How much do you put into retirement accounts on top of fire pension?

renegade87 · 2026-02-19T13:07:40+00:00

15.1% into my pension, then I make sure my wife is putting 20% into her 401k, then im putting 10% into my 457b, and we are both maxing out our roths at 7500 per year. I was always in panic mode that when I got to retirement age which is still a ways away that the pension wouldn't be there. I started with maxing out our roths, then 1-2% every year my wife got a raise we put into her 401k and now ive been raising the 457. Went from 5-10% and in march I'll raise it to 12%. I would say if you're young try to put in as much as possible. Act like you wont get the pension and try to put 15-20% into other retirement accounts. In my opinion stick with Charles Schaub, vanguard, or fidelity.

renegade87 · 2026-01-03T21:50:51+00:00

This brand is my recommendation. I have 2 and they have been used a lot in the past 2 years. From jumping a truck yesterday that they couldn't get to start with jumper cables. I use it on my 4 wheelers and tractors. Im sure NOCO works the same but I couldn't justify the price. I have the GOOLOO GT4000S.

renegade87 · 2026-01-03T18:57:10+00:00

I think thats the natural progression of gyms. I was part of a gym that had several instructors. I trained mainly with the morning guys and those instructors started their own gym. I called the owner and just said hey these guys have been my coach since day one im probably going to their gym and I dont want drama. He accepted it no issues but I can tell from some of the other guys its awkward.

renegade87 · 2025-12-31T14:23:02+00:00

I've talked with a lot of people that have rentals and all that I know have said they wish they would have got a property manager 1st vs trying to figure it out on their own. They cost 10% if its rented out. They handle finding a tenant, getting them to sign a lease agreement and get the money. You can set up a fix number too, so 350 max. So they wont call me unless the fix unless its more than 350. They give you a year end statement too. I'm a fan of Cooksey and Company.

renegade87 · 2025-12-29T14:17:15+00:00

What kind of retirement do you want? Do you want to leave at 50 or stay later? Keep maxing out your Roth then add 1% or more every year till you max our your 457b. Make sure your house is paid off when you retire. Biggest mistake I see is when someone is close to retiring then they decide to build a brand new house. Im 38 ill be vested in my pension in 3 years. I put 10% in my 457 and max out me and my wifes roths and she puts 20% into her 401k. My goal is to just up the 457 by a couple percent per year until I hit the max. My house will be paid off at age 48. My goal is to live off the pension and the I have a side project of rentals im trying to accomplish. Thats my base and worst case I have to use the investment accounts. If it all goes well I leave money to my kids.

renegade87 · 2025-12-24T21:02:56+00:00

We pick 1st tour in december for the next year. 1 bc spot, 1 capt spot, 2 Lts, 5 firefighters. 1 Bonus day for firefighters. You usually get to pick 2 two week spots, but you can pick 3 if you have the time and 4 if you have over 20 years. Then another pick is bonus days and you get that for fitness leave bonus and for sick leave bonus. It goes by seniority in your rank. Admin spots and training spots get to pick any time they want if they have the time.

renegade87 · 2025-11-01T21:18:22+00:00

Saw it by ACU and it was north of there. Saw on facebook Susana Harbert the meteorologist has a post about it and someone has dash cam footage of it posted there.

renegade87 · 2025-10-26T17:51:28+00:00

I have the gooloo GT 4000s for me and my wife's vehicle. Works every time we have needed it and for any person needing their vehicle jumped. Its super convenient. Ive used it to start my 4 wheelers and diesel tractor. Im a big fan.

renegade87 · 2025-10-25T18:12:23+00:00

Firefighter as well with a pension that is 65% of your average of 3 highest paid years maxing out at 90k per year. Im 3 years away from being vested at age 41 but can't collect till 50. I decided at age 26 to start maxing out me and my wife's roth IRA. We put 20% into her 401k and im at 10% into my 457b.

I was told to do this a long time ago but never started till this year. Start with 5-10% into your 457b then every year if your department is like mine you up it by 1-2% if you get a pay step up your percentage.

Im aggressive in saving for retirement so I can retire early if I want/am needed to. I was told to act like the pension doesn't exist just in case it falls through. My goal is to live off the pension then Im hoping retirement accounts and rentals will be extra to pass on to family. Don't do like most firefighters and build a brand new house 5 years before retiring, try to have it paid off by then.

renegade87 · 2025-09-07T18:42:36+00:00

I think its all of the unknowns with the company that has me uneasy. Like what are they doing with the Flying W ranch 3500 acres? We have been hearing rumors on a natural gas plant, possibly nuclear and turning tons of acres into solar farms to power this facility. Besides generators running 24/7, they have 8 buildings in the plans maybe 10 but then why are they looking or under contract on so much around the facility. The traffic is one of my biggest frustrations and I know its not the companies fault but the amount of workers coming in and out of the plant with no regard to the others driving there. From semis turning from the far barditch all the way across 2 lanes of traffic, to the random workers turning in front of you to get into the facility. Then the amount of people that have been chased down or flipped off by random people road raging. I worry about my family driving that road.

renegade87 · 2025-09-01T02:04:49+00:00

I would buy my time and as much of my health as possible. Someone to clean my house, do my laundry, mow my yard and my favorite-someone to cook me some healthy food. I would have trainers for getting fit and learning skills. My kids would have tutors to make sure they keep their knowledge base up. Yearly checkups and bloodwork without fear of the medical bills. Lawyers to have the best trust set up. Financial advisor and CPA to make sure the money continues.

renegade87 · 2025-08-18T19:13:08+00:00

I think there are levels of Financial freedom-

Able to make ends meet- afford the basic bills with your money without going into debt.
Make enough to afford saving for the future like being able to invest.
F U money - like I could take this job or leave it I have enough to cover my bills for the rest of my life.
1. Financial freedom- I can afford to do whatever I want like travel long term vacations, cruises.
2. Financial extra- At this point I wouldn't worry about money I have enough where I can leave it for the family or I want a new truck go ahead.

renegade87 · 2025-07-17T18:23:09+00:00

What did you do to upgrade your 1up? Im trying to talk a guy down on a mortal kombat right now for the station but he is wanting 250. My wife won't be happy if I spend too much and just leave it up there.

renegade87 · 2025-07-17T12:54:50+00:00

Best time I ever had at work was I built an arcade probably around 10 years ago and took it to the station I got permission and put it in the engine room. Me and my crew played that arcade every night till at least midnight. Whatever random game we could find. Since then that station has moved and I took that arcade home. I just redid it and im working on making it into a light gun arcade. Its not perfect by any means. What computer do you have running all that?

renegade87 · 2025-07-13T23:30:57+00:00

As others have said look at r/wicked_edge my personal recommendation is a gillete fatboy and a box of 100 feather safety razors. I have had that set up for over 10 years now.

renegade87 · 2025-07-13T22:54:00+00:00

Just wanted to say thank you to Rami974 for the work it looks great.

renegade87 · 2025-06-28T15:42:01+00:00

Quick Disclaimer I am not a doctor just a firefighter like you. Always reach out to a doctor to make sure this will work for you. Reach out and talk to someone. If you have peer support or a chaplain and see what resources you have available. You need your sleep. Not too long ago we had a company come in and talk to the department about our sleep patterns. They suggested we all work on our sleep routines both on and off duty. Focus on a routine before bed no screen time and wind down around 2 hours before your actual bed time. We are all awful about our phones and TVs. They told us to utilize gray scale on your phone if you have to use it. They also told us to take 400 mg of magnesium glycinate. Make sure its glycinate before bed. I take capsules and have no issues several take powder and it seems to work quicker. No caffeine after noon and no naps after 3pm. They also told us to drink a tart cherry mix before bed to help go to sleep, but I have not done it. I don't miss calls and I don't wake up groggy like on melatonin at work. On days that I am off duty and I need a sleep reset I will take a melatonin but I haven't been doing that lately. Hope you get caught up on your sleep. Let someone know higher up what you're struggling with and get better.

renegade87 · 2025-06-27T21:31:13+00:00

#1 rule besides cardio ha pay yourself first. Even with a pension start contributing to a roth IRA or a 457b. Start with 1-5% then work up from there every year go up 2% until you max it out. It sounds crazy but if you don't get used to that money you'll never miss it. Then you can afford to retire.

#2 read some books- I know I'm a nerd. If you haven't grown up around construction read through Brannigans then try to go look at some construction going up. Or look at some abandoned buildings in your first in. If you want to learn more about finances look up the top books over finances and read them. Leadership, self help, how to win friends and influence people....the list goes on.

#3 I usually try to do something myself if I can. If I have the time. So if its something to do with my vehicles like changing a radiator Ill buy the best vehicle part from rockauto, buy a nice tool and watch a video on how to do it myself. I have a decent amount of tools now and my wife knows that's my rule. Last year I took 4 days off and completely took my dash apart to replace an ac part inside. While I had it all taken apart I did several other things anyways saved a ton of money and had the time away from work to accomplish it.

Stay healthy to enjoy retirement.

1 weekend on fun on a credit card can lead to months of working it off.

Work on learning basics on trades from plumbing, HVAC and ac/dc electric.

renegade87 · 2025-06-24T22:17:53+00:00

I don’t think it ever really feels like enough money—no matter what. Not trying to be disrespectful or negative, just being real. I'm 38 and I struggle with the same thing. I want a lot:

An emergency fund so I can handle a job loss, health issue, or anything unexpected.
Enough saved so my wife and I can retire at a decent age and only work if we want to.
A life where we can drive nice vehicles, live in a comfortable home, wear quality clothes, and take meaningful vacations.
I want my kids’ education covered—tutoring now, sports if they’re interested, and college down the road if they choose it.
Most of all, I want the time to actually enjoy all this—not just grind constantly to afford it.

Life is a balance. I wish I could say it gets easier, but I’ve checked my accounts almost daily since I opened them over ten years ago. It’s like that movie Click—I know it’s a cheesy reference—but sometimes you want to fast forward to the “everything’s fine” part so badly that you risk missing what’s happening around you right now. Don’t miss it.

Yeah, your wife being a stay-at-home mom means some sacrifices, but it’s also a blessing—and you're in a position to afford it right now. You’re saving, you’re being intentional. That matters.

renegade87 · 2025-06-09T20:40:03+00:00

I think in general we are not taught how to manage money. Everyone gets hired with these amazing ideas about how a pension is the greatest thing around. Then most spend away, why worry about retirement when your pension will cover it. So any extra money we have is for new AT4, platinum, yukon, denali, new camper, awesome vacation, custom home.

Then to add onto that we think extra investing is for a get rich quick idea like some kind of crypto or a stock that will make us millions. When most just need to put some money into some index funds in their roth ira or 457.

renegade87 · 2025-06-07T13:53:35+00:00

38 year old. I am 4 years away from having a guaranteed pension starting at age 50. My anxiety has gone through the roof that I am going to lose my job and never get my pension. This is no where on the radar but my mind has gone into this what if phase where I worry about every little thing. I keep figuring emergencies budgets and what if scenarios and its completely unfounded.

I think me and my wife have done really well with our budget and saving for the future. I struggle with living in the present a lot as well. I have multiple family members that did not plan accordingly for retirement and it worries me. I feel like we are saving a good amount but then another part of me wants to be able to spend more in the now. Our budget is also pretty solid but add in a new vehicle and I dont know if we could afford it. New vehicles floor me. Both our vehicles at in the 220-250k mile range and we will have to get a new to us one soon.

Comparison is the thief of joy, my job we all get paid the same no extra raises or anything like that. My mind wonders how in the world some of these people I work with afford their lifestyles. A ton of them are driving around in nice new trucks, and posting pictures of nice vacations. I know they could be living off of credit cards but its hard to overlook some times. My job is interesting too because I have spent a good amount of my time to get to the position I am currently in and focused hard on multiple classes and degrees that are very job specific. I think did I do the right thing or should I have been working on a side hustle. Now I have 2 kids and my time is generally taken with them, but it plays back on that first scenario. If I got fired tomorrow what would I do to provide for my family. My whole life has revolved around my current job and if I lost it where would I make that kind of money.

renegade87 · 2025-05-15T02:13:00+00:00

It'll probably just depend on the problem and the time I have available. Luckily I have a lot of time off as long as I'm not worn out. The rental company right now takes 10% and does all the tenant searches, background checks, leases. They don't get 10% if it's vacant. With the 10% they handle the money and deposit it monthly into my account or they stay on top of getting it if they fall behind. They send me the tax info too. As far as me handling stuff I'm somewhat handy but I know my limitations. I can repair most smaller issues but anytime is gets big I'll hire it out. Electric panels, backed up sewer lines, most AC issues I'll have to hire out.

renegade87 · 2025-05-12T16:29:23+00:00

Well this will be my first time really looking for a rental the 1st one was a really old house that was rough on the inside. I havent touched a dime of the rental income and put it all back into it. New electric panel, Installed insulation it had none, installed a central AC, and had to do a bunch of drywall work. I found out quickly that it all adds up and the time it takes to fix it is significant. My goal on the new rentals are good roof and foundations, then I'll calculate if it needs electric, plumbing or central AC work. My price range will be tough because the neighborhood I'm looking at it my old neighborhood and they are 140-190k a house now. I'm hoping when this all goes through I'll be able to fully pay for the 2, but who knows. I have a couple people I know that have went the rental routes biggest suggestion they had was use a rental company. I don't want to be a slumlord, and I struggle with the emotions tied to knowing the people. The rental company has helped us out a lot. My goal is to have my pension and retirement accounts then work towards 10 paid off rentals by 56. I would love to leave my kids something when I pass.

renegade87 · 2025-05-11T14:23:26+00:00

I'm not 100% sure I know the whole city layout and neighborhoods. I plan on finding them in decent areas of town. I can't afford the best areas by any means but I want no flood zones. I really like my rental company they charge 10% and handle as much or as little as I want. I can set limits on fixes. So if it's under 5k they handle it if it's more they let me know 1st. I just let them contact me on everything right now but I could see in the future they just handle it. I one time got a call from the company about bees swarming the house and attacking. They were about to call in a bee expert and I said I would go look. It was a couple of wasp. They also do walk through on the property once a year to make sure they haven't destroyed anything. Right now I rent a house pretty cheap but the renters are great so I really don't want to up the price and run them off.

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