Plan on Living to 100
Why Retirement Planning Must Evolve for the Age of Longevity
By Tim Schiltz, LifeSpend Planner
Executive Summary
The most important financial question of our time is no longer “When will I retire?” — it’s “How long will I live?” For generations, retirement planning has been built around life expectancies in the mid-70s or 80s. But today, we stand at the edge of a longevity revolution. Medical advances, better nutrition, and more active lifestyles are extending lifespans in ways that fundamentally reshape how we must plan, spend, and live in retirement.
According to Corebridge Financial’s 2025 Longevity Study, nearly half of Americans believe it’s possible they could live to age 100, and the majority expect to spend at least 20 to 30 years in retirement. Yet fewer than a third feel confident they won’t outlive their money. This gap between longevity expectations and financial preparedness defines the new challenge — and opportunity — of modern retirement planning.
Traditional financial approaches — the “4 percent rule,” static portfolio withdrawals, and generalized savings targets — are ill-equipped for a world where a 65-year-old might live another 35 years or more. The real risk for today’s retirees isn’t dying too soon; it’s living longer than their money lasts.
This white paper introduces a new way forward: LifeSpend Planning — an approach that turns longevity from a fear into a framework. Instead of asking “Do I have enough?”, it asks “How much can I confidently spend — and still live, give, and leave what I want?”
“Half of Americans believe they could live to 100 — but only 29 percent are very confident they won’t outlive their money.” — Corebridge Financial, 2025 Longevity Study
The Longevity Revolution
We are living through one of the quietest yet most profound revolutions in human history — the extension of life itself. What was once rare is quickly becoming normal: people not only living longer but living better longer.
For most of the twentieth century, “living to 100” was a medical marvel. Today, it’s an emerging demographic reality. The Corebridge Financial 2025 Longevity Study found that 47 percent of Americans believe it’s possible they could live to 100, and nearly one in five expect a retirement lasting 30 years or more. Among younger adults, the optimism is even higher — many in their 40s and 50s now assume longevity as a baseline, not an exception.
Three forces are driving this shift: medical advancement, behavioral awareness, and purpose. Breakthroughs in medicine and lifestyle are delaying disease and improving vitality, while retirees increasingly define “aging” through engagement, not decline. Retirement now unfoldsin phases — active, slower, and legacy years — requiring adaptable income, spending rhythms, and flexibility.
For those who plan wisely, longevity isn’t a burden — it’s a bonus. Thirty-plus years of retirement means time to travel, mentor grandchildren, start new ventures, or simply enjoy life without financial hesitation. But achieving that freedom requires acknowledging the new math of aging.
“Retirement could now last 35 years or more — longer than manypeople’s entire working careers.”
The Failure of Traditional Planning
Most retirees still rely on a playbook built for a shorter life. The “4 percent rule,” fixed asset mixes, and savings targets designed for a 20-year retirement simply don’t hold up when people may live 35 years after leaving work.
According to the Corebridge Financial 2025 Longevity Study, 73 percent of Americans say “not knowing how long I’ll live” makes planning difficult, while 87 percent worry about inflation and 84 percent about healthcare costs. These fears lead many to spend less than they safely could, sacrificing quality of life for unnecessary caution.
Traditional planning assumes average outcomes. But no one is average. Market swings, inflation, and longer lives make static rules dangerous. A portfolio built for 20 years may crumble under 35.
Emotionally, this uncertainty creates retirement paralysis: retirees hold back, fearing one wrong decision could ruin everything. The result is a quiet epidemic of under-spending — people who worked and saved diligently yet live as if one expense could undo it all.
To thrive in the longevity era, planning must evolve from accumulation to allocation — not just how much you have, but how confidently you can spend it over a lifetime that may last to 100.
“The biggest retirement fear isn’t dying early — it’s running out of money while still healthy.”
The LifeSpend Approach: Clarity for the Century
If traditional retirement planning was built around saving, modern longevity demands a focus on spending. The goal isn’t simply to accumulate wealth — it’s to turn savings into a lifetime of confident, sustainable income. That’s where LifeSpend Planning begins.
LifeSpend flips the question from “How much do I need to retire?” to “How much can I safely spend — and still live and leave what I want?” By planning through age 100, it eliminates the guesswork and transforms uncertainty into clarity.
LifeSpend integrates actuarial science with behavioral insight, calculating a personalized safe spending rate based on assets, expected longevity, and desired legacy. It combines lifetime income sources like Social Security, pensions, and annuities to stabilize cash flow, and models outcomes to age 100 to ensure income durability even in the longest scenarios.
Example: Jane, age 65, extended her LifeSpend Plan from age 90 to 100. Her safe annual spending dropped by about $10,000 to fund the extra years. Rather than accept a lower lifestyle, her LifeSpend Planner suggested reallocating part of her IRA to a Qualified Longevity Annuity Contract (QLAC). This delayed some Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) and provided guaranteed income starting later in life — matching her extended lifespan with deferred income. By using the QLAC, Jane restored her spending level — gaining back the same $10,000 per year she would have otherwise lost — while securing reliable income deep into her 90s and beyond.
According to Corebridge Financial, 83 percent of Americans say securing lifetime income beyond Social Security is a priority — a signal that consumers want reliability as much as growth. LifeSpend meets that need by blending income certainty with investment flexibility, turning longevity into a design feature instead of a fear factor.
“Longevity isn’t a liability — if you align guaranteed income with your extended life horizon, it becomes freedom.”
Longevity Tools: Making 100-Year Planning Practical
Planning to live to 100 sounds ambitious, but it’s entirely manageable with the right tools. The goal isn’t predicting how long you’ll live — it’s building flexibility and guaranteed income that can adapt no matter how long you do.
Tools like annuities and Qualified Longevity Annuity Contracts (QLACs) can extend retirement income far beyond portfolio limits. Immediate or deferred annuities provide steady, predictable income. QLACs postpone a portion of Required Minimum Distributions and deliver income starting later in life, creating a second paycheck that protects against outliving assets.
Social Security optimization, flexible portfolios balancing growth with stability, and clear legacy goals ensure liquidity and inheritance priorities are met. The result is clarity and control — the freedom to live, give, and leave on purpose.
According to the Corebridge Financial 2025 Longevity Study, only 30 percent of Americans feel very confident they won’t outlive their money. The right combination of guaranteed income, flexible investments, and personalized modeling replaces guesswork with measurable confidence — turning the unknown into a plan.
“A QLAC isn’t just a tax deferral tool — it’s longevity insurance that funds the later chapters of life.”
Conclusion: Planning for 100 Isn’t About Fear — It’s About Freedom
Longevity isn’t a risk to avoid; it’s a reality to embrace. The possibility of living to 100 is no longer extraordinary — it’s increasingly common. The question is whether your finances are prepared to support that full, vibrant century of life.
The old playbook of saving hard and spending cautiously no longer works. Today’s retirees need a framework that connects their money to their lifespan, their goals, and their sense of purpose. That’s what LifeSpend Planning delivers — a clear, personalized spending plan that shows exactly how much you can enjoy each year, while ensuring your income lasts as long as you do.
By planning through age 100, you replace guesswork with clarity and hesitation with confidence. You don’t have to wonder, “Am I spending too much?” — you’ll know exactly what’s sustainable, secure, and smart.
Explore your personalized LifeSpend Plan to see how long your money can truly last — and how confidently you can live today.
Discover more at LifeSpendPlanner.com
“Longevity becomes freedom when your plan gives you permission to live fully, not fearfully.”
References
Corebridge Financial (2025). “Navigating the Path to 100: How Longevity Is Reshaping Retirement Planning.”
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