EP 330: From Bible to Business: How Swan DFW Guides Retirement Transitions

What makes Hector Hinojosa with Swan DFW Financial Solutions a good neighbor?

A chance meeting over lunch in 1993 changed everything for Hector Hinojosa. When he spotted a Bible on the front seat of his lunch companion's car, he had no idea this connection would launch him into a career as a financial planner. Today, as founder of Swan DFW Financial Solutions, Hector has built a thriving practice based on a simple yet powerful promise to his clients: "Sleep Well At Night."

When Hector's earliest clients told him, "We're never going to get rich, we just want to sleep well at night," he found his firm's purpose and name. Swan DFW specializes in guiding clients through the complex emotional and financial transition from decades of working life into retirement. Focusing primarily on clients between 50-65 years old, many from Lockheed Martin with 25-35 years of service, Hector's team creates comprehensive financial plans tailored to individual retirement goals.

Perhaps the most valuable insight Hector shares is debunking the myth that financial planners cost too much. Research shows working with a qualified planner typically results in 15% more retirement money compared to going it alone. This advantage comes from professional guidance that prevents costly mistakes and keeps clients focused on long-term plans. Beyond the numbers, Hector emphasizes the critical 90 days before and after retirement—a time when emotional coaching proves just as important as financial expertise. After 45 years of the same work routine, that transition requires both financial and psychological preparation.

Want to learn more about how Swan DFW Financial Solutions can help you sleep better at night? Visit their website at swandfw.net, check out their "Wealth Defense Radio" podcast on YouTube or Spotify, or email [e-mail] to discover how their truth-telling approach to financial planning might be the perfect fit for your retirement journey.

To learn more about Swan DFW Financial Solutions go to:
 🌐 swandfw.net

Swan DFW Financial Solutions
📞 [phone]

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 (00:10):
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Are you in need of a financialplanning and wealth management
firm?
Well, one may be closer thanyou think.
Today I have the pleasure ofintroducing your good neighbor,
Hector Hinojosa, with Swan DFWFinancial Solutions.
Hector, how are you today?

Speaker 3 (00:32):
I'm doing great.
How are you?

Speaker 2 (00:33):
I'm also doing great Now.
We are so excited today tolearn all about you and your
business.

Speaker 3 (00:41):
Yeah, thank you for that.
Yeah, thank you for that.
So when I started my firmJanuary of 2014, I had a few
clients that were coming with meand I was asking them what can
I do as a certified financialplanner, starting my firm?
What do you want us to do foryou?
And what they said is you know,we're never going to get rich,

(01:01):
we just want to be able to sleepwell at night.
And that's where Swan comesfrom, because we tell people
using us, you'll be able tosleep well at night.
Let us worry about yourfinancial future and things will
be good.

Speaker 2 (01:19):
Now tell us a little bit more about your business.

Speaker 3 (01:25):
We're a small niche firm.
We started it, like I said, in2014.
We do financial planning.
Our typical client is somewherebetween 50 and 65 years old
when we first engaged with themand they've been working.
Many of them have been workingat a company.

(01:47):
A big part of our business isfrom Lockheed Martin.
These guys have been workingthere for 25, 30, 35 years.
We do a full financial plan.
They tell us what they want todo in retirement.
We budget it, we show themwhether it's possible or whether
we need to tweak it, and thenwe go from there.

Speaker 2 (02:11):
So, hector, how did you originally get into this
business?
Believe it or not, I was askedto lunch in 1993.

Speaker 3 (02:20):
I was working for the state of Texas.
I was working for the state ofTexas and they had contracted a
firm to bring 401ks to stateemployees, and so a contract had
been given to a company.
I didn't even know what a 401kwas, but I sent it to the guy's

(02:43):
presentation.
I was in Brownsville, texas.
He had driven from San Antonioabout a five-hour drive and we'd
been cutting up and having funwhile he did this presentation
to a group of us.
And he said hey, if you're notdoing anything for lunch, I'd
like to buy you lunch because Idon't like to eat alone.
So we went to lunch.
When I opened the door to hiscar, he had a Bible sitting on
the front seat and he wasreading through the Gospel of

(03:06):
John.
I said I love the Gospel ofJohn.
So we had lunch, everything wasfine, we were messing around,
and he said have you everconsidered coming into this
business?
I said man, I don't even knowwhat your business is.
I don't know how you make money.
He said well, we can teach youall that, but I think you do
well.
And so he asked me to send aresume.
Six months later I startedgetting licensed and I've been

(03:31):
in the business since Became.
A CFP in 2001,.
A certified financial plannerin 2001.

Speaker 2 (03:43):
Started my firm in 2014.
Wow, Well amen to that right.
Amen to that is right.
What is the most common myth ormisconception you come across
in your industry today?

Speaker 3 (03:55):
Yeah, the biggest our firm right now is just because
of where people are and wheremoney is being held is we're
spending a lot of time in whatwe call Roth conversions taking
money out of IRAs and convertingthem.
The biggest myth we have isthat working with a financial

(04:16):
planner is going to cost toomuch money and the research.
According to some research, aretirement planning firm talked
about how a typical client thatworks with a financial planner
will actually end up with about15% more money than if they try

(04:38):
to go it on their own, andthere's a lot of different
reasons for that and that's.
But yeah, we find people try todo exactly the wrong thing
slowing people down, remindingthem we have a plan.
So, yeah, that's the biggestmyth it's we cost too much money
to work with and we actuallyend up making more money for the

(05:01):
client.

Speaker 2 (05:04):
Wow.
Now let's switch gears for asecond.
We know marketing is the heartof every business.
How are you guys currentlymarketing your business and who
are some of your target clients?
Are they all face based?
Do you have a bunch ofdifferent clients from different
demographics?

(05:26):
Tell us a bit more.

Speaker 3 (05:29):
Yeah, we've been blessed in that about 95% of our
clients have come fromreferrals, and so we've just now
started going back intomarketing.
My son has just come on fulltime, and so we haven't done a

(05:52):
lot of marketing.
My son has just come onfull-time and so, yeah, we
haven't done a lot of marketing.
When we do, we do some media.
We have a podcast that we doevery week with different topics
, and we're now talking, we'redoing seminars, on Roth
conversions so people don't getcaught on that, yeah, an

(06:19):
important part of my personalwalk.
But we have a lot of people froma lot of different faiths.
We have most of our clientswith most of the wealth are
going to be in their 55 plus.
But I also pride myself as wehave a really good group of
clients that are 35 and underwho are just starting, and we've

(06:47):
got them putting money intotheir investments, you know,
every month.
And so, yeah, we have we have awide mix of demographic, both
in in terms of age and and youknow, just just every mix of it.
We've seen that.

Speaker 2 (07:00):
A little bit of pride myself on that well, that's an
amazing thing that you're doingfor the um, the community.

Speaker 3 (07:07):
You know, it's not about what you make, it's about
what you leave right yeah, youalways that's kind of it's kind
of my mantra you want to leavethis place.
We call home a little betterthan what you found it, how you
found it, and we stand on theshoulders of a lot of people
that have made this really great.
Now it's our opportunity toleave it for our kids and

(07:30):
grandkids going forward.

Speaker 2 (07:31):
Amen to that.
Now please tell our listenersone thing they should remember
about Swan DFW financialsolution.

Speaker 3 (07:41):
Well, I don't know if we're the best, but we're
certainly better looking thanall the other firms, maybe not?
Yeah, we're a full financialplanning firm.
We pride ourselves on tellingyou the truth.
We're not.
We have.

(08:03):
I think we communicate so thatyou understand it, because
sometimes, as you know, gettinginformation is only a part of it
.
Understanding the informationyou just got is a really big
part of it, and so we want tomake sure that you understand
what it is we're getting readyto do and how that's going to
work.
And how that's going to workMainly because if you retire at

(08:26):
65, say, and you started workingat 20, you've done the same way
, the same life, for 45 years ina row.
You've gotten up, gone to work,gotten a paycheck.
Now you're going to stopworking and it comes to that
transition, and we talk about alot of that.

(08:47):
We talk about the 90 daysbefore and the 90 days after you
retire.
Yeah, that would be the onething is not only are we great
financial coaches, we'd like tothink we can coach you
emotionally as you go throughthese transitions.

Speaker 2 (09:03):
Now where can my listeners go to learn more about
Swan DFW Financial Solutions?

Speaker 3 (09:10):
Well, you can go to our website, swandfwnet, or you
can look up our podcast that'scalled Wealth Defense Radio, on
either YouTube or Spotify.
You can send us an email toinfo at swan-dfwnet.
We'd love to engage with you,show you what we do.

(09:32):
We're seeing it happen as yousay.
Yeah, I don't think so, andthat's okay.

Speaker 2 (09:38):
We can still be friends, but you'll understand
Well, Hector, I reallyappreciate you being on the show
today.
We wish you and your businessthe best moving forward.

Speaker 3 (09:49):
Thank you and Sophia, I really appreciate what you're
doing and letting smallbusinesses communicate with
their audiences and potentialclients.
So thank you for what you do.
You are a legend.

Speaker 1 (09:58):
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor
Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to GNPFriscocom.
That's gnpfriscocom, or call469-221-9345.