Coffee: The secret to a longer life?
A few cups daily may be a healthy habit that can help extend one’s life
Recently-published study findings in JAMA Internal Medicine support the idea that drinking a few cups of coffee daily is a healthy habit and can help extend one’s life – even if your brew of choice is decaf.
The results from this decade-long study, conducted on a half million people ages 38-73, suggest that the link to longevity could come from “nutrients and phyto-chemicals” in the coffee bean, according to nutrition researcher Walter Willett of the Harvard School of Public Health. But can coffee really help you live longer? While we can’t peg longer life to just one thing, what is undeniable is that the world population as a whole is living longer than ever before.
This study is not the only factor proposing we are living longer. The UBS Investor Watch report, The Century
Club, found that global investors are optimistic about their chances of living a long, healthy life, with more than half of wealthy investors expecting to live to 100; nearly all say their wealth enables them to live a healthier life.
Among U.S. investors, 77 percent believe that investing in their health is more important than growing their wealth, and 80 percent see work as having a positive impact on their health and well-being. Although, individuals must assess their own human capital and factor it into managing their career and determining how and how long they will work. Many baby boomers are now facing this issue as they are entering or considering retirement.
As of July 2016, there were roughly 74 million baby boomers in the U.S., according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and that number is expected to be 72 million in 2019. With so many investors reaching retirement age, “the ratio of pension-age to working-age people is increasing. This trend is expected to continue for the foreseeable future and will put strain on pay-as-you-go systems,” as UBS Analyst Fabio Trussardi states in the July 2018 UBS report Retirement
planning. “With strained public finances, retirees will need to rely increasingly on their own savings for retirement,” Fabio also says, “however, the difference between what is saved and what is needed to finance old age, in particular given higher longevity, remains a concern.”
While living longer is often viewed positively, the cost of healthcare can lead to financial anxiety. Of U.S. investors, 69 percent are worried about rising healthcare costs. In What if you live to 100? Michael Crook, Head Americas UHNW at UBS, writes, “Health is the top priority, and concern, for wealthy investors,” and they spend roughly “half of their healthcare dollars on preventative measures.”
But, traditional solutions may not be what older investors want. As of 2017, many wealthy investors disagreed with the standard rule of lowering equity exposure as they age. “In fact, 60 percent disagree with this guideline and 84 percent plan to grow their assets regardless of age,” according to another UBS Investor Watch report, Retiring old clichés, which also found, “the majority of retirees are investing more aggressively for a retirement that may last decades…” Perhaps these retirees also enjoy a daily coffee habit.
Are you doing all you can to have the retirement you want? Together we can find an answer. Connect with your UBS financial adviser or find one.