While so many of us dream of the day we can walk away from work, ‘retirement’ is a four-letter word to 96-year-old Charles Eugster.
Eugster is a former English dentist who has been dubbed the ‘world’s fittest 96 year old’ by the media for his weight lifting and running prowess. He’s done weight training with a former Mr. Universe and also holds multiple world records in his age group in running competitions.
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Never too late to get started
The amazing thing about this man is that he only took up weightlifting when he was 87 and didn’t begin running competitively until he turned 95!
Clearly, there won’t be any going gentle into that good night at the twilight of life for this guy! In fact, he professes to hate the idea of retirement.
‘Retirement is one of the worst things that you can do to yourself,” Eugster told TODAY. ‘After retirement age, depression doubles every five years. I personally think that has a lot to do with retirement. It’s an enormous strain if you’re not making a contribution to society.’
What’s coming up next for the unsinkable nonagenarian? He plans to write a book when he turns 97 in July.
Rock on, Charles!
What can your wallet learn from Charles?
This amazing story shows that no matter what your goals are in life, it’s never too late to start. For example, you might not have a dime saved for retirement, but you can start today.
Read more: Over 40 with no retirement savings? Take these 6 steps
Maybe you feel there’s no money to save with. If you feel you couldn’t possibly do a 401(k) because there’s no room for any savings, Clark talks about starting by saving just 1%. That’s a scant one penny out of every dollar you earn.
Then, six months from now, bump your contribution up by just another 1%, and do it again in another six months. After five years of that, you’ll be saving 10% of your pay before any employer match! But by doing it just 1% at time, you won’t notice the difference in your paycheck because it’s all little baby steps.
You can open a Roth IRA at Charles Schwab for as little as $100 or for $1,000 through Vanguard. See Clark’s investment guide for more details.
