When Living to 100 Is the New Normal

The life expectancy for Americans in 1950 was 68; today the average 10-year-old has a 50 percent chance of living to 104. So what will it mean for society when it becomes commonplace to live to 100? And how should that longevity affect how we live and think about everything from retirement and our financial lives to health and lifetime wellness? 

Those were among the themes considered by a variety of experts brought together by AARP on April 12 in Washington, D.C., for “Disrupt Aging: Implications of Living 100”,  a forum for some 400 attendees, including business leaders, health professionals  and  entrepreneurs. What they heard from speakers such as personal finance guru Suze Orman, journalist Ann Curry and best-selling author Cheryl Strayed was the importance of cultivating close relationships, continuing to learn and making retirement savings last.   

AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins,  author  of the best-seller Disrupt Aging, told the crowd that longevity demands that we “replace outdated models,” including the traditional linear life path of going to school, spending years at work and then retiring. “What if colleges and universities offered lifetime subscriptions? What if we didn’t have the word retirement? How would we live our lives differently?” Jenkins asked.

Dave Evans,  cofounder  of Stanford Life Design Lab, said that a long, healthy life should be powered by curiosity. "Everybody should go back to school," Evans said, "but you should go back to You U,” meaning self-driven education. “Get curious; talk to people; try stuff; tell your story,” Evans said.

Not surprisingly, Orman, whose many books on personal finance include The Road To Wealth, offered the most practical, tough-love message of the day: Now is the time to start building wealth. “Money alone will never make you happy,” she said, “but lack of money will make you miserable.”