Early retiree moves into senior community in Tennessee to prioritize family

Lakisha Simmons moved into a planned senior community in Nashville, Tennessee, after retiring early through the FIRE movement.

At 47, Simmons chose the neighborhood for its low-maintenance ranch houses and walkable layout. She sought a peaceful environment that offered stability after her divorce in 2017 and her transition from a professor to a coach. Simmons adopted the FIRE movement, which focuses on achieving financial independence to retire early.

She began by investing a 30,000 dollar windfall from a home sale into a Vanguard brokerage account. By cutting unnecessary spending and tracking her progress on a spreadsheet, she reached a goal of 750,000 dollars by 2021 while earning an average of 77,000 dollars a year. This financial shift allowed her to leave her full-time job and begin coaching others on budgeting and investing.

The move to the senior-heavy neighborhood provides Simmons with a lower cost of living, including a monthly principal and interest payment of 1,169 dollars. She says the community offers a sense of security where neighbors help one another with home repairs and child safety. Simmons plans to use her remaining time to support her sons and eventually travel the world. She also aims to work as a professor on a cruise ship to combine her career with global travel.