Life Expectancy and Longevity

Age 65, the age of retirement and Social Security, is an artificial line-in-the-sand that Bismark of Germany drew in 1885 and we have not had the courage to change. 

But our lives will be drastically different and longer than any prior generation of 65-year olds in the history of the world.  When Bismark drew the line in the sand, 2% of the population lived to age 65 and then they lived an average of only 2 years.  Today, a 65-year old can expect to live nearly ten years longer than his own parents could have expected when they were 65. 

Life expectancy calculators

How do you build a life expectancy calculator?  What exactly does a life expectancy calculator tell you? And, what does a life expectancy calculator not tell you?  Let’s look inside a life expectancy calculator. 

What can one person do to live longer?

Dr. Vaupel, Director of Max Plank Institute for Demographic Research and a Professor at Duke University, believes that life expectancies will continue to increase at the steady pace of 2.5 years per decade. 

The health of 65-year olds is now more divergent than ever before

The health of 65-year olds is now more divergent than ever before.  Ever, as in ever in history.   ,