Living long, living well

18 minutes ago
3 min read

Retirement today often lasts 25 to 30 years — sometimes longer. That’s wonderful news if you’re healthy and active, but it also creates new challenges: how to make your income last, how to stay healthy, and how to preserve your independence.

A longevity plan is more than just a financial projection. It’s a holistic strategy for living well — financially, physically, and emotionally — over what may just be the longest chapter of your life.

1. Living longer means planning smarter

For a married couple in their mid-60s, there’s about a 50% chance one spouse will live past age 90. That means you could be planning for a potential 30-year retirement — longer than many working careers.

Many financial plans stop short of that mark, using “average life expectancy” as a benchmark. But planning to the average means that roughly half of retirees will outlive their plan. Your longevity plan needs to prepare for the upper end of that range — so that no matter how long you live, your income and confidence can keep pace.

2. Build a financial foundation for the long run

At Brown Family Wealth Advisors, we divide every retirement portfolio into three components:

Dependable income sources – Social Security, pensions, for example, perhaps some rental income. These create a baseline for predictable lifelong cash flow.
The Reserve – 5 to 10 years’ worth of planned withdrawals invested in high-quality fixed-income investments. This “buffer” in your portfolio helps you avoid having to sell stocks during market downturns.
Equity – Long-term investments designed to outpace inflation and sustain purchasing power while generating a rising stream of income from your portfolio.

This structure allows you to spend confidently while keeping a cushion in place for the unexpected. Inflation, sequence-of-returns risk, and longevity all become easier to manage when your income strategy has layers of protection built in.

A strong longevity plan also includes proactive tax management — using Roth IRA conversions, Qualified Charitable Distributions, and careful withdrawal sequencing to minimize lifetime taxes.

3. Plan for more than money

Financial security can make your life better in retirement, but it’s not what gives life meaning.

Just as important is what I call the human side of longevity: purpose, health, and connection.

Purpose: A sense of meaning adds years to your life and life to your years. Think about the activities, causes, or people that will keep you engaged and motivated in retirement.
Health and cognition: Stay active, mentally and physically. And put safeguards in place — like powers of attorney and trusted contacts — so your wishes are clear if you ever need help managing finances or care decisions.
Connection: Loneliness can be as damaging to health as smoking. Invest time in relationships, family, and community. A rich social life is one of the best “investments” you can make.

4. Prepare your family, too

Your longevity plan isn’t just for you — it’s for the people who will walk this journey with you.

Make sure loved ones know:

Where key documents are stored securely and how to access them when the time comes.
Who your advisors and decision-makers are.
What matters most to you in financial and medical decisions.

Those simple conversations now can prevent confusion later and ensure your family feels confident carrying out your wishes.

5. Longevity is a mindset

The most content retirees I know seem to share one trait: gratitude. They see their long life not as something to manage, but as something to celebrate. They use their money intentionally — to support family, experiences, learning, and giving — and they measure success by the quality of their days, not just the size of their accounts.

That, to me, is the essence of a True Wealth retirement — living long, living well, and living with purpose. Because the goal isn’t just to make your money last a lifetime. It’s to make the rest of your life as rich and meaningful as it can be.

Investing involves risk and you may incur a profit or loss regardless of strategy selected, including diversification and asset allocation. Raymond James and its advisors do not offer tax or legal advice. You should discuss any tax or legal matters with the appropriate professional.