When 100-year-olds make the news, it s usually in the human-interest pages. Last year Emma Hendrickson, 101, became the oldest person ever to compete in the U.S. Bowling Congress Women s Championships, when she rolled a 318 series in Reno, Nev. Harriet Ames, 100, of Concord, N.H., earned her bachelor s degree in January, then died the next day. Providence political operative Frank DiPaolo Jr., 103, still holds down his job as a doorman at the Rhode Island State House.

We ll likely hear many more such stories in the coming years, because centenarians people who have reached 100 years of age are one of the fastest growing groups in the U.S. The number of triple-digit Americans zoomed from about 37,000 in 1990 to more than 84,000 in 2008, and is expected to reach 580,000 by 2040, according to the Census Bureau. But we should learn a lot from these stories too, because when it comes to independence, money and health, centenarians stand apart from younger seniors.

As a group, 100-year-olds aren t 80-year-olds who have tacked on 20 years of physical and mental decline. Instead, centenarians typically don t suffer the chronic illnesses associated with age such as Alzheimer s disease, cardiovascular trouble or diabetes until shortly before dying. In fact, they often escape them altogether, according to studies of centenarians in Georgia and New England. Of people who make it to 100, more than 90 percent were physically and mentally healthy into their 90s, and about half still live either on their own or with families. Centenarians disprove the perception that the older you get, the sicker you get, says Thomas Perls, associate professor of geriatrics at Boston University School of Medicine and director of the New England Centenarian Study. They teach us that the older you get, the healthier you ve been.

Further, centenarians derive a remarkable amount of happiness from the financial resources available to them. In a seminal study published in the Journal of Aging Studies in 1996, researchers from Iowa State University and the University of Georgia found that 67 percent of 100-year-olds had income below the poverty line. The interviewers who gathered this data concluded that 44 percent of centenarians had no financial reserves and 37 percent had no money for buying any luxuries both rates are about double those for Americans in their 60s.

Surprisingly, the centenarians themselves told their interviewers an entirely different story. A full 95 percent said they had enough money to meet their needs, while 76 percent reported they had enough to buy extras. Overall, a staggering 96 percent of 100-year-olds said they were doing better than or the same as others of the same age. These expert survivors, the researchers concluded, have managed to adapt successfully to a ripe old age, and they perceive themselves to be better off than their peers when clearly objective resources reveal quite the opposite.

Scientists are still exploring the reasons for centenarians sunny views of their own finances. Certainly, while their numbers are growing rapidly, there are still so few that they may simply feel good about making ends meet for so long. And to be sure, some people over the age of 100 are cash-poor by choice, having outlived some assets and given others away, sometimes in order to minimize taxes or qualify for Medicaid.

Indeed, according to the Iowa State Georgia research, only 54 percent still had any investments. But centenarians do get some help back; they re four to five times more likely than people in their 60s or 80s, for example, to get regular assistance from friends and family members with food and other daily expenses. And interestingly, research also shows there s a strong psychological component to financial self-assessment. A study of 100-year-olds recently published in Gerontology focused on congruence, a psychological term for the harmony we feel when the various areas of our lives, including our motivations and achievements, are in balance. It concluded that satisfaction in a centenarian s early life influences how that individual views her health and economic well-being and is directly associated with current happiness.

So as we aim for 100, what can we learn from centenarians about staying psychologically and financially satisfied? First, however well most centenarians say they re coping, no one wants to completely outlive their savings. About 20 percent of 100-year-olds need assistance meeting basic costs. So to help ensure you have income beyond Social Security to last your entire lifetime, consider an immediate annuity, indexed for inflation. It s a great way to cover ongoing costs you don t expect to outlive, such as long-term-care insurance premiums or property tax bills.

Next, shift your lifestyle to avoid disabling illness and mental decline. It may surprise you to learn that scientists think only about 30 percent of longevity is rooted in genetics. The rest is up to us. So eat right. Don t smoke. Drink in moderation. Exercise consistently. Keep your brain stimulated; the more you continue learning, the more cognitive function you will preserve. Stay socially engaged, since interaction helps ward off depression, a physical and mental killer as you age. And develop a support system; it s close family and friends who will help you when you fall, financially and literally.

To lessen the burden of making all these changes during retirement, find creative ways to tackle several at once. Research has shown that volunteering, for example, helps keep you physically as well as socially active. (In a recent study of centenarians by Evercare, which provides health plans to the elderly, ill and disabled, nearly 30 percent of respondents said they still volunteer their time to help others in their communities.)

And it s important to choose an environment that allows you to stay as active as possible. When looking at an assisted-living or nursing facility for a parent or for yourself make sure it offers a wide range of mind- and body-challenging activities, whether it s memoir-writing workshops or tango classes. It s crucial for caregivers to know how to modify your diet, provide a range of exercises and help you engage in your hobbies, notes Lily Sarafan, chief operating officer of Home Care Assistance, a Palo Alto, Calif., firm that has adapted lifestyle lessons from centenarians in Okinawa, Japan, for American seniors. Too many home-care providers just do the bare minimum, she says, as though you re okay as long as you ve had a bath.

Finally, stress leads to anxiety, depression and eventually the actual death of brain cells, but centenarians seem better at letting it roll off their backs and living in the moment. Specifically, in psychological tests, they demonstrate competence at skills they focus on but, at the same time, have low neurosis levels. The lesson for aspiring 100-year-olds? Control what you can, and don t worry about anything else. Financially, that means save, save and save some more and whenever possible, diversify your assets. But when unavoidable bumps or even crashes occur, keep the setbacks in perspective and find ways to relax, whether it s by listening to your favorite music, walking the dog or taking a yoga class.

You ve got choices to make and plans to execute. But very few are a matter of life or death. Just ask the people who have seen more of both than anyone else.