I have said before that I don’t always share very much about my personal life here on the blog. A part of me still thinks that you, the readers, probably don’t care much about me – Hank Coleman – and my life, and that is why I have not shared too much before now.
But, Pat Flynn had a great guest post on his blog, Smart Passive Income, that talked about really connecting with your readers by pulling back the curtain a little bit and showing you the person behind the words that you graciously read here.
And, I know that friends like Ryan from Cash Money Life and others have written posts about getting to know them as well. So, I thought I would bite the bullet and write a post telling you a little more about myself that I have tended not to share before. I have tried to include a few pictures to make it a little more interesting than reading a straight list.
Ten Things You Don’t Know About Hank Coleman
1. I have served two combat tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan while serving in the Army. Here is a photo of me (right) in 2008 in downtown Baghdad on patrol with some Iraqi policemen.
2. I’m an avid Atlanta Braves fan, although I do not know why because they break my heart every year. They always seem to be just good enough to get your hopes up, and then they are dashed.
3. I have had an obsession with desk knickknacks for years. Below is a picture of my actual desk in my home office. You can see tons of stress balls, snow globes, an autographed Hank Aaron baseball and hat, and tons of other stuff.
4. I continue to wring my employer for every dime they will give me for college. In the past 14 years, they have paid 100% for my Bachelor’s degree, 100% for two Master’s degreess, and 75% for my Graduate Certificate in Personal Financial Planning. The one thing I want that they won’t pay for is a Doctorate. Go figure!
5. I have actually been blogging since early 2008 when I started the blogs, Own The Dollar and Military Money Might. I can’t go into much detail other than to say I don’t write on them anymore, and that kind of bums me out.
So, I started Money Q&A in September 2010 after missing the life of a blogger with my own corner of the internet. I only lasted three months as a freelance writer instead of a blogger and freelance writer. What can I say? I’m a serial entrepreneur and miss the ownership side of it too. I also acquired and ran the blog, The Dividend Ninja.
6. I once thought about taking the Certified Financial Planning Exam. I have taken the 18 credit hours to meet the education requirement, but the exam scares the crap out of me. And, I keep putting it off.
7. I went to Port-au-Prince, Haiti only hours after their devastating January 2010 earthquake. It was definitely one of the most rewarding and fulfilling assignments that I have ever had.
8. I really want to get a dog (an English Bulldog), but my wife won’t let me get one. That is going to be the first present I buy myself when I finally retire.
UPDATE – My family and I got a little Yorkie named Winston in 2012. Not an English Bulldog, but still very awesome! I love that little dog!
UPDATE #2 – We got a second dog in 2020, a miniature dachshund named George!
9. My goal is to retire early and then teach business or economics at the collegiate level part-time during my retirement. Would that still be considered retirement if I work part-time? I guess it is all in how you define it.
It wouldn’t be a job then when you love it so much. I also want to own my own driving range and a bar. They are both on my 100 goals bucket list.
10. I’m a huge Elvis and James Dean fan. I really think that I should have been born in the 1950s.
I’d love to hear at the end if you like reading personal accounts or enjoy more factual, question and answer type articles here on Money Q&A. Thanks!
– Hank Coleman
Hank, Thanks for sharing that. You have an interesting background. I think the Dr. Pepper addiction explains a lot . My addiction is to iced tea.
I look forward to reading more from you in the future.
Hank,
Thanks for serving your (our) country.
I would like to own a golf course someday. I assume you enjoy golf. Can’t wait for spring.
Yes, you are absolutely right. I love golf! I grew up playing and being from South Carolina, we get to play all year long. It’s awesome. I used to want to own a golf course, but it just costs too much. I had this brilliant (brilliant to me at least) to buy enough land where I could build three golf holes, a par 3, 4, & 5. Then I would just play a loop. If I only wanted to play 9 holes, run the loop 3x. A full 18, six times. Then I would just build more holes as I had the money, land, etc.
I agree. Thanks for serving our country! Also, great informative stuff. One of my regular stops to expand my own thinking about money.
Thank you for the kind words. I really appreciate it.
Thanks for your service Hank! I too enjoy golf, as a matter of fact I’m playing in the morning.
I am an avid Blue Jays fan so I know how you feel about the Braves, although I did have a love- affair with the Braves when Chipper Jones was in his prime.
This vet salutes you — literally since you’d out rank me if I were still serving :). Like you we’re Braves fans and we’re disappointed each year as well. Keep getting all of the education you can. As my mom always tells me “Once you get that piece of paper they can’t take it back.”
I’m actually looking at online financial planning programs now. I think when I get tired of being a computer geek I want to help others manage their money.
I love the personal stories in articles. It makes it easier to relate to the information.
What part of South Carolina are you from? My son was born in Charleston when my former husband was stationed there.
Thank you for your service to our country. Loved the personal side! Hope you get your dog-my Chocolate lab and my daughter’s labradoodle bring a balance to our home. Lots of hair and footprints-but unending love and adoration for their owners!
Great to know you Hank. Really incredible, your job, your academic qualification and serial entrepreneurship.
First and foremost, thank you for your service to our country.
I very much enjoyed your sharing of your personal life. It gives a different feel to the information that you share. It now seems more human and even more relateable than before.
Thanks for sharing with us Hank.
Thanks for letting us know a bit more about you! Also, thank you for serving our country : D
Thanks for sharing Hank. I’m often baffled by just how important it is to share your personal life online. It’s been a while since last I shared. You’ve inspired me to do a similar post soon.
Thank you for sharing and for serving. You are appreciated.
Very nice. Two masters???? Impressive. Whatever university you go to, will be very lucky.
First of all, thank you for your service (and for what you did in Haiti!). Second, I am very jealous of your education/employment situation. I would LOVE to have an employer pay for my education. I’m sorry they won’t foot the PhD bill, though; that’s a bummer.
Hello Hank,
Thanks for your service and helping the Haitian’s!
The more personal the better…makes for much more interesting reading. Not many people enjoy reading text books, although it seems you couldn’t get enough…Ha Ha
Thanks again!!!
Would love to share some of your articles on FB, but I don’t see any links. What’s up?
Thank you for your service! You say the Atlanta Braves break your heart– but we Pittsburgh Pirates fans sure remember when the Braves broke our hearts!
I enjoy your posts on Twitter