Will you live to 100, or do you think you’re more the mid-80s type? What about full retirement age? Will you make it there?
Who knows, but judging from the numerous articles, podcasts, TV shows and books about longevity, it sure looks like we are supposed to know or at least have a good sense of how long we’re likely to live. If we get the math wrong, we face a retirement shortfall — or we pass away before ever enjoying the money we sacrificed to save.
To play it safe, most financial advisers suggest saving as if you’ll live to age 92 for men and 94 for women. However, that baseline doesn’t help you decide when to claim Social Security or whether to take a pension as a lump sum vs lifetime payments. It also won’t tell you if life insurance is really worth the cost. That’s why longevity is such a huge topic; without knowing your own, you’re essentially flying blind when it comes to planning for your retirement.
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“What happens if you die too soon? You want to have something to cover your family and loved ones when you are no longer here,” says Kristin Cook, chief underwriting officer at National Life Group. “Or what if you live too long? How much do you really need to live the type of lifestyle in retirement you want to have?”
How can you tell if you have longevity on your side? From your family tree to your daily habits, here are four ways to know.
1. Your parents and grandparents lived long, healthy lives.
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When determining longevity, one of the first things financial advisers, actuaries and underwriters look at is your family tree, which includes information about your parents, grandparents and siblings.
“The overall health of your parents and grandparents plays into a lot of important health factors,” said Cook. “Indicators of mortality are genetically based. Cancer, any cardiac risk, high blood pressure and high cholesterol can be passed on from generation to generation.”
Other hereditary factors that can influence longevity include:
- Family history of Type 2 diabetes and metabolic diseases
- Genetic predispositions to Alzheimer’s disease or dementia
- Autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis or lupus
- Inherited longevity genes, such as those affecting cellular repair and inflammation
2. You prioritize clean eating and daily movement
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Even if your parents and grandparents lived until 100, that doesn’t guarantee you will too. Genetics plays a big role in longevity, but so does lifestyle.
According to a study published in the journal Science, roughly 50% of lifespan is determined by lifestyle and environmental choices.
“Are you eating steak and drinking whiskey every night?” said Eric Ludwig, director of the American College of Financial Services Center for Retirement Income. “You have to consider your lifestyle choices” when thinking about longevity.
Some of the lifestyle factors that can influence your longevity include:
- Diets high in saturated fats and ultra-processed foods
- A chronic lack of physical activity and sedentary habits
- High levels of unmanaged stress, which elevate long-term cortisol
- Heavy alcohol consumption, drug use or tobacco use
“Certainly, a person’s health matters. Are you active or obese? Do you take care of yourself? What kind of retirement lifestyle are you living?” said Kelly Regan, a Vice President and financial planner at Girard Advisory Services.
“The previous generation sat in their recliners and watched daytime shows and led a non-active lifestyle,” she said. “A lot of people live more active lifestyles now and have better brain and body health.”
3. You have strong social connections
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Loneliness can kill, which is why it’s a factor that impacts longevity. Studies have consistently shown a clear correlation between early death and a lack of social connections.
“I find that clients who struggle (with social connections) tend to live shorter lives,” said Regan.
Some of the effects of loneliness on longevity, according to the World Health Organization, include:
- Risk of stroke
- Heart disease
- Diabetes
- Cognitive decline
- Premature death
On the flip side, the WHO says social connections can protect your health across your lifespan by reducing inflammation, lowering your risk of serious health problems and fostering positive mental health.
4. You get a good night’s sleep and move during the day
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Do you toss and turn all night? Do you spend your working days sitting at a desk? If you answer yes to one or both of these questions, you could be shortening your lifespan.
“Sleep is a really big factor,” said Cook. Plus, “there have been many studies that sitting all day is just as bad as smoking a pack of cigarettes.”
Sleep is particularly important for your body to repair. But just how crucial is sleep for longevity? A recent study of 172,000 adults found that men who got enough sleep lived five years longer than men who didn’t. For women, getting enough sleep gave them two additional years of life. How much sleep is ideal? About seven hours, experts say.
Getting too little sleep can impact your longevity in the following ways:
- Disrupted cellular and DNA repair, which accelerates biological aging
- Chronic systemic inflammation, which is a known cause of cardiovascular disease
- Impaired brain toxin clearance, which increases long-term risks for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s
- Metabolic dysfunction, which increases the chances of developing Type 2 diabetes
Inactivity during work can impact longevity in the following ways, according to the Mayo Clinic:
- Lead to obesity
- Raise the risk of death from heart disease and cancer
- The same risk of dying as smoking
- Causes metabolic syndrome
The good news is you can mitigate some of the negative impact by standing at intervals during the workday and getting 60 minutes of daily exercise.
Live but be aware
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Longevity is important to financial planning, but nobody knows for sure how long they will actually last on this earth. That’s why understanding these biological and lifestyle factors is so integral.
Understanding your own capacity for longevity can help you find a balance between planning for a lifetime and living like there’s no tomorrow.
