![\"Perry](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1_Grandad-on-course-to-become-millionaire-while-working-minimum-wage-job.jpg\")
Perry Wilson, 63(Image: Perry Wilson \/ SWNS)<\/p>\nPerry Wilson, 63, has worked full-time on minimum wage in various roles since leaving the Royal Navy in 1989Perry Wilson, 63(Image: Perry Wilson \/ SWNS)<\/p>\n
A grandad claims he is on track to amass a fortune after creating an impressive property portfolio, all while earning a minimum wage job.<\/p>\n
Perry Wilson, 63, has set himself the ambitious goal of becoming a millionaire so he can retire comfortably in three years.<\/p>\n
At 57, the hardworking taxi driver realised that retirement was looming. With no savings and a \u00a310k credit card debt, Perry says he was determined to secure his future so planned to accumulate \u00a3300k so he could retire.<\/p>\n
To achieve this, he doubled his working hours from 40 to 80 per week as a cabbie, saving \u00a320k in two years. With these savings, he secured a mortgage for a two-bedroom semi-detached house to rent out.<\/p>\n
As his savings increased, he continued to invest in more properties. He now owns three rental properties and plans to expand his portfolio to eleven by the end of 2025.<\/p>\n
Despite having around \u00a325,000 in cash savings, Perry believes his burgeoning property empire in the northeast will enable him to reach his \u00a31m target by the time he turns 67.<\/p>\n
The grandfather of two said: “At 57, I realised I’d retire with no money and decided to do something drastic.<\/p>\n
“I set a goal of making \u00a3300k in 10 years – but as I went along, I kept raising it until I hit \u00a31m.<\/p>\n
“For the first two years, I worked every day of the year to make enough to buy my first house to let out.<\/p>\n
“Within three years, I owned three – and now I’m in the process of buying a further eight flats using a bank loan and angel investors.<\/p>\n
“And this portfolio is part of a larger portfolio – there are 70 more that I plan to purchase from the same seller in the future.<\/p>\n
“In July I will be seven years into my 10 year plan and and it’s going well – and I’m still working 80-hour weeks too.<\/p>\n
“But there has to be a work-life imbalance for a while when you’re trying to achieve something extraordinary.”<\/p>\n
Perry, who has two adult daughters and two grandchildren, has been earning a full-time minimum wage since leaving the Royal Navy in 1989.<\/p>\n
As his retirement loomed, the realisation hit that he had no savings for travels with his wife Susan Wilson, 64.<\/p>\n
![\"Perry](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0_Im-a-63-year-old-grandpa-but-when-I-noticed-I-had-moobs-I-was-determined-to-get-fit.jpg\")
Perry Wilson, with grandchildren, Eden and Roman(Image: Perry Wilson \/ SWNS)<\/p>\n
He decided a property empire would be the best way to finance his post-retirement goals – and committed to graft for his last ten years of work.<\/p>\n
He doubled his hours at work to 80 hours a week – with his alarm going off some mornings as early as 4.15am.<\/p>\n
This brought his annual income from \u00a319,760 up to \u00a339,520 when he was earning \u00a37.83 per hour.<\/p>\n
He said: “Working double hours, I was paid double – so I used half to pay my bills and saved the other half.<\/p>\n
“After two years I had saved about \u00a320k and in 2021 I bought a \u00a363k two-bed semi-detached house with a mortgage in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham.”<\/p>\n
![\"Perry](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0_Grandad-on-course-to-become-millionaire-while-working-minimum-wage-job.jpg\")
Perry managed to save up for a deposit on a property by working 80 hour weeks(Image: Perry Wilson \/ SWNS)<\/p>\n
It became his first buy-to-let – and the profits he made on rental payments were saved to pay for his next property investment.<\/p>\n
The same year he split the cost of a three-bed house in Shildon with a friend, and then bought a third three-bed in Stockton-on-Tees.<\/p>\n
With each additional buy-to-let, he could set more money aside, but when income rates went up in 2022, he looked into alternatives to rental properties.<\/p>\n
He discovered he could buy more properties faster using ‘angel investors’.<\/p>\n
These are silent individual lenders who lend a lump sum which is later paid back with interest added.<\/p>\n
He said: “What slows you down is the time taken to generate the income to buy – unless you can get other people to give you money to pay for a deposit.”<\/p>\n
![\"One](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1745867292_349_0_Grandad-on-course-to-become-millionaire-while-working-minimum-wage-job.jpg\")
One of the properties in Perry Wilson’s portfolio(Image: Perry Wilson \/ SWNS)<\/p>\n
From there, Perry’s sights were next set on an eight-flat portfolio across the north east, all owned by the same seller and going for \u00a3300k as they all needed a lot of renovation work.<\/p>\n
Once complete and renovated, the portfolio would have a worth of \u00a3550k, according to a surveyor Perry spoke to.<\/p>\n
And he said from there, he’ll refinance to pay off the original loan, and pay back his ‘angels’ with an additional 5% on their investments, before looking towards an even bigger portfolio.<\/p>\n
He said: “There’s another 70-house portfolio the same seller wants to sell to me as well.<\/p>\n
“We want to work out a plan for me to purchase those in the next two years as well, but we it’s hypothetical at the moment.<\/p>\n
“I spoke to a prospective angel investor last week with \u00a31.6million to lend – lots of people want to lend me their money for this!<\/p>\n
“So now I’m feeling confident that I will surpass my goal of \u00a31million in savings in the time I have left before turning 67.”<\/p>\n
![\"L](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1_Im-a-63-year-old-grandpa-but-when-I-noticed-I-had-moobs-I-was-determined-to-get-fit.jpg\")
L to R: Lucinda, Lauren, Susan and Perry(Image: Perry Wilson \/ SWNS)<\/p>\n
Perry, from Gateshead, has said his family, while initially confused by his sudden intense schedule, understands that his 10-year plan is “a means to an end.”<\/p>\n
He said: “Everything comes with a price – I don’t love working. Once I’ve made sufficient money, I’ll stop.<\/p>\n
“It’s no good having money and being the loneliest bloke in the world – but money gives you freedom and choices.<\/p>\n
“Once I’m done, I’ll do whatever I like – I’ll homeschool my grandchildren and complete my travel bucket list with my wife.<\/p>\n
“We want to go on a world cruise and stay in the Nevada Desert.<\/p>\n
“And I’ll be able to do it because I’ll be bringing in 5-10k a month from my properties, without doing anything.”<\/p>\n
He added: “I don’t believe in burnout – if your goal is strong enough, you can run through brick walls.”<\/p>\n