5 centenarians share the secrets to a successful life, retirement

The Americans who have reached 100 years have seen a lot: the great depression, the landing of the moon, 16 presidents and the ups and downs of 2025.

Five centenary – people aged at least 100 years old – told Business Insider that life continues to improve three figures and shared their advice for a successful life and retirement. This included slow and deliberate investments, keeping occupied as they could, maintaining the friendships and, as we say, “thinking young”.

Although these centenarians have said that they are not as worried about the money also now as they live with their children or their grandchildren or in an assisted life establishment, most have stressed the importance of patience, to give the charity and to save cautiously for the very long term.

Estimates of the census population from July 2024 show approximately 98,000 centenarians in the United States, of which around 75% are women. This number has almost tripled since 1990. The census office projects more than 421,000 Americans to be at least 100 years old by 2054, representing 0.1% of the American population.

Centenarian financial advice

The most important financial advice that the centenarians have shared were to save everything they could and let it grow over time.

Jack Weber, 101, said one of the keys to his financial success was long -term investment using excess funds, which he planned to use to help his descendants. Weber, a navy veteran who spent a large part of his dentist life, retired in 1984 after building a successful practice and invested in real estate, at some point, paying mortgages on three houses.

“The stock market goes up and down today. We are in a terrible slowdown in the market. But in the long term, over many years, the stock market is still increasing,” Weber, who lives in Long Island.

Weber said that starting small with investments is the way to follow, the addition of people should not go to the bank and put their money in a savings account which receives only 2% interest.

“Put it in a good solid stock, and a common investment fund is probably your best bet,” said Weber, recognizing that the younger generations have been faced with more challenges to buy a house.

Margaret Vaccaro, 102, added that having patience leads to better long -term financial results. Vaccaro worked for a large part of his career in the financing of health care, including a 25 -year -old passage as a certified director of patient accounts in a large hospital.

Although she lives in an assisted life center in Peekskill, New York, Vaccaro always manages donations for the establishment as a volunteer, writing letters to the contacts of residents to collect funds and supervise holiday funds for non -management employees.

“If you look at your money, if you look at what you do, then when you need dollars for a decomposition on this house or for a new car, you have them,” said Vaccaro.

While the late 85 -year -old husband from Helen Juanita Glover has managed their finances, she now lives on her pension and social security. Glover said that it had been carried out throughout money by giving money not saved for invoices to its church and various charities.

“I don’t think about inheriting or getting money and I’m going to do it,” said Glover, 107. “I think of whom I will give it.”

Stay busy and active

The centenarians pointed out that they always had something to do and had something towards which to strive, from writing a book to part -time volunteer. Everyone discussed challenges such as surviving, and they all discovered an objective by remaining active.

Barbara Fleischman, 101, always invites friends to meals, remains up to date on current events and said that she could not “sit simply”. Fleischman, who spent his career volunteering with cultural institutions in New York, said that the key to enjoying the life of a century was to “make things better and more interesting”, continuing to surround themselves with people of all generations.

“I try to learn something every day, and it’s a great challenge,” said Fleischman.

Diane Volz, 102, spends hours every day writing her life story, which she hopes to share with the young generations. She heads me for a reading club, reads the newspapers daily and remains at the top of politics, not too different from her journalism career. She also dances in her room, a bit like she did as a dancer for MGM – where she had a cameo in “Meet Me in St. Louis”.

Weber wraps his golf, swimming and bodybuilding days – everything he can “do not sit in an armchair”. After the death of his wife 20 years ago, he undertook to “come back to life” instead of crying, as president of the Lions club in his region, leading to the grocery store and sharing stories with others on his life.

After getting bored during the pandemic, he is the author of a memory leading to his 100th anniversary to reach a significant life, and he features in the next documentary “100 lessons” with his grandson.

“You can’t give up. You have to fight and stay with it,” said Weber.

Maintain solid social circles

Although most centenarians said they had survived their friends, many have stressed the importance of staying in touch with family or looking for friends and people looking for guidance.

Glover said that she had faced the loss by looking for bonds in her church. Just like the way she returned to her church by teaching the Biblical School of the holidays and serving as an organist, she said that many give her back. After the death of her son in February, she moved from California to North Carolina with her granddaughter and undertook to “start a new life” at 107. She adapts to her new church and her community, which took her with open arms. She said that the young people of her church call her “aunt Helen”.

Fleischman agreed that “if the community has been kind to you, you give back to the community.” Fleischman said that she had maintained solid social networks in her assisted life center, regularly contacts people in museums and libraries to give conferences and acts as a support system for others in any way possible.

The key is to be “favorable, listen and care about it,” said Fleischman, adding that she had found the joy of surrounding herself with friends through generations.

For Weber, sometimes the calm of his house is the most fulfilling, recognizing that he would not like to be surrounded by foreigners in an establishment. His family often invites him to rallies, while he has found links to the Lions Club, offering Thanksgiving baskets in recent years.

Weber said that the reality of aging was to be “the last standing”, adding that he lost his good friends and that “time is hung on your hands”.

Weber and Volz stressed the importance of falling in love with something, whether it is another significant, a career or a life path. Volz said to ignore negative people and find comfort in someone or something prompted her to stay happy.

‘Think young’

Weber said that his decision to “think young” had pushed him to continue pushing at 101 – and acting as if he were much younger.

“Do not leave the old man,” said Weber, adding that he has a black sweater with the sentence on it. He said he allowed him to continue doing physical and mental activities.

Although his muscles are not as they were, he stressed to feel “like a million dollars” and refusing to adopt a “cannot do this or cannot do this” fueled it.

“I think I’m very lucky and lucky to be healthy and healthy,” said Weber. “Do I have ailments and pain?

Vaccaro added that she always focuses on what she “would like to do tomorrow” instead of the past. She still kisses as a mother as if she was in her thirties, and she continued to do what she considers to be fair and authentic.

Glover wakes up every morning thinking that she was “20 years younger”, finding it “weird” that she survived some of her relatives. A “pleasant smile” goes a long way, she said, and she kissed to be as independent as she can feel young. She always plays scrabble with her grandchildren, tell Knock-Knock jokes to her friends and starts every day with a donut.