Life expectancy in the U.S. has declined. What does that mean for your retirement?

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by Lerner, Jan 11, 2023.

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  1. Lerner

    Lerner Well-Known Member

    Life expectancy in the U.S. has declined. What does that mean for your retirement?

    https://www.marketwatch.com/story/life-expectancy-in-the-u-s-has-declined-what-does-that-mean-for-your-retirement-11673301269?siteid=yhoof2

    "Last month the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released its most recent U.S. life expectancy estimates, and sadly, the report found that, once again, Americans’ average number of years remaining have fallen. As reported recently, life expectancy at birth is now 76.4 years (as of 2021), down from 77 a year earlier. This is a drop of approximately 7 months over a one-year period, which takes life expectancy back almost a quarter-century to 1996."
     
  2. Rachel83az

    Rachel83az Well-Known Member

    Unfortunately, it'll probably keep dropping...
     
  3. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    I guess I shouldn't be surprised that MarketWatch focused on the financial planning implications, but it would be interesting to know what the cause was.
     
  4. Rachel83az

    Rachel83az Well-Known Member

    I have heard some good reasons why it's happening, but this is the wrong forum.
     
  5. Dustin

    Dustin Well-Known Member

    COVID and opioid abuse, including accidental fentanyl overdoses. Since I've neither gotten COVID nor use heavy painkillers I think I'm safe.

    https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/nchs_press_releases/2022/20221222.htm
     
    Rich Douglas likes this.
  6. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Covid, fentanyl...naw, I'm good. But if they ever factor in Knob Creek, I'm a goner.
     
    Johann and Maniac Craniac like this.
  7. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    How to be instantly unpopular with many Americans: Be a Canadian and list the reasons for US lower life expectancy.
    Ahh - popularity? Who cares. Here it is, anyway. :(

    COVID
    Drug Overdoses
    Deaths from drug life - malnutrition, blood-borne diseases, illness from exposure, violence
    High Accidental injury rates
    Under-performing health care system - per National Research Council. America spends more per cap. on
    Health care, gets less results
    Relatively High Infant mortality.
    High death rate from violence among young adults
    Obesity - 70% of Americans are overweight, 36% obese
    High homicide rates
    Foregoing medical treatment due to financial factors
    US is only developed country without universal health insurance
    Poverty, economic inequality - slow development
    Access to healthcare.

    I'd add one - easy access to low-cost bloaty sick-making crap food. (Lots of crap in Canada - just costs more.)
    Good report here: https://ourworldindata.org/us-life-expectancy-low

    Lot of folks in US tell me to shut up about the (dreaded "socialist") Canadian System, but I'm feeling brave tonight...

    An American told me that his country's health care system was great. He'd had a relatively minor problem, gone to Hospital Emergency, had it taken care of, well and promptly, and only paid a $40 deductible. Fine, but he forgot about $1,000 or so every month he paid for his family's Health Care insurance premiums. Canada: no deductible, no premium.

    Canadian life expectancy - 79.7. American 77.2

    A 19-year old Canadian can expect, on average, 52 more years of perfect health. (I was close to the money. I got 53 years before my heart surgery, which was taken care of 8 years ago, at zero cost to me.)

    A 19-year-old American can expect, on average, 49.3 years, on the same metric. And Canada spends less per capita.

    Canada's not perfect - I realize that. But by the same token, I think there's not a pair of prescription glasses in the world that could help many Americans see the deficiencies in their system.
     
    Last edited: Jan 12, 2023
    Rachel83az likes this.
  8. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Whoops! Old stats. America now down to 76.4 years Canada up to 82.8 years. Big difference!
     
  9. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    Yeah, well alcohol kills more Americans every year than all illegal drugs combined and the older we get the less physically able we are to manage the stuff. Watch out for that Knob Creek friends.

    As to the effect on retirement...it's a ghoulish thought but the Social Security trust fund might be a bit better off as a result.
     
    Maniac Craniac likes this.
  10. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    I was just about to post this.

    Could it be... a conspiracy?! :emoji_confused::emoji_thinking::emoji_scream:
     
    nosborne48 likes this.
  11. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    One can only hope so.
     
  12. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Amen. That kicked in for me, significantly, at about 60. So I quit - Cold (Wild) Turkey. :) Glad I did. BTW I got a nice Swiss watch for my 80th, yesterday. A Mathey-Tissot, from my son. Had I not quit alcohol when I did, I might well not have lived to enjoy that.
     
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  13. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Same here in Canada. From a Federal Gov't report:

    "Alcohol consumption in Canada was associated with approximately 15 000 preventable deaths, 90 000 preventable hospital admissions and 245 000 potential years of life lost in 2014. The collective impact of alcohol use on health care, crime and lost productivity was estimated at $14.6 billion, higher than the costs of tobacco use and the costs of all other psychoactive substances combined, including opioids and cannabis."

    BTW - something else I might not have enjoyed, if I'd continued drinking: Seeing my then-small grandchildren grow into adulthood... Nobody wants to miss that!
     
  14. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    I still consume alcohol almost daily. But the amount and the timing? That's all changed. Radically. And it's a direct function of aging.

    Of course, the word now is that zero alcohol is better. I make have to drink about that for awhile. :cool:
     
  15. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Around age 60, 10 years into retirement, I found that was changing, for me. Radically. But my change was the wrong way! That's why I quit. My take: There's nothing inherently wrong with drinking. In moderation, it even has benefits. Many people have no problem whatsoever keeping drinking in safe bounds, all their lives. Good for them. Enjoy! :)

    Over a period, I left that group - entered hazardous territory - realized where I was - and quietly went back to safety, on the only basis that would work for me - and that was to leave alcohol totally behind. I'm pretty sure I had some incipient problems in the previous 40 years that I ignored, but there was a definite change for the worse, at 60.

    Why? I think it's being 10 years into retirement. I had "freedom to drink" whenever. No job to show up sober to, and no driving, to keep sober for. (I gave my last car away in 1996.) Now, I could drink whenever I wanted - and, until I decided this wasn't me -- I often did. There's nothing like the invigorating, frigid rattle of ice cubes against your teeth at 7:00 a.m! :) I'm told drinking problems often surface after retirement - and "freedom" (and boredom) seem to be the causes.

    Interesting story I read about 20 years ago. There was a long-term UK study of the health of non-drinkers vs. moderate ones. After 30-odd years, the study had to be discontinued. Reason: All the non-drinkers had died. :)
     
    nosborne48 likes this.
  16. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    I admit my work these last eight years has really poisoned my view of liquor and the alcohol industry.
     
    Charles Fout and Johann like this.
  17. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    My last eight years of liquor certainly poisoned my view of work. :)
     
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