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What age should you plan on living to?

On Behalf of | Sep 1, 2017 | Estate Administration & Probate |

While a number of estate planning posts focus what should be done to prepare for retirement, not much is said about life expectancy. After all, most retirement plans are based in part on how long a person is expected to live. With health care advances and more emphasis on healthy living, it is out of the question to think about living to 100?

A recent marketwatch.com report explored this question. By analyzing mortality rates provided by Social Security actuaries, researchers concluded that life expectancies for most people (particularly those who are married) are expected to increase in the future. With most people expected to live to age 84 or 86, it is reasonable to believe that some will exceed these expectations since life expectancies are based on averages. 

So with this information, the question now becomes: to what age should people plan to live to?

The quick answer is: it depends. Your family history and current health condition can provide a great deal of guidance. Also, your eating and exercise habits play a part. But regardless of the age you are projected to live, it is important to plan for the possibility of outliving your retirement. Indeed, you can’t take it with you, but you certainly don’t want to live so many years without it either.

 As such, a conversation with an experienced estate planning attorney can help in making sure that your golden years don’t come with unfortunate surprises.

The preceding is not legal advice and is for informational purposes only.