96-year-old hates “retirement,” becomes body builder and runner

  | 
Team Clark is adamant that we will never write content influenced by or paid for by an advertiser. To support our work, we do make money from some links to companies and deals on our site. Learn more about our guarantee here.

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.

Read more: 13 ‘healthy’ snacks that aren’t healthy at all

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.

This post was last modified on March 22, 2017 3:57 pm

Recent Posts

Fubo Drops Popular Channels Amid Dispute with Warner Bros. Discovery

If you're considering subscribing to Fubo, you need to be comfortable missing out on some…

8 hours ago

5 Things To Know About the Wells Fargo Signify Business Cash Card

Are you looking for a way to earn 2% back on every purchase you make…

13 hours ago

How Dividing Your Monthly Credit Card Payment Speeds Up Your Payoff Date

You're not alone if you're running a balance on your credit cards. Collectively, Americans are…

14 hours ago

5 Things You Should Re-Shop To Save Money

A big part of saving money comes down to knowing how to comparison shop. But…

2 days ago

What Are My Retirement Account Options if My Company Doesn’t Offer a 401(k)?

If you work for a big company as a full-time employee, chances are you have…

2 days ago

Peacock Price Hike: Prepare To Pay More for NBC’s Streaming Service

Are you a Peacock subscriber? You soon will have to pay more to watch NBCUniversal's…

2 days ago