I left the community college and Kansas a year later<\/p>\n
My partner and I lost our firstborn child, and it was too hard to stay there. I then went to work for a college in Indiana. They also offered retirement benefits, such as matching<\/a>, which I participated in. I worked there from 2002 to 2004.<\/p>\n I left Indiana and got a job at a college in Washington, where my daughter was born in 2005. I worked there for the next 20 years and just quit in June.<\/p>\n I bought my first property in Washington in about 2012, which got me into real estate<\/p>\n I then sold it in 2019 for around $70,000 profit \u2014 it paid off all my old student loans<\/a>, credit card debt, and car payments.<\/p>\n I moved to Maine in 2022 and still taught remotely. I bought another property in Washington in 2021, sold it in 2023, and made a nice profit on it.<\/p>\n Related stories<\/p>\n Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know<\/p>\n Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know<\/p>\n I bought a third property in Maine. We lived there for two years before deciding to move to Tennessee. I was unable to find full-time academic work in Maine, so I relocated for better job prospects.<\/p>\n I rent the condo in Maine to a family member, so the mortgage is covered while I pay rent in Tennessee.<\/p>\n I’ve never purposefully invested; it’s just been part of my benefits<\/p>\n About five years ago, I started contributing 7% of my income to retirement, which my employer matched. I was making enough money, so I invested an extra $200 a month. As I was consistent, my portfolio grew.<\/p>\n When I was 59 years old, my retirement accounts hit $500,000. I also received a small inheritance of $70,000 from my mom when she died in 2022. Along with my savings, that’s close to another $100,000 for my retirement. I’ve got about $100,000 in equity in my real estate. So, my retirement nest egg is about $650,000 thus far.<\/p>\n In my retirement journey, I’ve held many jobs. I worked for the Postal Service, but I quit because I was working too much for too little pay. Now, I’m working part-time at Cabela’s<\/a> and part-time teaching.<\/p>\n I don’t feel secure enough, and it’s scary<\/p>\n I’m nervous. My ex-wife and I divorced in 2006. I’m single and building my retirement nest egg alone. Even though $650,000 sounds like a lot, it isn’t. If I’ve lived off $50,000 a year, my retirement savings will only last about 12 years.<\/p>\n I have some medical issues that may make my life a little shorter than the average person’s, but I don’t know about being 71 and still working, and I worry I could run out of money. In my 70s, I don’t want to rely on Social Security<\/a> and public housing.<\/p>\n I’m working on securing another job in Tennessee. I’ll put in another four years to get to 65 and probably retire, unless I love my job. Then, I could start taking Social Security.<\/p>\n The one thing I would’ve done differently is I would’ve bought real estate earlier<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1758999188_624_placeholder.png\")
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