25 Aug Work Longer, Live Longer
We’ve often heard that people who retire early tend to die sooner than those who delay retirement. A 2016 study by Oregon State University seems to confirm those suspicions with some startling numbers. The research, also featured in the Huffington Post, showed that healthy adults who kept working just one year past age 65 reduced their risk of dying from all causes by 11 percent!
“It may not apply to everybody, but we think work brings people a lot of economic and social benefits that could impact the length of their lives,” said lead author Chenkai Wu. Also interesting is that people who considered themselves to be unhealthy lived longer if they kept working.
A Purposeful Life
Another way to extend your life is by having a purpose, according to a British study involving 9,000 65-year-olds. Led by Andrew Steptoe, director of the Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care at University College London, the study found that “people with the highest levels of ‘purpose in life’ were 30 percent less likely to die during the study period, living an average of two years longer than those with the lowest levels.”
Certainly one can argue that having purpose doesn’t necessarily mean working. Maybe playing better golf is a “purpose,” or volunteering or going back to school. The point seems to be that having “meaning” in your life is a key component to longevity.
Planning for a Longer Life
Have you put a financial plan in place to account for the longer years you may live? With the beginning of a new year, there is no better time to stop worrying about the future…and start planning for the retirement you want to live.
Have you heard that saying, “Do something today that your future self will thank you for”? Well, planning is one of those things…and we are just a phone call away.
Will, these sources are linked above. But here they are if you need them:
Sources:
https://www.getold.com/a-purpose-in-life-may-extend-yours