"At 64, when an 800 square foot manufactured home he’d seen in Plant City, a Tampa suburb, became available for $21,500, he purchased it with a credit card to amass frequent flier miles. He then sold his New Jersey home for $180,000, kept what he needed to quickly pay off his credit card debt and divided the rest among his children so they’d have down payments for their own homes."
When you read the entire story (hat tip catccc), there are many interesting details like this one. I wondered how much exactly he gave to his kids, and how his assets would look if he hadn't given the rest of the house equities to his kids.
I also don't understand why his social security is so low. The article cites his consulting as a reason why he didn't have 401k savings. But you still contribute to social security when you are self-employed.