Financial Health
Take the necessary steps today to secure your financial future for tomorrow.
As a doctor of optometry, you've worked hard to cultivate your career. AOAExcel® has sourced tools to help you manage your finances and secure the financial future you've worked hard for–whether this starts with a game plan to address your student loans, tools to create a retirement savings plan or integral moves to prepare for the unexpected.
Student loan refinancing
Student loans are confusing and AOAExcel's endorsed business partner brings simplicity and clarity towards navigating the process for AOA members. In addition to understanding the student landscape, AOAExcel's endorsed business partner offers student loan refinancing solutions for AOA members if and when the time is right.
Retirement savings planning
It's never too early for doctors of optometry to create a retirement savings plan. Whether you're an independent contractor, practice owner or anything in between, AOAExcel's endorsed business partner can provide a solution. AOA members will find that creating retirement savings plans may be easier and more affordable than you think, and can make your practice more attractive to potential employees.
Offering retirement benefits is one of the top ways for practice owners to attract high-quality candidates, but the process can seem overwhelming at first. AOAExcel is excited to welcome Retirement Specialist Nathanael Kelly to the latest workshop: How to Utilize Retirement Plans as an Optometric Practice Owner on September 21 st. This is an opportunity for AOA members to bring questions to be answered live by a Retirement Specialist.
In this workshop you will learn:
- How ODs can utilize retirement plans to reduce taxable income
- Understanding set-up & administrative costs
- Information on popular plans for optometric small businesses such as SEP IRA, Safe Harbor, Simple IRA, & Traditional 401K
- Plans for solo ODs vs. private optometric practice owners
- How offering employees retirement account options can be beneficial for your optometric practice
- Understanding your options for employee eligibility
- How AOA members can receive a complimentary retirement plan consultation
AOA members are encouraged to come to the workshop with questions of their own or submit them ahead of time to aoaexcel@aoa.org.
Student Loan Cashback SM credit card
Chip away at your student loans with your everyday purchases. Introducing the first credit card that lets you redeem 2% cashback towards your student loans with any eligible student loan servicer 2 or redeem 1% cashback towards anything else. AOA members are eligible for a $100 cash bonus for opening an account. 3
EARN CASHBACK TOWARDS STUDENT LOANS
High yield savings
Plan for the future with a highly competitive high yield savings account designed specifically for optometrists. AOA members earn 1.00% Annual Percentage Yield (APY)^1 - 10x the national average^2 4
1The 0.25% American Optometric Association (AOA) member interest rate discount is offered on new student loan refinance applications from active AOA members. The AOA discount is applied to your monthly payment and will be reflected in your billing statement. The discount will end if the AOA notifies Laurel Road that the borrower is no longer a member. This offer cannot be combined with other member or employee discounts.
2You will earn 2.0% in Cashback Rewards for each $1 spent on eligible Purchases if you redeem your Cashback Rewards towards your Student Loan with an eligible servicer. This equates to $0.02 in Cashback Rewards, for each $1 spent. For example, if you spend $100, you will earn $2.00 in Student Loan Credit. You will earn 1.0% in Cashback Rewards for each $1 spent on eligible Purchases if redeemed for a statement credit. This equates to $0.01 in Cashback Rewards, for each $1 spent. For example, if you spend $100, you will earn $1.00 in Cashback Rewards. Cashback is awarded based on eligible credit card purchases excluding transactions such as cash advances of any type, balance transfers, convenience check transactions, overdraft protection transfers and quasi-cash transactions. For more information, view Laurel Road Student Loan CashbackSM Credit Card Program Terms and Conditions.
Eligible student load services include the following:
Laurel Road – MOHELA Loan Servicing; Alaska Commission (ACPE); American Education Services; Aspire Servicing Center; Bank of North Dakota; College Ave Student Loans; College Foundation Inc.; CommonBond; CornerStone U.S Department of Education; CornerStone Education Loan Services; Discover Student Loans; Earnest Operations LLC; EdFinancial Services U.S Department of Education; EdFinancial Services; FedLoan Servicing Department of Education; First Mark Services; Great Lakes U.S Department of Education; Granite State Management & Resources; Granite State Management & Resources – U.S Department of Education; Heartland – ECSI; Kentucky Higher Education Student Loan Corporation; Launch Servicing; Lendkey Technologies Loan; MOHELA-SoFi; MOHELA-U.S Department of Education; MOHELA Education Loan Servicing; National Student Lona Services; Navient Commercial Loans; Navient – U.S. Department of Education Loan Servicing; Navient Private Loans; NaviReFi; North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority; Nelnet ” J ”; Nelnet ” D ”; Nelnet E Department of Education; NJHESAA or NJ Class; North Texas HEA; Oklahoma Student Loan; Oklahoma Student Loan U.S Department of Education; PenFed Credit Union; ReliaMax Ln. Services LLC; Rhode Island Student Loan Authority; RSLFC Payment Center; Sallie Mae; SEAA Repayment Services; Tuition Options; UAS; UHEAA; VSAC Payments; Wells Fargo Education Loan.
The creditor and issuer of this credit card is KeyBank N.A., pursuant to a license from Mastercard International Incorporated. Mastercard is a registered trademark, and the circles design is a trademark of Mastercard International Incorporated.
3A $100 cash bonus offer is available to current non-college student AOA members who apply and are approved for a Laurel Road Student Loan Cashback Credit Card. The $100 cash bonus will be paid within 45 days of the member's activating the credit card. Existing credit card customers are not eligible. If you were the primary owner on a Laurel Road Student Loan Cashback Credit Card within the prior 24 months, you are not eligible. The value of the bonus may be reported to the IRS on Form 1099-INT.
4The variable Annual Percentage Yield (APY) indicated is accurate as of today and is subject to change at any time. No minimum balance is required to earn the APY. Fees may reduce earnings on the account. For current rates: https://www.laurelroad.com/high-yield-savings-account/#rates-fees-jump
5Fees may reduce earnings on the account. National average Annual Percentage Yield (APY) reported by the FDIC as of 07/01/2022. (fdic.gov/regulations/resources/rates).
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Partners in care
A successful practice takes a village—doctors of optometry and paraoptometric staff—to make it work and even prosper. Toward that end, the AOA has created a trove of practice management tools and services that can power practices forward in a profession and health care landscape that increasingly demands doctors practice at their highest levels and creates greater opportunities to develop and empower paraoptometric staff. These days, change is out of necessity.
4 tips for handling payer clawbacks: What the experts say
A recent #AskAOA webinar, hosted by the AOA Third Party Center, offered helpful advice for how doctors can address and respond to clawbacks.
Webinar takes on sensitive topic of human trafficking
Most states require health care providers, including doctors of optometry, to report cases of abuse of children and elderly adults. AOA members are invited to attend an important webinar on the serious subject of human trafficking.