Welcome to Firefighter Personal Finance!

Yes, the name says firefighter, but Firefighter Personal Finance is also for police officers, paramedics, teachers, and other public servants whose job it is to serve our citizens.

First off, I should tell you that I am a firefighter and EMT, not a financial planner (Update: In May 2020, I completed my master’s degree in Family Financial Planning & Counseling). I ride a fire truck, work 24-hour shifts, and deal with the same types of calls that you do. My wife is a part-time teacher, and we have a young daughter. Just like you, we’re trying to live well, while at the same time plan for a secure retirement. Take my advice with a grain of salt, but know that this blog was born from my mistakes. I will try my hardest to help you avoid the same mistakes I made and get you on the path to a secure future.

Why Should You Read This Blog?

When I talk to firefighters, police officers, and paramedics about personal finance, they admit that they don’t know a lot about their money or retirement. I was in that same boat just a few years ago. At the same time, they worry about their financial future and the futures of their loved ones, but don’t know where to start. I aim to change that.

Our professions tend to attract those who want to help people, and we tend to put others’ needs before our own. We love it when our heart gets pumping on a call, and we’re not in it for the money. It’s also not the most exciting thing in the world for us to sit down with our spouse to hash out a budget, or meet with our 401(k) representative to talk about investment allocations. Because of those things, we tend to put off thinking about money and hope that our 401(k) match and pension (if you are lucky enough to have one) will see us through our golden years.

But, like it or not, YOU are the only one who can take control of your financial future. It’s your job to take care of other people, but you also need to think about yourself and make sure that you’re taken care of, too. And, as you’ll see in a future post, there is no better time to start than NOW!

What You’ll Learn

With Firefighter Personal Finance, I’d like to help you take the mystery out of money. Keep reading, and hopefully you can learn something about personal finance that will help you along the way. Better yet, sign up below so you can keep up with all that we’ll be talking about:

• Creating a financial plan
• Figuring out how much to save
• Taking control of your spending
• Getting out of debt
• Maximizing Income
• Protecting yourself with insurance
• Planning for retirement
• Investing your savings
• And much, much more

In addition to the blog, I try to send out relevant information on Twitter. Come follow me!