Gyroscopic Investing

Many of you have probably seen or done something similar to this, but I hadn't, and  found answering these 50 or so questions very useful  in reducing to hard numbers the otherwise vague notion of retirement preparation. 

The questions alone are instructive, as they all relate to the longevity factors, many of which we individually control. 

Having done this a couple of months ago for the first time, although I gave my email address, I have not been contacted by anyone; so don't worry about them adding your name to some unwanted mailing list. 

If I can sustain or improve upon my current set of answers, and the PP keeps its end of the bargain, I should make it to 99.  That would make my paltry school teacher's compensation plan a lot more valuable than I originally thought (assuming it survives).

https://www.livingto100.com/calculator

Mine was 98. This was more than I was planning but now the additional stress of having to save enough money for the extra years will probably kill me sooner.

BTW, Microsoft Money used to have a mortality estimator with their retirement planner and I used it back in 1999. It told me my wife's life expectancy was 53 which was quite a shock since she was 52 at the time. Lo and behold, they were exactly right because she died the next year.

Mortality bothers me enough without dwelling on it like Dave Ramsey on crank, which is what these modelers invite you to do.

I say eat as well as you can, exercise, learn to relax, surround yourself with people who care about you, don't smoke or skydive, and think about things other than your own death.

MediumTex wrote: Mortality bothers me enough without dwelling on it like Dave Ramsey on crank, which is what these modelers invite you to do.

I say eat as well as you can, exercise, learn to relax, surround yourself with people who care about you, don't smoke or skydive, and think about things other than your own death.

And listen to MachineGhost!

EDIT: you have to give an email address at the end. Know that before you start.
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I won't fill in the form because everytime I give up my birthday and zip code on the same website,
a little part of me dies. Maybe I'll falsify but make it close enough...

Anyway, I'm nervous because the one flaw in the people who care about me is that they force me to smoke while skydiving with them.

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I think the only good things I put down were avoiding sweets, not smoking, and good genes. Somehow I still had an 88. Was expecting worse.

Mine came out to 98, which is 2 years less than my dad lived. I'll be happy if that happens...but who will watch out for my gold???

It did recommend the following:

Personal
+ 1.5
Brain strengthening activities can help you delay or escape memory loss and perhaps Alzheimer's disease. Engaging in brain-challenging activities twice a week could add a year and half to your life.
Lifestyle
+ 1.0
Minimizing or cutting out your caffeinated coffee consumption completely could provide you with about a year more in life expectancy
+ 1.0
If it is ok with your doctor, taking an 81 mg aspirin every day improves your heart and brain health and could help you delay or escape a heart attack or stroke. Taking an aspirin each day, perferably in the evening, could add 1 year to your life expectancy.
+ 0.5
Ultraviolet rays present in sunlight and tanning beds greatly increase your risk of skin cancer, including melanoma. They also increase wrinkles. Minimizing your sun exposure could add half a year to your life expectancy
+ 0.5
There is a clear link between the inflammation of gum disease and heart disease. Do a good job of flossing daily and you could add half a year to your life expectancy.
Nutrition
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Osteoporosis (brittle bones) is a terrible disease that becomes more common with older age. Among the important ways to prevent osteoporosis, it is important to have adequate amounts of calcium in your diet. Add more dairy products to your diet or take 1500 mg of calcium a day. Doing so could add a half a year to your life expectancy.
+ 1.0
Red meat is the primary source of potentially life-shortening iron. Cutting back your red meat consumption to 1-2 days per week or less could add 1 year to your life expectancy
+ 0.5
Being more active in your leisure time, other than exercising, could add half a year to your life expectancy
Medical
+ 1.0
Decreasing your bad cholesterol (called LDL cholesterol) to a normal or even lower level could increase your life expectancy by a year

Reub wrote: Osteoporosis (brittle bones) is a terrible disease that becomes more common with older age. Among the important ways to prevent osteoporosis, it is important to have adequate amounts of calcium in your diet. Add more dairy products to your diet or take 1500 mg of calcium a day. Doing so could add a half a year to your life expectancy.

I love my dairy products, and I eat cheese despite having lactose intolerance. However, this advice seems kind of out of date, doesn't it? I bet MG gets his calcium from broccoli or some weird source, like black pepper supplements. 

dualstow wrote: However, this advice seems kind of out of date, doesn't it?

Yes, I think a lot of it is out of date. I didn't see any question about how many hours of the day you spend sitting. If that
had been asked my 98 would probably have gone back to 90 as I've heard that the "new smoking" is supposed to take 8 years off your life
expectancy.

(And I think there might be something to this one BTW, because my Dad outlived his two brothers by many years, dying
last year at 94. His brothers worked behind desks but he was a milkman delivering milk from door to door for all of his
adult life until he retired).

Reub wrote: Decreasing your bad cholesterol (called LDL cholesterol) to a normal or even lower level could increase your life expectancy by a year

You mean with all the fuss about cholesterol we're only talking about maybe one year of life expectancy?

Reub wrote:

MediumTex wrote: Mortality bothers me enough without dwelling on it like Dave Ramsey on crank, which is what these modelers invite you to do.

I say eat as well as you can, exercise, learn to relax, surround yourself with people who care about you, don't smoke or skydive, and think about things other than your own death.

And listen to MachineGhost!

I was going to say something, but....  you beat me to it!

But seriously, all mortality calculators and actuarial tables are anarchronistic.  There's no way they can incorporate all of the breakthroughs in life extension that are occuring and will be occuring over the next couple of decades, since they work on averages (which include the fat, dumb and stupid).  So personally, I use 120 for retirement planning to be conservative with the full expectation I will have to revise (increase) it as I get older and avail myself of wonderful new technologies.  My personal life goal is to live long enough to see the city of the future:

[img width=800]http://proto-architecture.com/blog/wp-c ... C06659.jpg[/img]
[img width=800]http://proto-architecture.com/blog/wp-c ... C06656.jpg[/img]
[img width=800]http://proto-architecture.com/blog/wp-c ... C06658.jpg[/img]

The best way to find out if you have a long life expectancy is to apply for a long duration term life policy. You even get a free health exam!
In my case, the insurance company is betting quite a lot of money that I won't die with the policy in force in the next 20 years.
Yes, in their models most of their probability of winning their bet is due to lapses, but about half of it is mortality risk.
By the way, doing some research on that topic indicates that the main reason that smokers' life insurance isn't even more expensive is that they have much higher lapse rates, especially in the first few years? That is good for the relatively few smokers who actually keep their policies in force for the full term.

dualstow wrote: EDIT: you have to give an email address at the end. Know that before you start.

Well, yes.  The key word there is "an" e-mail address, as opposed to "your" e-mail address.  Take a look at e4ward.com.  I've been using them to anonymize my "real" e-mail address for many years.  I've even turned my family and friends onto their service.  Works like a charm.  To paraphrase a TV commercial from the 1970s:  "Don't log on without them!" 

There seems to be something suspicious with this site.  Mine came out to 98, as with most of the rest of you. Seems fishy to me.