I distinctly remember last week telling my wife, Elizabeth the Engineer, "We're almost in March... looks like we're going to get away without any significant snow this winter!" If you're in the Northeast and you were hit by the blizzard the wee morning hours yesterday, I guess you could blame it on me! Perhaps if I hadn't said anything there might not have been a storm?

Can't tell you how many people live in New England and complain about the cold and the snow. Hmmm. I look at it (very) differently. I've lectured in 48 states and four countries around the world and have seen some beautiful parts of the world. But there is little that compares to the beauty of this next photo I shot this morning with my phone from my living room...

I'll never forget what Hugh told me nearly two decades ago. Hugh Doherty is one of the very few dentists who also hold the title CFP... Certified Financial Planner. Hugh told me that 95% of dentists will NEVER RETIRE to the same level of financial comfort they enjoyed while they had an active income from dental practice.

How could that be? We invest our hearts and souls into helping patients. Why is it that only 5% of us have achieved a level of financial security affording us a "comfortable" retirement... one in which we are able to maintain the same (or better) standard of living as we enjoyed during our working years? When I turned 38 years-old I had over a million dollars... in debt... was in the middle of a divorce, and nearly lost my practice and my home. At age 46 I sold my two practices and was fortunate to be in the 5% who never had to work again, unless I chose to. Is $1,000,000 enough for a comfortable retirement? How can you ensure you and your family will be in the fortunate 5% when the day comes?

My team knew I preferred not to be interrupted while treating a patient. When Izabel buzzed I knew there was something wrong. She began, "Dr. Orent, there's a man here to see you. Says he is an investigator from the Massachusetts State Licensing Board... the Board of Registration in Dentistry. He showed me his badge. Says he wants access... to all of our patient records."

His visit was without warning. Unannounced. I had no idea why he was at my front desk. What I did know was that it's never good news. I told Izabel to tell him I'd be right out. Told my patient I was going to give him a short break... rest his jaw... then headed for the front desk.

This could never happen to you. That was Frank's attitude as well. Until the day a Federal Judge sentenced him to three years in "Club Fed" (Federal Prison).

The scary part of Frank's story is that the first line he crossed was a line crossed by thousands and thousands of dentists every day. Could be happening in YOUR office... and it may be happening without your knowledge. Either way it would be worth a five minute informal meeting with your team. Today.

You've invested more money, time, blood, sweat and tears into your practice than most could imagine. What have you got to show for it? If you're like many dentists, the answer is not nearly enough. You've worked really hard and have a loyal following of patients and a solid team. Yet there always seems to be too much month left at the end of the money.

Last month at our GG12 Members' Disney World Retreat, one of the doctors shared an insightful observation as to why the doctors to his right and left were experiencing exponential growth in their practices while his had remained flatlined for 7 years. In fact he told us that immediately following the recession his revenues had dropped more than 20%, then remained in a steady rut. Upon first blush he thought to himself that the reason (for his lack of growth) was patient demographics. Or maybe it was the difference in available quality staff in his area. Or that he was in a small town and they were in big cities. Or just maybe, he said...