Mindset is crucial when planning

Investors have been on the stock market and interest rate roller coaster so long they may feel as though they have gone mad. Planning around continued volatility is a challenge unless you are committed to updating goals at least annually. People who stick their heads in the sand and avoid planning “until the market settles down” are missing opportunities and are likely to go o track. is could take years or never rectify once you lose focus. is is one of the many reasons why the Board of Certi ed Financial Planners has added psychology as an important component of nancial planning. Until the advisor and client can discuss fears, con icts, money beliefs and biases openly, it will be difcult to stay on track or even build the right kind of plan.

It is not easy to discuss these things, such as:

— Your rst recollection of money

— Your money story, beliefs, con-

Letters To The Editor

Disappointed in Marshall

When Democrats in the state legislature unveiled plans to consider an assault weapon ban, Rep. Bob Marshall, a Democrat representing Highlands Ranch, declared he does not plan to vote for any bills to enact stricter gun laws.

Rep. Marshall barely won his race in Highlands Ranch; once all ballots were counted, a mere 405 votes out of 45,349 cast separated Marshall from his opponent. at victory belongs to all the volunteers energized by his campaign. Every e ort truly made the difference. ose same volunteers are highly motivated by reducing gun violence. If Bob Marshall has declared he will dismiss all stricter gun safety laws without consideration, then those volunteers will not make the mistake of supporting him twice.

If you were to draw a map of members of gun violence reduction groups in Colorado, a disproportionate number of them are in Rep. Marshall’s district. It is no surprise because it contains the location of the STEM Highlands Ranch shooting and the apartment complex where Deputy Zack Parrish was murdered; along with its proximity to Columbine High School and the Aurora theater shooting. ese are only the most notable, nearby examples of a gun violence pandemic plaguing the entire country year after year.

It is reprehensible that Marshall icts, biases

— In uences on your nancial behavior

However having these conversations helps boost emotional intelligence. is includes self-awareness of mental triggers, taking responsibility for a situation and helping to facilitate positive change.

Many people become frustrated when they cannot make progress toward their nancial goals or may not even know how to set realistic goals. It is crucial to have the right mindset before you begin your nancial improvement journey. Speak to your advisor about the psychology exercise to help you progress, especially if any of these sound familiar:

• Squandering nancial windfalls

• In denial about spending, lack of saving or investment knowledge

• Enabling others or controlling others with money

• Over or underspending

• Extreme anxiety around nancial matters

• Unrealistic expectations

• Feeling guilty for having or receiving wealth

• Fear of losing money or making the wrong decision

Normalizing irrational behavior is taking an obstructionist stance on preventing gun violence in a district that has su ered from it more than most. It is a strategy that will easily plummet Rep. Marshall below the threshold needed for reelection while winning him no new support. e few voters who might appreciate his impotent stance on gun safety are unlikely to join a Democrat’s reelection campaign on that basis.

Faced with the loss of his base, and voting like a Republican, a calculating politician might hope to change parties for the next election. Rep. Marshall does not have that option given that he has repeatedly sued local GOP ofcials and literally punched the new chair of the Douglas County Republican Party in the face during an altercation at a protest. Marshall prevailed in the ensuing legal ght over that altercation, but the Douglas County GOP is an unlikely place for Marshall to develop new allies.

Marshall faces an unwinnable dilemma as he has betrayed the left and is reviled on the right. Politics is a team sport and Bob Marshall appears intent on fouling everyone on the eld.

Barrett Rothe, vice chair of Douglas County Democratic Party June 2021-February 2023 Castle Pines helps decrease anxiety and shame. We are not often taught how to handle nancial a airs so when pressed to do so, we lack the con dence and knowledge to make good decisions.

We often quote George Kinder, CFP,* a pioneer in the early 1980s in nancial planning, by asking three main questions:

1. Imagine you are nancially secure, and you do not need to worry about money. How would you live your life?

2. Imagine your doctor tells you that you only have ve more years to live, but you will not feel ill or be in pain. What will you do with your remaining time?

3. You only have one day left to live. Ask yourself, “What did I miss?” “Who did I not get to be?” “What did I not get to do?” e idea of these questions is to help prioritize what is most important so you have no regrets, don’t waste any more time getting started, and are able to enjoy your passions.

Kinder states that these answers don’t reveal the desire to make more money, work harder or receive a promotion. ey typically relate to one of these ve categories:

1. Family or relationships

2. Authenticity or spirituality

3. Ful lling creative goals

4. Giving back and leaving a positive legacy

5. A sense of place such as travel to special places or living in a certain environment.

All of these exercises are designed to help you create a more meaningful thought process around your nancial goals and challenges. While it may be uncomfortable, few things in life bring immediate gain without a little pain. You can think about these questions before your next planning meeting and even discuss them with your family to gain perspective. en let your wealth advisor help you discover what is important and how to create a plan that is e ective for you. You will be less worried about things out of your control, such as the stock market or interest rates, and more concerned about your nancial impact on your family and other passions you have.

* George Kinder, CFP, e Kinder Institute of Life Planning.

Patricia Kummer has been a Certied Financial Planner professional and a duciary for over 35 years and is managing director for Mariner Wealth Advisors.

FROM PAGE 12 need is 20 seconds of insane courage, has helped keep my balance. Do you know when and how to choose wisely? I would love to hear your story at gotonorton@gmail.com, and when we nd that balance between discretion and courage, it really will be a better than good life.

Michael Norton is an author, a personal and professional coach, consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator of individuals and businesses, working with organizations and associations across multiple industries.

BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Af ter more than 20 years of collecting pinball machines, Dan Nikolich’s basement had run out of space to store them all. So Nikolich opened the Colorado Pinball Pub in Littleton to share his collection.

“Pinball is a unique thing because it doesn’t matter what your background or walk of life is, pinball will draw you in,” he said. “It’s a great equalizer because it only takes one ball.”

While the concept of offering drinks and games at one location is nothing new, the Denver area is host to a number of unique takes on the Dave and Buster’s business model.

Colorado Pinball Pub is one of the newer additions to the barcade scene, having opened in 2020. The pub offers 22 pinball machines, plus a few classic arcade games like PacMan and Centipede, for unlimited play for $15 per hour.

Nikolich’s love for games started young, when he was growing up in Las Vegas and working for the MGM Arcade, so he was happy to see the recent rise in pinball’s popularity.

“Pinball is having a great resurgence right now. The last few years it’s been really hot,” he said. “We have parents who will bring their kids who have never played pinball and, at night, we get a lot of adults and date nights, stuff like that. All people seem to like pinball.”

Like the pub’s patrons, the pinball machines available range in age and theme, with Nikolich’s oldest machine being from 1981. The walls of the pub also pay homage to the history of the game, including its prohibition from 1940s to the 1970s, with pictures and news clippings.

In addition to pinball, the pub features over 150 kinds of whiskey, craft cocktails and Colorado brewed beer.

Nikolich said the goal is to have something for everyone and to make it approachable, whether that’s pinball or whiskey.

“We want you to come and learn about it and not be intimidated to ask if you don’t know something, we want to teach you, so that you can enjoy something new,” he said.

On the opposite side of the metro area, another