Is 100 the new 80?

Key Takeaways

• If you’re retiring at age 60 or 65 today, you could have another 35 to 40 years of life ahead of you—but most planning models don’t account for that.
• The primary pillars of longevity today are (1) high-performing cognition, (2) full mobility, and (3) lifelong learning.
• Surveys show that money is not the No.1 concern for many retirees or pre-retirees.

Contact us anytime if you’re concerned about outliving your money or about any other long-term financial issues.

Remember the 1983 hit song “I Want a New Drug” by Huey Lewis and the News? It wasn’t about recreational drugs at the time. It was more about what drugs were doing for our culture, helping us live longer and attacking different kinds of diseases and maladies.

Primary Pillars of aging well

If we go back to the 1950s, when the “Greatest Generation” was coming of age, life expectancy was age 65. The majority of that generation didn’t think they would live past 65. But so many seniors from that era are now living well into their 80s, and that’s had a profound impact on how we operate. For baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964), age 100 is the new target to shoot for, and they have three primary pillars of aging well:

High-performing cognition

Full mobility

Lifelong learning

Common Aging Fears

Thanks to medical technology, including 3-D printing of organs and stem cell advances, you could have another 35 or 40 years of life ahead of you if you retire at age 60 or 65. A recent Harris Poll showed that the most common fears of seniors today are:

1. Decline in physical ability
2. Memory loss
3. Running out of money
4. Chronic disease

Notice how money is a concern, but not the No.1 concern for many. In fact, a national aging survey conducted by the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, the National Council on Aging, and United Healthcare asked respondents, “What’s the key to a positive outlook on life?” The most common response, cited by 25 percent of respondents, was “faith or spirituality.” The next most common responses were a loving family (15%) and keeping a positive attitude (14%). Only 5% said “financial security.”

Conclusion

This changing vision of aging has many elements. We’re dedicated to helping you with the money part of the equation. Obviously, you don’t want to run out of money if you’re going to live to be 100. But most of the financial planning models don’t take that kind of life span into account. They look at normal mortality. We don’t. We look at living to the century mark and beyond, so it’s very important to get your financial house in order. You want to make sure you can maintain your desired standard of living for three or four decades in retirement. It’s also very important to remain a lifelong learner, to keep your mobility, and to maintain your cognitive functioning.

So until next time, enjoy.

Gary

www.coylefinancial.com
800-480-7913 | coyle@coylefinancial.com

We value your comments and opinions, but due to regulatory restrictions, we cannot accept comments directly onto our blog.  We welcome your comments via e-mail and look forward to hearing from you.