FUYANG, CHINA - JUNE 26, 2022 - Photo taken on June 26, 2022 shows US dollars and bitcoin in Fuyang, Anhui Province, China. (Photo credit should read CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - When the Houston Firefighters Relief and Retirement Fund bought $25 million in cryptocurrencies, with the fund’s chief investment officer touting their potential, retired fire Capt.
Russell Harris was concerned.Harris, 62, has attended the funerals of 34 firefighters killed in the line of duty. He was already worried about his pension after an overhaul by state and city officials cut payments as they grappled with the ability to pay out benefits.
He didn’t see crypto, unproven in his eyes, as an answer.RELATED: Biden signs off on hefty pay raise for federal firefighters through 2023"I don’t like it," Harris said. "There’s too many pyramid schemes that everybody gets wrapped up in.
That’s the way I see this cryptocurrency at this time. ... There might be a place for it, but it’s still new and nobody understands it."The plunge in prices for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in recent weeks provides a cautionary tale for the handful of public pension funds that have dipped their toes in the crypto pool over the past few years.