A couple of months ago, the headlines reported that that babies born today have a 40% chance of living to be 150 years old. That's about 25% longer than the oldest living humans in recent history. Experts base this claim on the advancement of regenerative medicine and the like.
Let's just say for grins that this is going to happen. Putting aside questions like “where will we fit us all,” what kind of a financial nightmare would this be? I thought about this and came up with a few ideas.
- Retirement? Hah! As it is, about half of us probably will run out of money before we run out of life on this planet. And this is life on today's mercifully short life expectancy: mid-seventies to early-eighties. Imagine planning for another lifetime after that.
- Working like you'll never quit. The quip about a 95-year-old polishing his resume won't be a quip any more. It will be good career advice! Along with tips on dealing with college grads a sixth your age.
- Inheritances won't help for a looooong time. Rich great-great-great-great-grandpa still needs that money, after all.
- We'll have lots and lots of sick, poor, really really old people. Jack LaLanne was in fine shape until the day he died, but he also exercised his butt off and ate like a saint. Most of us don't, and I doubt that even if medicine can help us to live practically forever, it won't be able to keep us healthy. So, unhealthy people that we are, we'll get to a point long before the end of our lives when we won't be able to work. Then we'll become wards of the state (if that's worth anything) or dependent on our children who themselves are getting on in years, too!
No thanks! Our current life expectancies already are more than many of us can handle. 🙂
I would love it as long as I could remain active! In other words, I want to be lucid and do all the things I currently do.
150?? I can’t imagine, knowing what 50s feel like! 🙂
Jack LaLanne was amazing, but we’re not him. There were several guys in my indoor soccer club that played well past sixty. I’m not those guys. I had to hang up the cleats a couple years back, and worn-out ankles still hurt.
Jack Lalanne was amazing and I’ve admired him for many years. We try to eat healthy and exercise as insurance for our health but we don’t *always* do it. People are human and will do what feels best most of the time. I don’t want to live a loooong life unless I am healthy. What’s the point? It would only lead to misery for me and my family.
I’m with krantcents, I’d be totally happy with a healthy 150 years…
150?! I can’t imagine living that long. If that becomes a reality, social security will really go up in smoke.