Financial planning with a Latino flair.

• Author: LEWIS, PETE
• Position: Sandos Financial Group - Brief Article

IT's COMMON FOR FINANCIAL ADVISERS to boast about the millionaires and high-profile entrepreneurs who have entrusted their investments and financial futures to the adviser's expertise.

Dan Sandos has his share of high-roller clients, but he's more likely to brag about a different type of customer.

A registered investment adviser, Sandos recognized an opportunity where he says others in his field didn't bother to look -- among Denver's small businesses owned by Hispanic immigrants.

"A lot of banks and financial organizations target established Hispanic-owned businesses," says Sandos. I can safely say I'm the only one going after small businesses with Mexican-born owners. They're Hispanic-owned, Spanish-speaking and they cater exclusively to a Spanish-speaking customer.

"Drive up and down Santa Fe, or Alameda, or Federal Boulevard. There's an entire array of businesses out there," he said. "Their owners have come to this country, opened businesses and they're making money. They are after the American Dream. And they need everything (with regards to financial advice), which is great from my perspective."

Sandos grew up in Denver and graduated from Denver West High School. His family was involved in local politics and well-connected, so when Sandos decided to get into financial services, he moved his family from Seattle to Denver in 1998 and opened a branch of Sandos Financial Group, a firm established in 1990 in Salt Lake City by his older brother, Mike.

"I joined the Hispanic Chamber and other Hispanic business organizations," Sandos says. "That was a no-brainer. I enjoy working with those businesses...