Firefighters

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Has anybody ever heard of a firefighter retiring with $500,000+ in liquid assets and a $1,000,000+ home? The reason I ask is that my mother-in-law is with a former firefighter and he just seems shady to me. It seems like he has a lot of money and I know towards the end of his career he was cheif and did fire inspections (I'm thinking bribes). He also said to my wife, after getting a speeding ticket, that he was mad the cop pulled him over because where he comes from (Arizona), if a cop gives a firefighter a ticket (in his civilian vehicle, not the truck) that they won't put out a fire in his house.

It's easy enough to retire with a million dollar home you bought for 25 thousand back in the day, and he could be bragging and lying about his retirement. But after what he said about the policeman, I would wonder about how he acquired some of his assets too.

The majority of the 500,000 and the house itself have gone to his wife in his divorce. I didn't really think much of it until the police comment... It has really stuck with me. As far as I can tell, he's not any sort of "investor" or anything, but I really have no idea.
I don't know when he bought the house, but I know it is big enough that he and his ex-wife had lived in it for years as separate people without interacting.

I just don't know... He's very friendly and he is acting as a father figure to my mother-in-law's little girl with Down Syndrome, but at the same time he is the one that wrecked the marriage of my mother-in-law with my wife's real father.

I dunno...maybe it is just my paranoia and overactive imagination and maybe he was just venting anger before at getting a speeding ticket.

A part of me thinks that the fantasy world from that Invention of Lying movie would be an Aspie's dream... lol

Working in government sooner or later tends to bring the opportunity to do "favors" in exchange for "gratitude."

Some chose to exploit it.

Of course, fire departments tend to pay very well for the amount of work done, and competition to get into the profession is tough because so many want in. I knew and EMT who took lavish vacations because he had no issue pulling "overtime" (24 on 48 off was the norm, so he'd easily put in an extra 2 8-hour shifts on his days off at double-time pay rate). The pay was very, very good.

Firefighters and other First repsonders tend to work a metric butload of overtime. They get paid well, but they put there lives on the line for people so its well deserved.

I always found that odd... When people say they get paid a lot but work 80+ hours a week. Isn't that just normal/crappy pay with a lot of overtime to make up for it?

Is he incredibility frugal? Always looking for a bargain? It is possible to be a millionaire but it takes strict cheap-ass tenacity and money smarts for an individual to get there. I'm half way there but when it comes to money its a pretty sensitive issue. Most millionaires don't gloat there wealth! Think about it... If people knew you were that well off people would be constantly bothering you and mooching.

Paramedics and Emts do not get paid well. We make when we start just above minimum wage. If we want to make money we must work 90 plus hours a week and the career is not a career it is a life style. Now this is Ems I know fire departments that are full time get better money because of all the grants they are afforded. Also, many narcisitic (sp?) people get into police, fire, and ems because it is about the adrenaline and power while many others are good people and try hard and actually do it because they like people and of course the adrenaline and still even the power they just use it differently. Many Ems workers pay for most of their own insurance or a large chunk and the coverage is less than if we were on medicaid. Many treatments that are neccessary go undone for Ems workers because we can not afford the co pays. Some states are better than others and working for a municipality is way better than private. Private Ems have it real bad. Ems is lumped with fire and police however we never get the same regard as them. We are the bastard children of the public safety world. We do risk our health,backs,families and lives everyday just as fire and police. We are also held more responsible then Fire and Police by insurance companies,medicaid,medicare and Medical control. Why do some of us or many of us stay ?? Because we actually like people and if a difference can be made just once then maybe all of it was worth it!! ! There is always this one small hope!

Anyone can make a good Million bucks over 20 years or so. If you invest money well and put at least 10-20% of your check into savings account or something every week.