jollystomper
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2012
- Messages
- 6,828
Data from the U.S. Census bureau estimates there are about 2.7 million widowers and 9.3 million widows aged 65 and older in the U.S. So I go by these odds with the assumption that DW - who is about a year older than me - will outlive me. Our estate planning takes that into account.
From my family history, Dad, an only child, died at 72. I have 2 older brothers who so far have outlived Dad's age (turning 76 and 75 later this year) with no real chronic health issues to slow them down, so I may live beyond my Dad's age. Mom lived to 86 and was very active until her last 18 months. Of her 5 siblings one died young in an accident, but the rest lived into their mid 80s and higher. I have an uncle and two aunts in their 90s who are still mentally well and active.
DW parents families are a contrast - her dad was one of six, one (the oldest, female) lived to 92 but all the others died in their 60s and 70s - her father died at 70. Several of them - not her Dad - dealt with dementia in their last years. Her mother is still alive at 93, still mentally the same but physically limited. She is one of nine, one brother - the oldest - is still alive at 101 (mentally there but deaf and in assisted living). Only one of the others died younger than age 85, at 60 - due to an asthma attack that had he been in the U.S. could have easily been addressed. Three of the others were healthy in their 80s but died in accidents. So who knows which side she may take after. No dementia among the lot.
Overall, we can look at the odds, but we just don't know. The best retirement planning in this area is to take care of our health so that we can do what we want as much as possible, to build those fond memories that we may want to look back on when we can no longer do them
.
From my family history, Dad, an only child, died at 72. I have 2 older brothers who so far have outlived Dad's age (turning 76 and 75 later this year) with no real chronic health issues to slow them down, so I may live beyond my Dad's age. Mom lived to 86 and was very active until her last 18 months. Of her 5 siblings one died young in an accident, but the rest lived into their mid 80s and higher. I have an uncle and two aunts in their 90s who are still mentally well and active.
DW parents families are a contrast - her dad was one of six, one (the oldest, female) lived to 92 but all the others died in their 60s and 70s - her father died at 70. Several of them - not her Dad - dealt with dementia in their last years. Her mother is still alive at 93, still mentally the same but physically limited. She is one of nine, one brother - the oldest - is still alive at 101 (mentally there but deaf and in assisted living). Only one of the others died younger than age 85, at 60 - due to an asthma attack that had he been in the U.S. could have easily been addressed. Three of the others were healthy in their 80s but died in accidents. So who knows which side she may take after. No dementia among the lot.
Overall, we can look at the odds, but we just don't know. The best retirement planning in this area is to take care of our health so that we can do what we want as much as possible, to build those fond memories that we may want to look back on when we can no longer do them