Posted 12:08 am Wednesday, April 25, 2012
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Longevity And The High Cost Of Not Dying, April 25
A friend recently sent me a “Life Expectancy Calculator” developed by Mutual Insurance. Mutual, of course, probably has an ulterior motive for doing this, but that’s neither here or there. The thing is, there is now a way to answer the age-old question, “How long will I live?”
It’s simple. The calculator considers 13 lifestyle factors including diet, drinking, smoking and stress to estimate life expectancy using the latest information from the National Center for Health Statistics.
Most of the questions allow for several different answers and I tried to be as accurate as I possibly could, but the result was not what I’d anticipated. I mean 102? Who? Me?
After the initial shock, I reviewed our finances and found that we couldn’t afford for me to live to that age. On further inspection of the calculator, however, I found a couple places that, with a minor adjustment, my life expectancy could be reduced. Under Exercise Frequency, for instance, I indicated 30-minutes on the treadmill four times a week, rather than the three it usually is. Another place I could have been more accurate was in eating and drinking.
By making these slight alterations in the report, my life expectance was now 91. That’s more like it, I thought. After all, the best financial plan you can have is when your final check to the undertaker bounces.
Hugh Neeld
Jacksonville
It’s simple. The calculator considers 13 lifestyle factors including diet, drinking, smoking and stress to estimate life expectancy using the latest information from the National Center for Health Statistics.
Most of the questions allow for several different answers and I tried to be as accurate as I possibly could, but the result was not what I’d anticipated. I mean 102? Who? Me?
After the initial shock, I reviewed our finances and found that we couldn’t afford for me to live to that age. On further inspection of the calculator, however, I found a couple places that, with a minor adjustment, my life expectancy could be reduced. Under Exercise Frequency, for instance, I indicated 30-minutes on the treadmill four times a week, rather than the three it usually is. Another place I could have been more accurate was in eating and drinking.
By making these slight alterations in the report, my life expectance was now 91. That’s more like it, I thought. After all, the best financial plan you can have is when your final check to the undertaker bounces.
Hugh Neeld
Jacksonville
