EP# 268: Financial Peace Beyond the Portfolio Sam Rodriguez's Journey With Foundation Wealth Partners

What makes Sam Rodriguez with Foundation Wealth Partners a good neighbor?

Money decisions can feel overwhelming, even for financially responsible people. When your CPA says one thing, your broker another, and your estate attorney hasn't spoken to either—who's coordinating it all? For most of us, that burden falls squarely on our own shoulders.

Sam Rodriguez founded Foundation Wealth Partners to solve this exact problem. Originally focused on helping baby boomers navigate retirement confidently, the firm now primarily serves Generation X and older millennials who, despite earning well and saving diligently, question whether they're truly optimizing their financial lives. What distinguishes Sam's approach is his commitment to holistic planning over product sales. "At the core, we are planners first. We don't sell products," he explains, emphasizing how their team works to relieve the stress and guesswork that often accompany financial decision-making.

Drawing from personal experiences with financial struggles and family challenges, Sam brings profound empathy to his work. A particularly difficult period with his son's mental health reinforced his belief that "there are things far more important than money or success." This perspective shapes his approach to advising clients, recognizing that behind every financial decision stands a person trying to make the best choices with the one life they have. Foundation Wealth Partners serves as the coordinating hub many people lack, bringing together investments, taxes, college planning, and estate considerations under one cohesive strategy.

For those feeling uncertain about their financial direction despite doing "all the right things," Sam's message is clear: good planning doesn't happen in silos, and you shouldn't have to drive all over town trying to coordinate your financial life alone. Connect with Foundation Wealth Partners through their website, social media channels, or their "Money and Stuff" podcast to discover how integrated financial planning might bring clarity to your financial journey.

To learn more about Foundation Wealth Partners go to:

https://www.foundationwealthpartners.com/

Foundation Wealth Partners

469-678-8609

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Sophia Yvette.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Are you in need of a FoundationWealth Partners company?
Well, one may be closer thanyou think.
Today I have the pleasure ofintroducing your good neighbor,
sam Rodriguez, with FoundationWealth Partners.
Sam, how are you today?

Speaker 3 (00:30):
I am good.
How are you doing?

Speaker 2 (00:32):
I'm also good and we're so excited to learn all
about you and your business.
Can you start by telling us alittle bit about your company?

Speaker 3 (00:41):
Sure, so I run a firm called Foundation Wealth
Partners.
As you said.
Right, we are based here inNorth Texas.
We're a financial planning firm.
You know we were originallybuilt around helping people
retire.
Well, you know, for years a lotof our clients were baby
boomers.
They were, you know, nearing orin retirement and wanting to
make sure their money would lastand that they wouldn't make any

(01:02):
big mistakes as they really gotto the finish line.
But you know, over time, whatwe've done is we've really
geared more towards people intheir 40s and 50s.
You know we're seeing a lot ofGeneration X and older
millennials who are, you know,maybe they're doing all the
right things right, they'remaking good money, they're
saving in their 401k, but theystill feel unsure if they're
actually on track or, you know,maybe something slipping through

(01:26):
the cracks.
So what we do is you knowwhether you're trying to retire
and make smart, confidentdecisions about things like that
or you just want to.
Maybe you're making a goodincome now and you know you're
in your prime working years andyou need someone to coordinate
all those moving parts like yourinvestments and your taxes,
maybe college planning, estateplanning.
We're here to help you withthat.

(01:47):
So at the core, we are planners.
First.
We don't sell products.
We really work hard to buildrelationships and really design
strategies that are going tohelp you grow.
You know, whether you'realready retired or you're trying
to figure out how to get there,we're just here to, you know,
help take that stress andguesswork out and really just

(02:07):
give you some financial peace.

Speaker 2 (02:09):
Now Sam, how did you originally get started with this
company?

Speaker 3 (02:17):
Sure.
So you know I don't thinkanybody grows up, you know,
thinking or dreaming of being afinancial planner.
But I did grow up watching howmoney, or, you know, the lack of
clarity around it, impactedpeople's lives.
You know, even smart,successful people can feel

(02:38):
overwhelmed when they're tryingto make major financial
decisions.
And early in my career I workedfor some really big firms that
were technically doing financialplanning, but in reality the
plan was just sort of a setupfor a product sale and I kept
seeing the same patterns.
Right, People were, they weregetting advice, but it was

(02:59):
really siloed their CPA said onething, their broker said
another, their estate attorneyhad no idea what either one of
those two were doing, and thatdidn't sit well with me.
So I wanted to create somethingdifferent, right, A firm where
the planning actually came first, where we asked the right
questions, we really listeneddeeply and we built a strategy

(03:19):
around the whole process, notjust their portfolio.
So, you know, I startedFoundation Wealth Partners with
that mission in mind.
I wanted to build a firm where,you know, people really didn't
feel like they had to be thecoordinator of their financial
life.
You know, we do that for themand we do it in a way that is
values driven, it's transparentand it's built for the long haul
.
You know, to me this issomething really personal.

(03:42):
It's more than just their money.
It's about helping people findpurpose and feel confident with
their money.

Speaker 2 (03:49):
Now being in the industry that you're in, sam,
what is the most commonmisconception you typically come
across?

Speaker 3 (03:58):
Oh man.
So there's a few, but I wouldsay first the first is that
people think financial planningis just for really wealthy
people.
I think people assume if youdon't have a million dollars or
more sitting in an account, thata financial advisor won't talk

(04:19):
to you or that you maybe don'tneed one.
But just because someonedoesn't have a high net worth
doesn't mean they don't havehigh financial complexity.
You know, it's often the peoplein their peak earning years
that are balancing their income,their taxes, like I said,
saving for college or, you know,maybe trying to make decisions
around their mortgage, whoreally need that guidance the

(04:42):
most, because the stakes arereally high and they're doing it
without a playbook.
And so having someone that canhelp you along the way make
really good decisions, so thatway you can make the most of
your money and make really smartmoney decisions, I think is
very, very important.

Speaker 2 (04:59):
Now, you mentioned that not everyone has to be a
millionaire to start saving.
So who are your target clientsand, in terms of marketing, how
do you stay attractive to them?

Speaker 3 (05:11):
Sure.
So, like I said earlier,traditionally our clients were
baby boomers who were, you know,nearing or maybe they just got
into retirement and, you know, Ithink what's important to
realize now is that the olderGeneration X are now reaching
that age.
So, you know, we're kind ofnaturally transitioning from

(05:32):
baby boomers to Generation X.
But what we're also seeing isthat, you know, the younger
Generation X and the oldermillennials are also trying to
be a lot more proactive and andstart making smarter money
decisions earlier in life.
So, you know, right now we'rereally seeing a lot of people,
maybe in their late 30s to early50s, wanting to plan ahead and

(05:58):
make decisions around theircomplete financial life.
As far as how we stay connectedwith them or how we get
introduced, you know themajority of our clients come to
us now through referrals.
You know current clientsintroducing us to their friends
and their family.
But we also do a lot ofworkshops around town.
We do a lot of educationalworkshops where we really

(06:21):
explain how different aspects ofpeople's financial lives work.
So that way, if they have aquestion that they're just
trying to get answered, they canget those answers and if they
want to talk to us, they cantalk to us afterwards.
But we also have, you know, apodcast and we, you know, we
have all of our social mediachannels where people can
connect with us as well, andpeople find us through there and

(06:42):
stay connected with us that way.

Speaker 2 (06:46):
Let's go ahead and switch gears for a second Sam.
Let's go ahead and switch gearsfor a second sam.
Can you describe a hardship orlife challenge you personally
went through, whether inpersonal life or business, and
how it made you a better andstronger person today?

Speaker 3 (07:03):
you know, um, I think life's hard for all of us at
different times.
You know I've had my fair shareof financial struggles.
I've lost people that I love.
You know I've faced seasonswhere I didn't have a clue what
I was doing or where I washeaded, and, you know, starting

(07:23):
this firm you might say that wasone of those times right, it
was one of the hardest thingsI've ever done.
You know, there was a realchance it wasn't going to work
and I remember thinking, youknow, we might lose everything,
we might lose our house.
You know what am I doing.
But I think that's the thing,right, Like life doesn't stop
coming at you.
And what I've learned is thatwhen you have someone who can

(07:44):
help you sort of zoom out, seethe bigger picture and make you,
you know, help you make calm,thoughtful decisions.
You know it doesn't make lifeeasy, but it makes life
manageable.
It helps you focus on whatmatters instead of only seeing
the hard things that arehappening to you at the time.
You know, a few years ago, ourson went through a really tough

(08:09):
emotional time, some mentalhealth struggles, and you know,
as a parent, that was reallyscary, but it also gave me a lot
of clarity.
You know, it reminded me thatthere are things that are far
more important than money orsuccess, and money should be the
tool that helps us protect andenjoy the things that we care
about, not the thing that wecenter our lives around.

(08:30):
And you know, that seasonreally changed everything for me
.
It changed how I show up as afather, as a husband and as an
advisor to our clients, becauseyou know, behind every financial
decision there is a personright.
There is someone trying to holdit all together or just trying
to make the best decisions theycan, because they know they

(08:50):
really only get one shot at thisand sometimes they just need
someone to help them see theforest from the trees 100% I
agree with you.

Speaker 2 (09:02):
Thank you for sharing that advice with our audience
today.
What is one main takeaway youwould like our listeners today
to gather from foundation wealthpartners overall?

Speaker 3 (09:16):
I'd say the one thing that I wish people really
understood is that your advisorreally shouldn't just be here to
help you grow your portfolio.
They should be there to helpyou make better decisions across
your entire financial life.
Most people who come to us,like I said, they're already
doing well.
They've got good jobs, they'resaving, they're responsible, but

(09:38):
they're still not sure if it'sall working together.
They've got an accountant inone place, an insurance agent in
another, maybe an estateattorney they haven't talked to
for years and none of them aretalking to each other.
So everything feels verydisjointed and what we really
work hard to do at FoundationWealth Partners is put all of
that together.
We don't just give advice, weact as the hub.

(09:58):
You need a cohesive plan, notfive sets of disconnected
recommendations.
So our team includesprofessionals who handle each of
those things.
We have an expert for each ofthose areas and we work together
to make sure everything isgoing to be aligned with each
other, because good planning, itdoesn't happen in the those
things.
We have an expert for each ofthose areas and we work together
to make sure everything isgoing to be aligned with each
other, because good planning, itdoesn't happen in these silos

(10:20):
and we don't believe that youshould have to drive all over
town trying to coordinate yourfinancial life by yourself.
Right, we work hard to make itcohesive, integrated and really
tailored to you and your life.

Speaker 2 (10:36):
And where can our listeners go to learn more about
Foundation Wealth Partners?

Speaker 3 (10:41):
Sure.
The easiest way to find us isto visit our website at
foundationwealthpartnerscom.
We're also on all the socials.
You can find us on LinkedIn.
You can find us on Facebook.
You can connect with me.
You can connect with me onInstagram.
My handle is Sam Talks, moneyand Stuff.

(11:04):
We have our podcast, money andStuff Podcast.
You can you know, on thewebsite you can go.
There's a link where you canconnect with us, ask for
information.
There you can find out abouthow we work and what it's like
to talk with us.

Speaker 2 (11:21):
And if you're here at DFW, you know we're always
happy to meet in person if youwant to.
Well, sam, I really appreciateyou being on the show.

Speaker 1 (11:28):
We wish you and your business the best moving forward
.
Thanks a lot.
Thank you for listening to theGood Neighbor Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to gnpfriscocom.
That's gnpfriscocom.
Or call 469-221-9345.

(11:48):
Thank you.