The Dental Boardroom

Hosted by PracticeCFO

Business Entrepreneurship Education

Website RSS feed

Episodes

166

Latest episode

Aug 2026

Language

About the show

A place for dentists to find expert insight and information around everything from navigating residency and associate opportunities to being a successful dental practice owner.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

August 18, 20261 hr 0 min

165: Private Practice Isn't Dead

Participants: Wes Read , host, Practice CFO and Practice Orbit Jared Bergquist , a licensed business and commercial real estate broker in Nevada who runs his own brokerage selling dental practices and handling dental real estate across Nevada, Utah, and Arizona Duration: 57 minutes A broker and a CPA walk through what the practice acquisition market looks like right now: where DSO activity stands, what private buyers are competing for, and why the "perfect" practice is the wrong target. They cover building ownership, rent as a percentage of collections, and how staff stability drives both value and a successful transition. Key topics DSO activity and divestitures Private practice acquisition Buying versus leasing your building Staff retention through a transition Key takeaways Waiting for a flawless practice is why many qualified buyers never buy one. DSO divestitures over the next five to ten years will create locations, equipment, and patient bases worth pursuing. Owning your building controls the one expense you cannot renegotiate later. A de novo that fails to launch is very hard to sell, because leasehold improvements and used equipment carry little value. Actions to consider Check rent as a percentage of collections against the seven to ten percent target and know what a long lease escalates to. Widen your acquisition criteria to four and five operatory practices and offices with fixable problems. If you are buying, negotiate for the seller to stay on twelve to eighteen months to hand off staff and patients.

August 11, 20261 hr 16 min

164: Investing in the AI IPO Boom: SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic

Participants: Wes Read , host, PracticeCFO Paul Lipcius , CFO advisor at PracticeCFO, a CPA and Series 65 investment advisor focused on higher net worth clients and capital markets Howard Farran , host of Dentaltown, who interviews Wes and Paul in this crossover episode Duration: 71 minutes With SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic all heading toward historic public offerings, dentists want to know whether to chase the hype. Wes and Paul explain why euphoric IPO pricing rarely rewards latecomers, how to capture AI's real growth through the less obvious companies underneath it, and why a doctor's own practice, not a moonshot stock, is still their highest returning asset. Key topics AI mega IPOs: SpaceX, OpenAI, Anthropic CapEx trickle-down and downstream suppliers Concentration risk in the S&P 500 The practice as the core wealth engine Key takeaways Euphoric IPO valuations already price in years of unproven growth. The winner is often the second or third mover, not the first to market. Own AI through the picks and shovels suppliers, not just the headline names. A well designed portfolio's job is to be boring, disciplined, and consistent. Actions to consider Cap any speculative bet, a single IPO or crypto, at a small insurance sized allocation. Pick three or four practice metrics to improve this quarter instead of chasing every new one. Pressure test your advisor's fees: ask whether anyone other than you pays them.

August 4, 202625 min

163: The Q2 2026 Dental Economy: The Fiscal Squeeze and the AI Shift

A Dental Boardroom data deep-dive, PracticeCFO A breakdown of the Q2 2026 State of the U.S. Dental Economy Report from the ADA Health Policy Institute, translating national data into what it means for an independent practice. The core tension: dentists feel confident and are busier than ever, yet revenue is flat and margins are squeezed from every side. This episode decodes why, and what owners can do about it. Key topics The confidence versus consumer disconnect The fiscal squeeze on practice margins Insurance reimbursement as rent control AI adoption for the back office Key takeaways Dentists feel recession-proof, but consumer dental spending rose just 1 percent in a year. Overhead and wages are climbing far faster than reimbursements, so owners eat the difference. Packed schedules and two-week waits mask flat revenue, not real growth. AI is being adopted fast for admin and imaging, yet 82 percent refuse it for treatment decisions. Actions to consider Audit your payer mix and renegotiate or drop the worst-reimbursing plans. Pilot AI scribing or insurance-verification tools to reclaim staff hours. Weigh a DSO's back-office scale against your true overhead before ruling it out.

July 17, 20261 hr 2 min

162: Quarterly Investment Update — AI & the Federal Reserve

The PracticeCFO investment committee sits down for its quarterly market update, digging into how AI is reshaping valuations and where the Federal Reserve stands today. The core message for practice owners: AI is genuinely transformative, but most of the hype is already priced in — so valuation discipline and diversification still decide long-term returns. Hosts & guests: Wes Read (host, PracticeCFO), Brandon Hobson (Chief Investment Officer, PracticeCFO), and Paul Lipcius (PracticeCFO investment committee). What we cover: AI's effect on market valuations Government involvement and regulation of AI Federal Reserve policy and interest rates Portfolio positioning and risk assessment Key takeaways: AI is groundbreaking, but the hype is largely priced in already. Every prior CapEx cycle eventually reversed and normalized — this one will too. The Fed is holding steady, with a hike now more likely than a near-term cut. New Fed leadership is prioritizing inflation, easing fears about Fed independence. Strong balance sheets and diversification protect wealth better than chasing momentum. Actions to consider: Reassess your true risk tolerance now, while markets are strong — not after a drop. Trim over-concentration in high-flying AI and tech names. Rebalance toward a diversified mix: bonds, some cash, healthcare and consumables, and precious metals.

June 3, 202654 min

161: The Trusted Transition: Dental Practice Brokers & Better Technology

In this episode of The Dental Boardroom Podcast, Wes takes a break from his discussion of The Five Types of Wealth to tackle an important topic for dental practice owners: buying and selling dental practices. Drawing from years of experience as a dental CPA and financial advisor involved in hundreds of practice transitions, Wes explores why dental practice sales remain an inefficient marketplace, the critical role brokers play in successful transitions, and the challenges buyers and sellers face throughout the process. He also shares the vision behind Practice Orbit, a technology platform designed to modernize and streamline dental practice transactions while supporting brokers, buyers, sellers, lenders, attorneys, and advisors. Key Takeaways Dental practice transitions are complex, emotional, and financially significant events. A skilled broker can provide tremendous value by finding buyers, coordinating the process, and helping avoid costly mistakes. Dentists should carefully evaluate broker experience, incentives, and transparency. DSO offers should be analyzed beyond the headline purchase price. Technology can improve efficiency, transparency, and communication throughout the transition process. The future of dental practice sales may involve a combination of experienced brokers and modern marketplace technology.

June 2, 202640 min

160: The Life Razor - Cut Through What Doesn’t Matter

Wes Read continues his series on The Five Types of Wealth by Sahil Bloom, diving deep into Chapter 4: The Life Razor. Building on the five categories of wealth Time, Social, Mental, Physical, and Financial Wes explores how a single, carefully crafted sentence can become the most powerful decision-making tool in your life and practice. From the cockpit of Apollo 13 to Netflix’s boardrooms, to a late afternoon assembling a hydraulic bed with his son, this episode delivers a framework that is equal parts philosophical and practical. What You’ll Learn Why your net worth number alone doesn’t define true wealth and what fills the gap The philosophical concept of a “razor” and how it applies to your personal life The 3 non-negotiable traits of a powerful life razor: controllable, ripple-creating, and identity-defining How Marc Randolph (co-founder & first CEO of Netflix) used a five-word rule to protect his marriage through startup chaos A step-by-step process to discover and draft your own life razor Wes’s personal life razor and the touching story behind it

May 27, 202646 min

159: ES: AI & The Dental Practice

159: Executive Sessions: AI & The Dental Practice What does AI actually mean for your dental practice right now? In this executive session, host Wes sits down with Michael Anderson from Wonderist Agency, one of the nation's largest dental marketing firms, and Dr. Megan Shelton of Shelton Solutions to cut through the hype and talk about what's really changing. They cover the dramatic shift in patient search behavior (ChatGPT now accounts for 20% of all searches and is growing), why the fundamentals of digital marketing still drive AI search results, how AI-informed patients are showing up differently at the front desk, and why the human connection at the center of your practice is more valuable than ever. Wes also shares a powerful framework from Lawrence Ford's book The Difference Between Knowledge, Intelligence, and Wisdom and explains exactly how Practice CFO is approaching AI adoption, client investment strategy, and the future of financial advisory. What You'll Learn Why 20% of patients are now searching for a dentist via ChatGPT — and what that means for your marketing The "unsatisfying but true" answer to ranking in AI search: go back to the basics Why AI-generated content is not penalized — but lazy AI content is a dead end How the AI-prepped patient is changing chair-side conversations and silently eroding trust The knowledge → intelligence → wisdom framework and why wisdom is AI-proof Why documenting your SOPs is the mandatory first step before any AI automation What Practice CFO is doing with client investment strategy in an AI-dominated market

May 7, 202645 min

158: The Richest Dentist You Know Isn't the Wealthiest

In this episode, Wes Read continues his deep-dive review of The Five Types of Wealth by Sahil Bloom, a book that profoundly influenced his thinking as a financial planner who has spent his career helping dentists build meaningful lives through their practices. Wes covers the book’s preface and Chapter 2, unpacking the research on money and happiness, the philosophy behind redefining wealth, and Sahil Bloom’s powerful framework: the five types of wealth that truly define a fulfilled life. What You’ll Learn in This Episode Why money matters but only up to a point. Wes walks through three core findings from the research on money and happiness, including the concept of declining marginal utility. The Pyrrhic Victory. The story of King Pyrrhus in 280 BC and what it means to win the battle but lose the war, and how this applies directly to the pursuit of financial success at the expense of everything else. Wealth inequality by the numbers. A candid look at Federal Reserve data on how wealth is distributed in America and what it means for dentists trying to cross from labor income to capital ownership. The comparison trap. Why “there’s always a bigger boat” and how excessive comparison is one of the greatest enemies of happiness. The 90% rule. A striking stat: 90% of all the time you will ever spend with your children happens before they leave home. The Five Types of Wealth are defined: Time Wealth: The freedom to choose how, where, with whom, and when you spend your time. Social Wealth: The depth and breadth of your meaningful relationships; the #1 predictor of happiness. Mental Wealth: Connection to higher-order purpose, lifelong growth, and a healthy relationship with your mind. Physical Wealth: Your health, fitness, and vitality; the most entropic form of wealth requiring consistent daily habits. Financial Wealth: Assets minus liabilities, but with a twist: your expectations are also a liability. The seasons of life. How your priorities across these five categories will naturally shift over time, and why balance, not perfection, is the goal.

May 4, 202647 min

157: 30 Dinners Left - Why Money Isn't Wealth

Most dentists are hitting their financial goals and still feel like something is missing. In this episode, Wes Read (CPA, CFP, and founder of Practice CFO) steps back from the balance sheet to ask a bigger question: what does wealth actually mean? Kicking off a new multi-episode series, Wes introduces the book The 5 Types of Wealth by Sahil Bloom, a framework that redefines wealth across five dimensions and challenges high-earning, time-poor practice owners to intentionally design the lives they keep deferring. What You’ll Learn Why financial success and true wealth are not the same thing The five types of wealth: time, social, mental, physical, and financial The “arrival fallacy” is why reaching your goals won’t create the satisfaction you’re expecting How to break the cycle of marginal thinking and start building your designed life The math exercise that changed Sahil Bloom’s life and Wes’s Why dentists in particular are vulnerable to being rich on one dimension and bankrupt on the others Three questions to take inventory of your own wealth right now Three action items to start this week Key Takeaways Financial wealth is one of the five. Time wealth, social wealth, mental wealth, physical wealth, and financial wealth. Most successful dentists score very high on one and are quietly bankrupt in at least one other, often wealthy. The arrival fallacy will keep moving the finish line. Reaching a financial milestone does not produce lasting contentment. The assumption that it will be the arrival fallacy. Recognizing it is the first step to escaping it. A designed life beats a default life every time. If you don’t intentionally author your life, thousands of others are waiting to do it for you. The opposite of a successful life isn’t a failed life. It’s a default life. What gets measured gets managed. The reason most practices run well financially is that everything gets tracked. How much are you tracking the other dimensions of your wealth? The book gives you a scorecard to do exactly that. Marginal thinking is the enemy of blueprinted life. Skipping the gym once is harmless. Skipping it 9 out of 10 times compounds. The aggregation of small neglected decisions is what separates the life you designed from the life you actually lived. The 1% framework works. The coach of Team Sky didn’t demand a breakthrough; he asked for 1% improvements across every variable. Small, consistent, intentional gains compound into transformation.

May 1, 202643 min

156: Build the Practice or Build the Life? The Reinvestment Decision Every Dentist Faces

One of the most persistent tensions in dental practice ownership is deceptively simple: should you reinvest surplus cash back into the practice, or distribute it to yourself? In this executive roundtable, Wes, Michael, and Megan break down the capital allocation framework every dentist-owner needs, from defining “enough” personally and professionally, to tracking ROI on every dollar invested in people, equipment, and marketing. Key Topics Capital allocation is the most important strategic decision every dental CEO makes Why every financial plan starts with a personal budget Defining “enough”, lessons from Jack Bogle’s book, and the Shelter Island story Why money becomes psychological and “enough” becomes a moving target Treating your dental practice like a micro-stock, when the internal ROI beats the S&P 500 Where the first dollar of surplus should go: people, systems, or equipment? The CBCT trap, six-figure equipment sitting unused because training was skipped Working capital “sleep insurance”: how much cash to always keep on hand Tracking marketing ROI and holding your agency accountable like a CMO The annual practice roadmap: aligning personal goals with business investment Practical example, how to allocate $200K as a growing dental practice Why maxing your 401(k) early outperforms most practice reinvestment past the optimization point Key Takeaways Personal financial planning should drive the conversation before practice investment decisions are made. Every practice has a breakeven point, 100% of collections cover overhead until that’s met. The surplus is where strategy begins. Your practice is a micro-stock. A dollar invested there can beat the S&P 500 until the practice is fully optimized. Invest in people before equipment. Great team members multiply results; equipment amplifies existing leaks. Working capital target: 75–100% of one month’s collections sitting in the bank at all times. Track ROI on every dollar, marketing, equipment, coaching, or you’re flying blind. Start your 401(k) early. A 40% first-year return from tax savings is nearly impossible to beat. Attack one bottleneck at a time. Spreading dollars too thin creates friction, not momentum.