3) CE Educational Webinars
Our virtual CE Summit has become a Sunday morning staple for thousands of optometrists nationwide. Known for both attendance and engagement, ODs on Education webinars are frequently cited by speakers, attendees, and sponsors as among the best virtual events in the industry.
In 2025, we delivered:
- 55 hours of COPE-accredited CE
- 6 hours of Glaucoma
- 4 hours of Pharm
These webinars span clinical topics—from ocular disease to practice management to financial education—while intentionally incorporating financial discussions and live Q&A to help ODs connect clinical excellence with practice profitability.
100% free to all ODs
This commitment will not change—we won’t charge ODs for financial education.
(II) Preview of 2026 Projects
We're thrilled about the array of exciting offerings in the pipeline for 2025. Our aim is to continually provide value to both ODs and students as they navigate their journey towards financial freedom, both in their personal lives and within their practices.
We are happy to provide another 56 hours of COPE-accredited CE through our Virtual Webinars. Our speaker line up consists of many industry recognized experts and each of our events will cover clinical aspects of a certain topic as well as financial aspects.
The feedback from many ODs has been overwhelmingly positive (over 98%), and they often mention that our CE surpasses other offerings. We attribute this success to four key factors:
- ✅ All CE is 100% FREE with instant CE Credit and quick certificate approval
- ✅ Our CE is easy to navigate and features high engagement levels
- ✅ The ability to earn 4 hours in one morning. Unlike other providers, we don’t spread the hours over 2-3 days.
- ✅ Our webinars are always scheduled for Sundays, eliminating the need to miss office hours!
👉 Sign up now for next event on SUN 1/25 Dry Eye Summit: Building a Profitable Practice
2) Expanded Vendors Lists & More Group Buys
In 2026, ODs on Finance will continue scaling its buying group with a clear focus on driving industry-low pricing across the products and services private practices rely on most.
By leveraging the size of our platform, historical deal performance, and increasing purchase volume, we are actively negotiating even deeper group-buy pricing—often below what is available through traditional buying groups, alliances, or trade shows.
Areas of continued and expanded focus include:
- Dry eye consumables
- Optical edgers
- Frame lines
- Contact lens options
We expect new group-buy opportunities to launch monthly throughout 2026. In parallel, we are actively seeking 5–10 independent, high-demand frame lines to bring into the community. If you have relationships with well-known or emerging frame brands, we welcome introductions.
Our goal remains simple: eliminate pay-to-play buying groups and deliver transparent, no-fee access to the lowest possible pricing for practice owners.
In addition, ODs on Finance continues developing a Financial Ecosystem for practice owners, driven by cutting edge technology, by either creating, acquiring or partnering with companies that value efficiency. This ensures that your practice gets the best pricing and transparency with no additional fees for the following:
3) In-Person Conferences & Events
ODs on Finance will maintain a strong presence at major industry conferences in 2026, including:
- 📍 Heart of America | Feb 20-22, 2026 (Kansas City, Missouri)
- 📍 Vision Expo | March 11-24, 2026 (Orlando, Florida)
- 📍 AOA Optometry’s Meeting | June 17-20, 2026 (Phoenix AZ)
- 📍 American Academy of Optometry | Sept 30-Oct 3, 2026 (Anaheim, CA)
We plan to again host a social event at Vision Expo in Orlando FL, and Aaron and Chris will continue delivering CE lectures and learning labs at conferences nationwide.
We’ve also heard consistent demand for a dedicated ODs on Finance / ODs on Education in-person event. With groundwork underway, a larger standalone event is most realistically targeted for 2027 or beyond, allowing us to deliver an experience that meets the expectations of the community.
4) Continued Expansion of ODoF Brokerage
As ownership transitions accelerate across the profession, ODoF Brokerage will remain a key focus in 2026.
Planned initiatives include:
- ✅ Further investment in digital brokerage infrastructure to improve valuation workflows, seller-buyer matching, and deal execution
- ✅ Bringing additional components of the transaction process in-house, reducing friction between valuation, legal, and tax strategy
- ✅ Expanding educational resources for buyers and sellers around pricing, lender underwriting, and debt serviceability
Our objective is to continue delivering bank-defensible, data-driven transactions that close efficiently while protecting long-term outcomes for optometrists on both sides of the deal.
5) Merchant Services & Financial Infrastructure
ODs on Finance will also continue expanding its Merchant Services platform and broader financial infrastructure into 2026.
Key focus areas include:
- Continued development of digital reporting and analytics, providing clearer insight into fees, savings, and performance
- Bringing more operational and support functions in-house to improve service quality and responsiveness
- Expanding the range of financial and operational services offered under the ODs on Finance umbrella
By strengthening our internal infrastructure and reducing dependence on third parties, we aim to deliver a more integrated, transparent, and cost-effective experience for practice owners.
(III) Commercial Interests and Disclosures
We are profoundly grateful for our community and immensely proud of what ODs on Finance has evolved into. The positive feedback we receive from our members, detailing how ODoF has aided them in their financial journey – whether in practice, personally, or both – is always humbling. While negative feedback is infrequent, we ensure it is promptly addressed when it arises.
The ODs on Finance team comprises four ODs who contribute nearly full-time to the platform, as well as an expanded team of an additional 8 individuals. The team members and their respective titles are as follows:
Admin Team:
- ✅ Dr. Dat Bui - CEO/Co-Founder/Merchant Services & Student Loan Lead
- ✅ Dr. Aaron Neufeld - COO/Co-Founder/Practice Consultant
- ✅ Dr. Julie Phan - Marketing Director/Group Buy Lead
- ✅ Dr. Christopher Lopez - Career Director/Clinical Lead/Recruiting Lead
Core Team:
- ✅ Ann Navarro - Merchant Services Account Manager
- ✅ Allana Fagaragan - Merchant Service Administrator
- ✅ Cindy Poon - Executive Assistant
Brokerage Team:
- ✅ Justin Morgan, JD, MBA - Attorney/Broker (strategic partnership basis)
- ✅ Jackson Pace, CPA - Accountant/Tax Advisor (strategic partnership basis)
- ✅ Aaron Neufeld, Christopher Lopez ODs - Consultants
- ✅ Dat Bui OD: Logistics and Marketing
- ✅ Allanna Fagaragan - Executive Assistant
Expanded Team:
- ✅ Dr. Jennifer Chu - Career Services
- ✅ Dr. Todd Zarwell - Founder/Developer (EyeDock)
- ✅ Dr. Rob Yacub - Content Creator (EyeDock)
- ✅ Dr. Jasmine Nguyen/Dr. Jason Lam - ODs on Corporate Optometry group directors
All team and expanded team members are compensated for their work.
In addition to our team listed above, ODs on Finance also has a full legal team on retainer that oversees all operations to ensure we are upheld to the highest standards.
ODs on Finance is often referred to as a platform, however it’s a bit more complicated than that. Here is a breakdown of how the ODs on Finance brand works:
- ☑️ It is a Limited Liability Company (LLC)
- ☑️ The name and logo have Registered Trademarks
- ☑️ It is owned by a 50/50 partnership between co-founders Dat Bui and Aaron Neufeld
- ☑️ Team Members Julie Phan and Chris Lopez provide their services as independent contractors and have minority equity in the company.
- ☑️ Acquisitions of other industry companies are handled as subsidiaries. ODs on Finance LLC acquires interests in these companies through stock purchases.
- ☑️ Minority ownership of EyeDock (Majority owned by Todd Zarwell O.D)
- ☑️ Julie, Chris and Aaron all own multiple private practices. Dat works as a Lead OD at Apple, Inc.'s optometry division.
- ☑️ Dat and Aaron also run a private venture capital fund (ODoF Ventures) that focuses on early stage/pre-seed emerging software and hardware companies. The company has also acquired multi-million commercial property specific to optometry.
- This is an entirely separate entity from ODs on Finance, LLC.
- This is an entirely separate entity from ODs on Finance, LLC.
- ☑️ All partners and sponsors work through a two way contract basis
- ☑️ A few of our partners on the financing and student loan refi side are publicly traded companies.
- ☑️ CE speakers are compensated on a set per hour basis.
Since ODs on Finance is a business, it does generate revenue in order to pay for expenses, CE speakers, tools, etc as well as compensate its team members for their work & time. Here are all the ways that ODs on Finance generates revenue and the methods in which that revenue is generated:
The following are disclosure statements of transparency regarding our commercial interest to acknowledge our inherent bias:
- ⚠️We are incentivized to recommend you to use our in-house services for optimal saving and better support
- ⚠️ We are incentivized to recommend you to refinance your student loans and pursue a debt-free life over going for federal forgiveness.
- ⚠️ We are incentivized to recommend you seek out professional help with all our vetted recommended resources from insurance, CPAs, financial planning, negotiating contracts, borrowing a practice loan, mortgage and more over others.
- ⚠️ We are incentivized to recommend you read our financial books & articles over others
- ⚠️ We currently have over 52+ partners. All are involved in the optometric industry to some degree and we have some form of monetary relationships with them.
- ⚠️ All partners/sponsors come to us via referral. We do NOT actively pursue partners.
- ⚠️ All partners are selected through a rigorous 3-6 months vetting process that involves multiple virtual interviews with the admin team, review of customer feedback and utilization of products.
- ⚠️ Not all partners make the cut. In fact, we have rejected more potential partners than we have active partners.
- ⚠️ Since the start of ODs on Finance, we have had to voluntarily end partnerships with a total of 8 partners. The reasons for ending these partnerships were due to 3 factors:
- 1) Excessive negative feedback from members (4 companies)
- 2) Uncovered activities deemed unscrupulous & potentially harmful to optometry (2 companies, 1 buying group)
- 3) Company dissolution (1 company)
- ⚠️ We have also mutually ended a couple partnerships simply because both parties chose not to renew a contract.
-
⚠️ Since we are compensated by our partners, this does present an inherent bias in our recommendation process, which we acknowledge.
With that in mind, but our top priority has always been, and will continue to be, helping our fellow optometry colleagues in their best interest, no short-term financial gain is going to be worth that.
Over the years, many of them have become dear friends to us. This commitment to support and guide our peers in the optometry community is at the heart of everything we do at ODs on Finance.
Summary/Our Thoughts:
Whew, that was a lot!
That was a lot—so if you’ve made it this far, thank you for sticking with us.
We’re incredibly grateful for the engagement, trust, and support you continue to show ODs on Finance. Your participation is what allows this platform to grow into a meaningful force for advancing our profession.
We firmly believe that financial education is not optional—it’s essential to the long-term health and success of optometry. That belief drives us to keep expanding our initiatives, challenging the status quo, and building resources that truly move the needle. When a focused community pushes forward, it can create waves—but those moments are often signs of real progress and new opportunity.
The relationships we’ve built with so many of you, both online and in person, are deeply humbling and continue to motivate us to keep raising the bar.
Here’s to an impactful and successful 2026. We’re looking forward to connecting with you again—whether online, at a webinar, or in person.
Cheers to financial freedom.
-Dat & Aaron + Julie & Chris | ODs on Finance Team
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Thanks for all you do. See you in 2026 !