Student Loans/Refinancing
7 Updates on Managing your Student Loans in Mid-2021
We are halfway through 2021 and close to 1.5 years since the COVID pandemic lockdown; but most importantly, we are approaching the end of the federal 0% student loan interest relief (set to end September 30th). Here are 7 important updates in the world of student loans to help every OD be financially successful!
Read More8 Financial Mistakes that New Optometrists Make
The average new optometrist graduates at an average age of 28 year old (significantly behind non-OD peers in terms of income generation), with an average student loan debt of over $220,000+, with little or no retirement investments. Often new grad optometrists find themselves practicing in oversaturated cities and most importantly without any formal financial education. This is the perfect storm that often leaves many doctors mentally overwhelmed and prone to devastating financial mistakes. In this article, we will address 8 common financial mistakes that new OD graduates make and how you can avoid them to be financially successful.
Read MoreAmerica Rescue Plan Stimulus Bill: Five Student Loan Updates
On Wednesday March 10, 2021, the House approved President Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus bill called the “American Rescue Plan”. The legislation is one of the most sweeping economic recovery plans in the nation’s history. Stemming of the American Rescue Plan, this article will focus on 5 take-aways for student loan borrowers.
Read MoreAnnual Report: 2020
Hello ODs on Finance Family, Well 2020 has surely been a year! Let’s be honest, we all went into the year 2020 with big expectations – but the so-called Year of the Optometrist had some nasty surprises up its sleeve. Despite the trials and tribulations that 2020 brought, it also brought important lessons, and the…
Read More8 New Year’s Financial Resolutions
The year 2021 is here. In our opinion, 2021 has it pretty easy. I mean, how much worse can it get after 2020? Joking aside, the beginning of the year presents a great time to take inventory of life and evaluate your financial health for the next 365 days. Here are a few New Year’s financial resolutions to get you started.
Read More10 Practical Tips on How to Pay Off $221K+ Optometry Student Loans in 5 years
Like many optometrists, I graduated from Southern California College of Optometry (SCCO) with over $221,245 in student loans back in June 2015. It was a combination of both federal loans ($198,303) and high interest private loans ($22,942) that I took out for other living expenses during my 4th year rotations. In early October 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, I made my final and last student loan payment, roughly 5 years later.
Read More6 Lessons That Dave Ramsey Get Right, and 6 Lessons That Are Completely Wrong
We have quite a few ODs on Finance members who are big Dave Ramsey fans, and quite a few who are Dave Ramsey Haters. Here are 6 Lessons That Dave Ramsey Get Right, and 6 Lessons That Are Completely Wrong and how each OD can optimize them to be even more successful!
Read MoreHow Dr. Justin Jackman Eliminated $220K Through Practice Ownership in 7 years #InspirationalStudentLoansSuccess
My loan payment story is similar to many others out there at first. I started out making less ($100K the first year). I was married and had two kids at the time, so my income based payments were around $150 a month for the first 1 to 2 years. Then my loans jumped to $900 a month (they threaten you that if you don’t fill out the tax return application each year your loan will jump to $2500 a month which sounds terrifying when making $100k).
Read More8 Financial Lessons that I Learned during COVID-19
As we approach the end of August, we have experienced the worst market down-spiral in mid-March since the 2008 housing recession, with a -20% stock market crash. Luckily, year to date (YTD), the S&P 500 index has recovered nicely to roughly baseline. While we are not out of the woods yet, I have learned some important financial lessons, both as an investor and as an individual during this once-in-a lifetime catastrophe. Here are 8 things the pandemic has taught me.
Read MoreThe New Normal – Should Optometry School Tuition be Reduced in Light of Virtual Classes and Reduced Clinic Time?
The coronavirus pandemic has turned our world upside down. Face coverings and hand sanitizer, once foreign objects only wielded by the most righteous germaphobes, have now become a reality and requirement for nearly everyone. In the SF Bay Area, where ODs on Finance’s physical headquarters are located, many large tech companies have adopted a permanent work from home policy – which has lightened morning traffic, allowed many workers to move out of the area into more affordable areas and has undoubtedly reduced overhead cost for these large companies in terms of commercial real estate needs.
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