My goal is to generate enough passive income one day to retire. 

At retirement time they would take their one exemption.

I'm also active duty Air Force...so I'm working as both now before I retire.

Recently I was told that when applying for a loan, only our net income is considered and not our retirement contributions, is this true?

To retire and ride off into the sunset

I plan on retiring from the fire department in 6 years and moving my family back to Pittsburgh.

$7 trillion in stimulus, loose monetary policy, going to war in Ukraine, tariffs, limited drilling, and 5-10 million fewer workers (limited immigration for 1.5 years, mass early retirement during the pandemic, added deaths, millions more on disability with long covid or claims of it). 

I'm in my third decade as a real estate investor and I've noticed that people who have a full time career or retirement, typically don't multitask into real estate very well.

The rest would be gravy, and I don't believe he needs a big payment to cover retirement living expenses.How do I approach the negotiation? 

Age, kids, retirement, staying out or moving, etc.