People already live to 100 years old. It is not the norm, with the life expectancy in the United States still under 80, but that changes a little bit every single year. In time, experts believe that 100 will become the average.
They think this for a few reasons. First of all, someone who was 40 was nearing the end of their life for most of human history. Living as long as we do now is a pretty new experience. Even just back in the early 1900s, the life expectancy for an American clocked in at about 47. Fast forward to today, and we’re already up to 79. It just stands to reason that things will continue to improve until 100 is a realistic goal, not an outlier.
On top of that, they can track the progress from one year to the next. As a general rule, newborns see a life expectancy that is three months longer than those who were born a year before. In other words, a child born in 2019 has a life expectancy that is three months greater than someone born in 2018. Children being born this year outpace those 2018 babies by six months.
That’s actually a pretty fast progression. Every four years, it suggests that life expectancy will go up by a year. It may not take as long as you think to go from the current prediction of 79 years old to the “goal” of 100 years old.
As people live longer and longer, estate planning is just going to get more important. Be sure you know what steps to take.
