My mom recently passed away and so I am working on getting the finances in order. Both parents were both Texas teachers but there was also military and civilian work there so they get a combined five different retirements/ss payments. (And yes, the SS payments are small - you could eliminate them and the savings/wealth overall wouldn't be much different.)
Even so, they did a great job of socking away additional money in IRAs/Thrift Savings Plan and even have a couple of small annuities. No extra real estate, I don't think they ever used a financial planner.
But the biggest thing is, they simply never wasted money. The took trips (Europe, etc. but never five star hotel) but they were happy with with black coffee with milk, cooked at home, etc.
Ultimately, they followed the Micawber principal from David Copperfield:
Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen, nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.
But with a twist. The basically bought what they needed for themselves. (They gave generously -- maybe too much -- to us kids.)
I need to knock on wood, because even though they saved well, my dad may have some significant expenses going forward, but they did a great job of saving for being teachers (dad was an enlisted AF man for 20 years).
Ultimately, it's a bit sad -- I wish they had maybe splurged on themselves more, but I don't think spending money made them happy.
Worrying about parents is a big burden that we never think about, but the fact that my parents made it such that we kids don't have to worry about the finances -- that's a big deal I hope that I can pass on to my kids. It's a challenge, made more so because I often buy what I want, and not what I need.
"Happiness is what you have divided by what you want." - Arthur Brooks.