Our people: Financial planner talks family, Africa

Local Realtor Brett Johnson called The News not long ago.

"I know a guy you need to interview for 'Our People' in your Sunday paper. Alan Kinlund. He just won his second award from Forbes magazine," Johnson said.

When you go into Kinlund's meeting room in his office on 21st Street in Clovis, there are the awards to the man from Raton who went to Eastern New Mexico University, spent time in San Francisco and came to Clovis.

His 2023 award features a bear, his 2024 award features a bull, representing the goings-on of Wall Street.

When he won his award last year as top financial planner in New Mexico he got a call from an Albuquerque financial planner who wanted to know just who is Alan Kinlund?

Kinlund sat with The News and told us.

Q: What do you like about the work you do in financial planning?

A: The rewards of getting to help people who actually deserve it.

I worked for a hedge fund. It was no fun making rich people richer.

I help people retire.

I help people send their kids to college.

I help people leave money to their heirs.

Q: What is the significance of this Forbes award to you?

A: It brings awareness that we have access to sophisticated financial opportunities in rural America.

Q: How would you describe yourself in one word?

A: Competitive. I've been competitive all my life.

Q: Where did you grow up?

A: Raton, USA.

It's flatter here.

My parents live on Bartlett Mesa.

On a clear day, from their house, you can see Wagon Mound 100 miles away.

Q: How is Raton different from Clovis?

A: Clovis is growing, Raton isn't.

With the Air Force here, it makes Clovis unique.

I know everywhere (towns and cities) say they have good people, but we really do have good people here.

Q: Tell us about your family.

A: I came from a small family. I'm an only child.

My family is my wife Sarah, our sons Adler (6), Ledger (3) and Carver (1).

These are the people I get up for, go to work for and I'm thinking of.

And a dog, a black lab named Brutus.

Sarah and I got him in our senior year at Eastern New Mexico University.

Q: What do you do when you're not working?

A: I'm a below-average golfer and an above-average taxicab driver for my family.

Getting three little boys to everywhere they need to go is a full-time job.

Q: What is your theme song?

A: I'm not a music guy.

Let me think.

"Remember the Name" by Fort Minor or anything by AC/DC.

But nothing really fits.

Q: What's the best sandwich in the world?

A: I'm a lox sandwich kind of guy.

My uncle lives in Washington state on the Trout Lake River and he sends us salmon regularly.

The sandwich is lox, tabasco, onions on a green chile bagel.

Q: Where is your favorite vacation spot? Why?

A: Africa.

We've been there three times.

We've been to South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

It's the only place on Earth I've ever been where you know you're not the alpha.

When you walk out, there are elephants, lions, giraffe, leopards.

It's the way it should've been.

Q: Who's invited to your fantasy dinner party and why? And what's for dinner?

A: Elon Musk, Warren Buffett and Peyton Manning.

We'd have stuffed sopapillas with green sauce so we can get those boys a little culture.

Q: What's your favorite saying or quote?

A: I've been saying this a lot lately with three little boys:

"You have to prepare your kids for the path, not the path for your kids."