Living to 100: Are you on the path?

S.F. Ehrlich Associates |

February 15, 2023

Boston University is home to The New England Centenarian Study, “…the largest and most comprehensive study of centenarians and their families in the world…” The purpose of the study, to again quote the website (bumc.bu.edu/centenarian)1 is “To Discover the Secrets of a Long and Healthy Life.”

One of the co-directors of the study, Dr. Tom Perls, also runs a website titled Living to 100 (livingto100.com). The website includes a Life Expectancy Calculator, which “…uses the most current and carefully researched medical and scientific data in order to estimate how long you will live to.”

“The calculator asks you 40 quick questions related to your health and family history and takes about 10 minutes to complete. In the end, you will be asked to create an account to store your answers.”

We encourage you to take the calculator. If you do so, answer each question honestly, as the results are for you, and can be very illuminating. I’ll reveal that my life expectancy is 95. While that sounds exciting now, I suspect it won’t sound as exciting if/when I make it to 94.

Not only does the calculator estimate your life expectancy, but the results include a list of things you can do differently to extend your calculated life expectancy, as well as how long each ‘adjustment’ will add to your life expectancy (e.g. 1 year; .25 years; etc.)

I recently read about the Living to 100 calculator while reading Kiplinger Magazine, when the editor talked about the value of knowing how long you’ll live as a critical piece in financial planning. (As an aside, he noted his results were age 92. I’ll have to email him that my love of pastries probably enhanced my results, though it’s likely I may have overestimated my vegetable intake when completing the questionnaire. Once per week is a bit of a stretch.)

If you complete the questionnaire, which only takes a few minutes (though a few questions will give you pause to think), please let us know your results. Projected client longevity is a BIG deal to financial planners!

 

 

 

1 “Centenarians and Their Families – New England Centenarian Study – Webinar – March 3, 2022.” New England Centenarian Study, https://www.bumc.bu.edu/centenarian/.

 

 

 

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