He once worked in professional baseball. Now he's in the world of prose.
Tyler Hoffman was a minor-league umpire whose last professional game was during the 2000 spring training in Arizona. He then worked on and off for semi-pro and college games from 2001 to 2009 near his home in Vancouver, B.C., but now doesn't even own any gear any more. "The desire isn't there," he said.
Now 35, Hoffman is a financial management advisor for a large wealth advisory firm, for which he has worked since leaving the game in 2000. In April, Hoffman's first book was released: Deliberate Wealth: The 5 Rules You Need To Know To Live Your Dream Lifestyle Today, Instead Of Someday Maybe!
"The book had many launch dates, and took over three years to complete, but was finally launched [on] April 1," said Hoffman, who is gay. "The one thing I learned is that a book is never really done. I kept rewriting, adding and deleting, but finally reached a point where I was confident that I had shared what I set out to: a little about me and a lot about how we make or don't make money work for us because of the way we think, feel and act.
"Professionally, I work with people every day and I hear too often, 'Oh, I'd love to be able to do that, but don't have the money.' I also see people make excuses in their lives for not being where they want to be and thought that if I could share my experience of how I made it, and stayed, in baseball that might make for an interesting book, especially if I put the financial twist on it."
Hoffman grew up in Qualicum Beach, B.C., and said the book is geared for "anyone wanting more from life or from money." Due to the sports connection, he admits the male sports fan, age 25 to 55, probably will identify with the tales.
"The book is really a course; it comes with a workbook, so for those who really dive into [it] and put it into practice will be the ones to benefit from it," Hoffman said. "There has been a lot of talk about creating multiple streams of income lately, so for anyone on that hunt of increased cash flow, they too will run away excited about some of the ideas I share.
"I don't really talk about wealth from the conventional standpoint. I talk about how to create the lifestyle you want today instead of someday maybe. Wealth is as much about building the golden nest egg as it is about using it to fund your life now and that's where my differentiation with this book is."
Will the book help the LGBT community?
Hoffman feels it definitely will. "There are a lot of double-income, no-kid relationships out there and this book will help those couples channel that cash flow," he said.
Hoffman admitted it took him a long time to truly feel confident that leaving professional baseball was the right decision. "I can say I don't miss the long road trips, and the lifestyle, but [I] do miss the roar of the crowd. That, I will always miss," he said. "Baseball could never give me the kind of life I have now."
For more about Hoffman's book, go to: www.deliberatewealth.com .
