‘Roadmap’ to longevity details key habits people need to form to increase healthy lifespan

Scrap pricey supplements and treatments touted by longevity experts such as Bryan Johnson – a new report reveals three easy-to-achieve habits that promote a long and healthy life.

The report, Health and Wealth in the Era of Longevity from the Gerontological Society of America (GSA), details how improving your financial, longevity, and fitness literacy could add years to your life and make old age more enjoyable.  

Despite rapid advances in technology and medicine, US life expectancy has shown little improvement in recent years. 

From 2019 to 2024, the most recently finalized period, average lifespan has remained largely stagnant, hovering around 79 years. 

Public health experts say the plateau reflects persistent challenges such as chronic disease, socioeconomic inequality, and uneven access to high-quality health care, all of which continue to limit gains in national longevity. 

Compared to other high-income countries, including Australia, Canada, and the UK, the US has the lowest life expectancy.

Experts also say rising drug overdose deaths, climbing obesity rates and widespread chronic disease are major forces pushing longevity in the wrong direction.

At the same time the booming longevity industry, spearheaded by high-profile biohackers such as Bryan Johnson, often promises dramatic results through expensive supplements, extreme routines, or invasive procedures.

But according to the new GSA report, individuals must develop ‘financial literacy,’ the knowledge and skills to make thoughtful decisions about earning, saving, spending, borrowing, and investing money over a long life. 

The experts say that ‘longevity literacy’ is another important factor, which is ‘having a clear and objective understanding of life expectancy.’

They explain that once you know have a gauge of your future, you can develop the resources needed to make the most of your years. 

Meanwhile, the researchers say familiarizing yourself with places that support ‘longevity fitness,’ such as local senior centers, parks, specialized gyms, performance labs and holistic wellness clubs, will help you to ‘thrive, not just survive, during an extended lifetime.’

Financial literacy  

When it comes to finances, a 2018 study of 388 older adults by Rush University Medical Center in Chicago found those with higher financial literacy had a 35 percent lower risk of hospitalization, even after adjusting for cognition and health conditions.

Another long-term study of 931 seniors conducted by the same medical institution in 2020 found that lower financial (and health) literacy was associated with a higher risk of death during up to eight years of follow-up.

Researchers say that financially literate adults tend to experience less uncertainty about the future because they have a clearer sense of how to plan, save and manage long-term risks. 

This reduced guesswork translates into lower stress levels, which is significant because chronic financial stress is linked to higher inflammation, cardiovascular strain, and accelerated biological aging. 

Less stress is also better for brain health. 

Studies show that financial stress can harm cognitive function over time, while strong financial skills are associated with better decision-making, improved mental well-being, and slower cognitive decline. In this sense, financial literacy may help preserve both emotional stability and brain health as people age. 

Longevity literacy 

Equally vital, the report notes, is ‘longevity literacy,’ which means having a clear, objective understanding of life expectancy, and integrating that perspective into long-term financial planning. 

A 2023 TIAA (Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America) Institute survey found that adults with higher longevity literacy were more confident in their retirement planning and more likely to budget for health costs. 

TIAA assumes a 67-year-old retiree will live, on average, to about 90, with a 25 percent chance of being alive at 95 and almost a 10 percent likelihood of making it to 100.

The organization explains: ‘The longer a retiree lives, the more savings they need to fund their retirement; so the earlier they start planning for this eventuality, the lower the cost and the better prepared they will be.’

Experts say when adults anticipate living longer, they are more likely to maintain health insurance, access preventive care, and afford treatments that reduce the risk of serious illness. 

This planning also reduces financial stress. 

Longevity fitness

The new GSA report also introduces the concept of ‘longevity fitness.’

According to the TIAA Institute, achieving longevity fitness requires building three forms of capital: social capital, meaning strong relationships and community ties; health capital, which includes maintaining physical and mental well-being; and financial capital, the resources needed to support a secure and flexible life as people age. 

The organization adds: ‘Maintaining physically, emotionally, cognitively healthy lifestyles while in your 20s and 30s can substantially impact your quality of life in later years.’

Longevity fitness can help people live longer experts say because it strengthens the three forms of capital most strongly tied to survival: social, health, and financial. 

Strong social networks reduce loneliness and isolation, factors repeatedly shown to increase mortality risk. Good health habits and access to preventive care lower the likelihood of chronic illness and disability. 

And financial stability allows people to afford medications, safe housing, nutritious food, and timely medical treatment, while also reducing the chronic stress that accelerates aging. Together, these pillars create the conditions for longer, healthier lives. 

‘No one can predict the future’ 

The authors of the new GSA report highlight that preparation for later life cannot rest solely on individuals: society as a whole must adapt to an aging population. 

They call for reshaping social structures to better support older adults, promoting both financial and longevity literacy from birth onward.

The report also delves into how life expectancy is not uniform: it is heavily influenced by sex, race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and education. 

One large US study found that adults with a master’s degree had 15 years longer life expectancy at age 18 than those with less than a high school education, and eight years more than those with just a high school diploma.

In the same study, individuals living in poverty had about 10.5 years lower life expectancy at age 18 compared to those with incomes greater than or equal to 400 percent of the poverty threshold.

Experts link education to lifespan because it strongly influences health behaviors, income, employment, and access to resources, all key drivers of long-term health. 

Meanwhile, research published in JAMA found large gaps in life expectancy by race and education.

Between 2010 and 2017, life expectancy declined for white and Black adults without a four‑year college degree, but increased for those who were college-educated.

One of the more novel proposals in the GSA report is the idea of ‘living insurance,’ financial planning designed to ensure sufficient income and wealth regardless of how long one lives, rather than focusing solely on traditional life insurance.

‘No one can predict the future,’ the report cautions. ‘However, individuals can take steps to understand their life expectancy and develop the resources needed to make the most of their remaining years.’

As the US population grows older, the nation is experiencing a historic demographic shift driven by longer life expectancy and the aging of the Baby Boomer generation. 

By 2034, adults aged 65 and older are projected to outnumber children for the first time in American history, which analysts say will reshape the country’s workforce, economy, and health-care demands.