EP 556: How A Texas Wealth Manager Helps You Avoid Costly Money Mistakes

What makes Scott Hammel with Apeiron Partners a good neighbor?

We talk with Scott Hammel about what financial planning really means and why it goes far beyond trying to beat the stock market. As the founder of Apeiron Partners, Scott helps families and small business owners make thoughtful financial decisions that support their long-term goals and provide greater confidence for the future.

One of the biggest misconceptions we discuss is that successful financial planning is all about investment returns. Scott explains that while investments matter, the greatest value often comes from building a comprehensive plan that considers retirement, taxes, cash flow, and long-term decision-making. Good planning is about creating a strategy that holds up over time—not chasing short-term results.

We also focus on retirement planning, especially for people within five years of leaving the workforce. Scott shares why preparing early can help avoid costly mistakes, improve saving habits, and create opportunities for tax-efficient strategies that may have a meaningful impact over the course of retirement. The real advantage often comes from making small, intentional decisions consistently over many years.

Scott also shares his journey from engineering into financial planning and explains why he ultimately discovered that this profession is about people as much as numbers. Helping clients gain clarity, reduce uncertainty, and make informed decisions has become the foundation of his work.

The conversation also explores how Apeiron Partners has grown through client referrals, educational seminars, and community involvement, reinforcing Scott’s belief that trust is earned through relationships and education rather than sales.

We close with an important reminder: net worth is a tool, not the goal. Financial planning should help reduce stress, create confidence, and give people the freedom to focus on what matters most in life.

If you’re thinking about retirement planning, wealth management, or building a long-term financial strategy, this conversation offers practical insights to help you make more informed decisions.

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Guest Info: Apeiron Partners |      https://www.apeironplanning.com/team/scott-hammel-cfp  ] | 

Transcript

Show And Guest Introduction

SPEAKER_01 0:00

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Sophia Yvette.

SPEAKER_00 0:10

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a financial planner and wealth manager? Well, one may be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Scott Hamill, with Appear on Planning Partners. It's great to have you on this morning. Now we are so excited to learn more about you and your business. So go on and tell us just a little bit more about your company.

Planning For Families And Businesses

SPEAKER_02 0:34

Yeah, so I'm the founder of Appear on Planning Partners. We're a financial planning and wealth management firm, mostly based in Texas. Uh, we work with families and small businesses and try to help them make the most intentional financial decisions that they can.

From Engineer To Financial Planner

SPEAKER_00 0:50

And going back in time for a second here, Scott, how did you originally get into this industry and where was that passion for it really born?

SPEAKER_02 1:00

Uh well, I was an engineer for a while. I think I enjoyed solving problems. Um, I'm a middle child. I think there's a lot of problem solving with that as well. And I at some point I'd hired a financial planner, and I think I realized at that point that it had a lot more to do with working with people than it did working with numbers. And um yeah, it started from there.

SPEAKER_00 1:27

Wonderful. And you know, where was that passion born? Was your passion in working with people?

SPEAKER_02 1:34

Yeah, like solving problems, solving helping people make good decisions given the whatever difficulty they're facing.

Beyond Market Returns And Investing

SPEAKER_00 1:45

Now, Scott, we know that in every business there's misconceptions that you tend to face. So, what is the number one that you face on the day-to-day that you like to put to rest for our audience today?

SPEAKER_02 2:00

I think the biggest misconception with financial planning is that it's a lot around investment returns or or beating the market. I hear that a lot, or questions around that a lot. And I think it's that's important, but it's it's uh a fraction of how important it is to uh save money on taxes or help somebody save better. A lot of times it's helping them avoid a costly mistake. Um, if we can look out five, 10, 20 years and plan better with taxes and savings and uh and map out that journey, uh, it becomes a lot more than just beating the market, which I think is important, but I think it's just a a smaller piece.

SPEAKER_00 2:44

So keeping that in mind, by how much could you end up saving in some of these other areas working with a financial planner and wealth management company like yourself.

SPEAKER_02 2:58

How much could you end up saving?

SPEAKER_00 3:00

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 3:01

Depending on depending on the client and how much um how much their net worth is, it wouldn't be abnormal to save tens or hundreds of thousands in taxes over the course of a full retirement.

SPEAKER_00 3:19

Wow.

Who They Serve And How They Grow

SPEAKER_00 3:20

Now we're gonna go ahead and switch gears here for a second. We know that marketing is the heart of every business. So ideally, Scott, who are you looking to attract and how are you reaching them today?

SPEAKER_02 3:32

We work with a lot of a lot of the clients that we work with are within five years of retirement. Uh, and they have done well in their career. They're looking for someone who has been through the retirement journey before, uh, of which we have a hundred times, two hundred times. Uh they're looking to hire somebody who can help navigate that journey. Uh we also work with small businesses that are really looking to outsource uh a lot of the decision making to help them get to the next level.

SPEAKER_00 4:09

And where are you attracting some of these individuals from?

SPEAKER_02 4:15

Most of our clients come from referrals of current clients. We do some seminars as well, we do some events, um, but most of them are introduced to us through current clients.

SPEAKER_00 4:30

Now, Scott, I know you've probably heard a lot about podcasting, or maybe you haven't, but have you ever considered having one for the business before?

Ironman Training And Family Fun

SPEAKER_02 4:41

I've thought about it. It's not something I put a lot of time into.

SPEAKER_00 4:46

Now, outside of work, what do you like to do for fun?

SPEAKER_02 4:50

I usually do a couple uh Iron Man races every year. So I'm training, doing some kind of running, biking, swimming all the time for that. I've picked up the guitar a little bit more just to play around with it. That's been fun. But my daughters are, especially right now, they're home for the summer. I have two middle school daughters, so they want me to take them thrift shopping and uh just do middle school daughter stuff. So that takes a that takes a lot of focus.

SPEAKER_00 5:21

Keep you busy.

SPEAKER_02 5:22

Yeah, they're fun though.

The Real Goal Of Financial Planning

SPEAKER_00 5:24

Now, Scott, we've covered a lot of great information in this episode today. But what is the number one takeaway you would like our listeners to gather from learning about appear on planning partners?

SPEAKER_02 5:36

I I think in general, a lot of times when when someone thinks of hiring a financial planner or their financial plan, it can create a lot of stress. But a planner and good planning, it really should alleviate that stress. They should take it from them and give it to us uh to have a plan, to know whether the next uh or um, you know, how they're going to save in the next one, five, ten years. Um and even that retirement journey, no, to know what that looks like should should take a lot of stress off the plate. Um, because ultimately isn't the goal. Net worth isn't the goal, it's just a tool to help them get to where they want to go.

Where To Connect And Nominate

SPEAKER_00 6:20

Finally, where is the best place for our listeners to go to learn more about Appearon Planning Partners?

SPEAKER_02 6:26

Probably your website, appearonplanning.com, LinkedIn, Facebook, any of them, Mark?

SPEAKER_00 6:32

Well, Scott, I really appreciate you being on the show today. We wish you and your business the best moving forward.

SPEAKER_01 6:38

Thank you. Thanks for inviting me. Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNP Frisco dot com. That's GNP Frisco dot com or call four six nine two two two two two two two two two two two two one nine three four five.