Longevity Risk Planning for a 30‑Year Retirement

Thanks to medical advances, many of us will live longer than we expect. But a long life brings a financial challenge: making sure your savings last as long as you do. Discover how to plan for longevity risk.

Phase 2: Risk Management · 9 min read

🧓 What Is Longevity Risk?

Longevity risk is the chance that you will outlive your retirement savings. With average life expectancies rising, a 65‑year‑old today can expect to live another 20 years – but half will live longer. Planning for a 30‑year retirement is becoming the new normal.

Life Expectancy Facts

A 65‑year‑old couple has a 50% chance that at least one will live to 90, and a 25% chance one will live to 95. Your plan should account for the possibility of a very long life.

Hedging Longevity

Strategies include delaying Social Security, annuities with lifetime income, maintaining some equities for growth, and being flexible with spending.

The 30‑Year Horizon

If you retire at 65, planning for age 95 is prudent. That means your portfolio must sustain 30 years of withdrawals, possibly through market ups and downs.

Interactive: How Long Will You Live? What Will You Need?

Based on your age and gender, see estimated life expectancies and the nest egg required to fund a long retirement.

Fill in your details and click the button.

Life expectancy estimates are based on Social Security actuarial tables simplified. Your actual longevity depends on health, lifestyle, and family history. Always plan for a longer horizon than the average.

📝 Test your knowledge: Longevity Risk

1. What is longevity risk?
The risk of dying too young
The risk of outliving your retirement savings
The risk that inflation will erode your savings
The risk of market downturns
2. A 65‑year‑old couple has roughly what chance that at least one will live to 90?
10%
50%
75%
90%
3. Which of the following is NOT a good strategy to mitigate longevity risk?
Delaying Social Security benefits
Purchasing a lifetime annuity
Withdrawing aggressively in early retirement
Maintaining some stocks for growth
4. If you retire at 65, planning for a 30‑year retirement means you should plan to fund withdrawals until age:
75
85
95
100
5. Annuities can help with longevity risk because they:
Guarantee high returns
Are free
Provide guaranteed lifetime income
Are not subject to inflation

📘 Continue Phase 2: Risk Management