President's Message

Dear Members,

I’m thrilled to share some exciting updates that truly highlight the strength and momentum of SDCOS.

We kicked off the year with a highly successful first Continuing Education program, welcoming 100 attendees for an engaging and informative event. The energy in the room and the commitment to lifelong learning were inspiring and a testament to the dedication of our members.

We were also proud to host the House of Delegates in San Diego — an incredible event that showcased our organization and our city. The highlight of the meeting was being named Society of the Year by the California Optometric Association. This recognition reflects the outstanding work SDCOS does for its members and the passion and service mindset that define our community.

On March 2, we had a strong team of doctors represent SDCOS at Legislative Day in Sacramento. Our delegation met with lawmakers to advocate for children’s vision care, scope expansion, and fair medical reimbursement rates. Their leadership and dedication ensure that the voice of optometry is heard where it matters most.

Thank you for your continued engagement and support. Together, we are building something truly special.

Sloan Rajadhyksha OD, FAAO, FCOVD

Volunteer Outreach

The vision initiative between the La Mesa–Spring Valley School District, Lions Optometric Vision Clinic (LOVC), and the San Diego County Optometric Society (SDCOS) began in September and will continue through March as students at all 13 targeted schools receive vision screenings and eye exams.

Kindergarten, 2nd, 5th, and select 8th grade students are first screened by Lions Club volunteers and school nurses. Students requiring further evaluation are then examined on-site by volunteer optometrists using portable equipment provided by LOVC

The most recent clinic took place at La Presa Elementary School, where SDCOS volunteer optometrists Dr. Robert Meisel and Dr. Joyce B. Medina provided eye exams for students identified during the screenings.

OD Relations Liaison message

Please contact Dr. Lucia Millet, OD, Society Optometrist Relations Liaison at sdcos@gmail.com to be put on an official list for the following:
fill-in/part-time work
full-time work
purchase/partner in/sell a practice
This service is offered free of charge to SDCOS members.

Upcoming CE meeting

Location: Hilton Mission Valley 901 Camino del Rio S, San Diego, CA 92108
April 12th 5HR CE: Featuring Dr, Selina McGee OD FAAO and Dr. Kellie Satterfield, MD

Register here!

View Full 2026 Calendar

Retina Corner

SDCOS board of Directors

Click to view board of directors

Classifieds

Click to view all Classified

Thank you for joining us for our SDCOS Iris(h) Bowling Night!

Tax Efficient Strategies

Brought to you by: Nichole Mayer & Will Hage

Ben Franklin is credited with saying that nothing is certain in this world but death and taxes.(1) What’s interesting is that this quote by Franklin comes after he spent nearly a decade serving as the American envoy to France—a country with arguably the most unfair, burdensome, and inefficient tax system in Europe.(2)

The rural peasant class, which was struggling to feed itself, was forced to subsidize the lavish lifestyles of a sizeable aristocracy. This crushing tax burden, brutally enforced, is now considered one of the key factors which led to the violent overthrow of all authority in the French Revolution.

In the U.S., our first Federal income tax was enacted by President Lincoln to finance the Civil War. The rates ranged from 1% to 3%, depending on your income. Remarkably, this tax was repealed ten years later.

The modern Federal income tax was born in 1913, when Congress ratified the 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It said, “Congress shall have the power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever sources derived . . .”

Some would argue that this was when Congress was given its most significant power—the ability to grant tax breaks.

Today, the U.S. tax code (the actual laws passed by Congress) runs just over 2,600 pages. Just about the length of the entire Harry Potter book series. However, the statues, regulations, and case law required to correctly interpret the tax code is estimated to total more than 70,000 pages and growing.(3) Imagine the bookcase you’d need to hold 70 volumes of 1,000 pages each.

Recently, Congress has been using adjustments in the tax code to help encourage Americans to save more for retirement. In most cases, your advisor can tell you what the latest maximum contribution limits are on various tax-advantaged retirement accounts. However, there are cases where you will need the help of your tax professional to determine your specific limit (for example, on SEP IRAs).

Just like the prudence of a long-term investing strategy, having a long-term tax strategy can help you put more into your nest egg.

How you accumulate your savings, how you withdraw from it in retirement, and how you pass it along to your heirs can have significant tax implications. Your advisor can help you look ahead and avoid the pitfalls that can result in unnecessary payments to the IRS.

Taxes, like Mr. Franklin said, are not going away any time soon. But you can mitigate their financial and emotional impact by planning ahead and being proactive.

Sources:
1. https://www.investopedia.com/articles/tax/10/history-taxes.asp
2. https://alphahistory.com/frenchrevolution/taxation/
3. https://taxfoundation.org/blog/how-many-words-are-tax-code/

The information contained in this article is general in nature and is not legal, tax or financial advice. For information regarding your particular situation, contact an attorney or a tax or financial professional. The information in this newsletter is provided with the understanding that it does not render legal, accounting, tax or financial advice. In specific cases, clients should consult their legal, accounting, tax or financial professional. This article is not intended to give advice or to represent our firm as being qualified to give advice in all areas of professional services. Exit Planning is a discipline that typically requires the collaboration of multiple professional advisors. To the extent that our firm does not have the expertise required on a particular matter, we will always work closely with you to help you gain access to the resources and professional advice that you need.

This is an opt-in newsletter published by Efficient Advisors, LLC., and presented to you by our firm. We appreciate your interest.

Any examples provided are hypothetical and for illustrative purposes only. Examples include fictitious names and do not represent any particular person or entity.

Nichole Mayer & Will Hage are Registered Representatives and Financial Advisors of Park Avenue Securities LLC (PAS). Securities products and advisory services offered through PAS, member FINRA, SIPC. Financial Representatives of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America® (Guardian), New York, NY. PAS is a wholly owned subsidiary of Guardian. WestPac Wealth Partners LLC is not an affiliate or subsidiary of PAS or Guardian. Insurance products offered through WestPac Wealth Partners and Insurance Services, LLC, a DBA of WestPac Wealth Partners, LLC. | Mayer CA Insurance License #0F54659 | Hage CA Insurance License #0D97541