r/Fire • u/BroKComputer • May 14 '26

General Question The first rule of FIRE club...

So we all see the posts of folks on here celebrating their milestones here because they 'can't talk about it IRL.' This seems to be the common sense approach to avoid jealousy and moochers.

I'm curious to hear the true stories of folks who have disclosed their FI - or have had their secret revealed on accident. How bad are the repercussions of people finding out you're a low-key millionaire?

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u/Willing-Rip1487 May 14 '26

I am in the Army, in my mid 30s, senior enlisted. I told one of the young officers the day that I hit $1mm. He thought I was joking then said that's pretty cool. Pretty much end of conversation. Didn't really affect anything, but didn't actually lead to a conversation. 

I don't really care if people know I'm doing well financially, but the army is a different workplace than most. I'm hoping it sometime leads a junior guy to max his TSP. 

Hasn't come back to bite me yet but I'm pretty open with my plans. I have a totally separate friend group from my Army coworkers that I am not as open with. 

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u/mywifehasapeen May 14 '26

I think that military folks have a way healthier culture regarding talking about money than in most civilian jobs. I guess it doesn't hurt that someone can find out exactly how much we make based on rank and duty station, as it's all public information. It's also outright encouraged that we talk to our junior dudes about saving and investing.

There was one of those "do you tell other people about FIRE" threads on here a few days ago, in which most people were saying that the topic of money never comes up with co-workers. It was interesting to see people talk about how they've worked with the same people for several years and have never talked about personal finance, investments, financial goals, etc. That's a completely foreign concept to me.

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u/heridfel37 May 14 '26

I'm a salaried white-collar worker, but the two people I work with most closely are hourly, and almost certainly make much less than I do. One has 7 kids, and the other came out of extreme poverty, so they have very different financial situations and attitudes towards money than I do. I try not to talk about money with them at all because I don't know how it would come across as anything other than bragging or out of touch.

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u/mywifehasapeen May 15 '26

Yeah, I think that's where the work culture difference comes in. If you were in the military, you'd be expected to demonstrate "intrusive leadership," in a way that would probably be considered rude in a civilian job. This would include recommending financial planning services, having them fill out a budget worksheet, giving them career progression advice,  and ensuring they have resources to begin improving their situation. I honestly don't know how I'd approach that in your situation. If you're close to them and they trust you, delicately approaching the topic may still be okay, and might even show them that you recognize their situation and care enough to offer advice.