Identifying your core values can guide you in understanding what truly matters. 

Building financial knowledge can empower you to make informed decisions that may enhance your longevity.

Embracing lifelong learning can help you adapt to changes throughout your life. 

People have the potential to live longer than ever before. With medical advancements and a greater understanding of the aging process, the possibility of a 100-year life has become increasingly real. 

In fact, research from Transamerica Institute and Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies (TCRS) finds that almost one in five Generation Z and Millennial workers are planning to live to age 100 or older.¹

If you are among these aspiring centenarians, what can you do to plan and prepare for a long, fulfilling life? Here are seven ways you can get started on your journey.

1. Start with an affirmation of your values

Know yourself and what you hold most dear in your heart. This will likely require some inner work. If you need some inspiration, learn from others, especially those whom you respect and admire. Engage with people of all ages and hear their views and stories. 

Mentors aren’t just for young people. You can have them at every stage in life – and you can be one, too. 

2. Imagine your life course and consider the possibilities

Indeed, the possibility of living longer is an invitation to think about our life courses. Consider when and how you may choose to step out of the workforce for parenting, caregiving, going to school, a sabbatical, or other reasons – and how you want to jump back in. Of course, decisions are very personal and not entirely predictable, because our lives and the world around us are constantly changing, too. 

3. Safeguard your health

Our health is everything. In the survey findings, many people may be doing the best they can to safeguard their health.¹ Still, there’s lots of room for improvement, ranging from the basics of eating right, exercising, getting enough sleep, and managing stress, to getting recommended physical exams and health screenings.

Stay on top of the latest health trends and medical advancements. Longevity-related breakthroughs are occurring almost daily – ranging from a greater understanding of the health risks of alcohol consumption to new treatments for chronic conditions.

4. Become financially savvy

A secret to success is hitting the books or taking a class to learn about personal finance. It’s never too soon or too late to become financially literate. A strong working knowledge of personal finance can help inform goal-setting, prioritizing, budgeting, and developing short and long-term plans.

The survey conducted by Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies found that more than one in five workers say they have “a lot” of knowledge about personal finance, including managing money, investments, debt, risk, and taxes.¹ Even fewer Gen Z workers – only 18% say they know “a lot.”¹ 

Becoming financially savvy can help you make the most of your money – and avoid making suboptimal or costly decisions.

5. Expect to adjust your plans

Over the course of our lives, our priorities will change. To illustrate: The TCRS survey finds that younger workers are more likely to prioritize their careers, whereas older workers are more likely to prioritize being healthy and fit.¹ Importantly, the top priority among workers across generations is “enjoying life,” which is something we want to keep our sights on throughout our lives.¹

The world also keeps evolving, so we’ll need to stay curious and understand how new developments could influence our plans.

6. Commit yourself to lifelong learning

Our world is evolving at a breathtaking pace. We have to keep up with the times, because it’s easier than ever to fall behind. This includes everything from keeping our job skills up to date to learning about the latest medical advances that could help us live and age better. Evidence-based research has also found that committing to lifelong learning through reading, new experiences, taking classes, and even travel can help us stay sharp and stave off cognitive decline.²

Recommended Reading

• The Stanford Center on Longevity’s The New Map of Life
• The Blue Zones website, book, and television series by Dan Buettner
• The 100-Year Life by Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott
• The Longevity Economy by Joseph Coughlin
• Join the Longevity Revolution by Bradley C. Jenson, John Comer, and James V. Gambone
• Longevity Nation: The People, Ideas, and Trends Changing the Second Half of Our Lives by Michael Clinton

1. Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies. An Uncertain Future: Retirement Prospects of Four Generations. June 2025. pp. 50, 64, 71, 83. https://www.transamericainstitute.org/research/publications/details/uncertain-future-retirement-generations-research-2025
2. Newsonen, Susanna. “Why Lifelong Learning Feeds the Soul.” Psychology Today, July 11, 2025. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-path-to-passionate-happiness/202507/why-lifelong-learning-feeds-the-soul?msockid=118c24d42a186ff52b1632372b776e8c