Terry Turner, writer and researcher for RetireGuide
  • Written by
    Terry Turner

    Terry Turner

    Senior Financial Writer and Financial Wellness Facilitator

    Terry Turner has more than 35 years of journalism experience, including covering benefits, spending and congressional action on federal programs such as Social Security and Medicare. He is a Certified Financial Wellness Facilitator through the National Wellness Institute and the Foundation for Financial Wellness and a member of the Association for Financial Counseling & Planning Education (AFCPE®).

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  • Edited By
    Lee Williams
    Lee Williams, senior editor for RetireGuide.com

    Lee Williams

    Senior Financial Editor

    Lee Williams is a professional writer, editor and content strategist with 10 years of professional experience working for global and nationally recognized brands. He has contributed to Forbes, The Huffington Post, SUCCESS Magazine, AskMen.com, Electric Literature and The Wall Street Journal. His career also includes ghostwriting for Fortune 500 CEOs and published authors.

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  • Reviewed By
    Ebony J. Howard, CPA
    Ebony J. Howard, CPA

    Ebony J. Howard, CPA

    Credentialed Tax Expert at Intuit

    Ebony J. Howard is a certified public accountant and freelance consultant with a background in accounting, personal finance, and income tax planning and preparation.  She specializes in analyzing financial information in the health care, banking and real estate sectors.

    Read More
  • Published: June 2, 2021
  • Updated: December 17, 2024
  • This page features 14 Cited Research Articles
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APA Turner, T. (2024, December 17). Life Expectancy Calculator. RetireGuide.com. Retrieved December 18, 2024, from https://www.retireguide.com/retirement-planning/life-expectancy-calculator/

MLA Turner, Terry. "Life Expectancy Calculator." RetireGuide.com, 17 Dec 2024, https://www.retireguide.com/retirement-planning/life-expectancy-calculator/.

Chicago Turner, Terry. "Life Expectancy Calculator." RetireGuide.com. Last modified December 17, 2024. https://www.retireguide.com/retirement-planning/life-expectancy-calculator/.

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Calculating anyone’s life expectancy is an inexact science. But by looking at your current age, gender, race, lifestyle and family history, and comparing that to national and global databases, you can get an idea of how long you can expect to live after retirement.

According to the 2020 data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average life expectancy for men in the United States was 75.1 years, and for women it was 80.5. The CDC uses several factors to determine this average.

The Social Security Administration uses only age and gender to create a simple estimate of your life expectancy after retirement — painting a longer life expectancy on average.

Social Security Administration Life Expectancy
Retirement AgeMen
Additional Years at Retirement 		Women
Additional Years at Retirement
6717.519.9
7015.4 17.6
Source: Social Security Administration

The RetireGuide Life Expectancy Calculator combines this data with other national databases to estimate your life expectancy based on multiple factors specific to your life, family history and lifestyle.

Factors Used to Estimate Your Life Expectancy
  • Age
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Body mass index (BMI)
  • Education
  • Gender
  • General health
  • Race
  • Smoking status

All of these factors can affect your life expectancy. By incorporating these additional factors into your calculation, you may be able to make a more accurate estimate of how long you can expect to live after you retire.

Life Expectancy and Your Retirement

Like most Americans, you’re probably used to spending and saving based on your paycheck. When you stop getting that check in retirement, it can throw off your day-to-day finances, according to Sandy Block, a senior editor at Kiplinger’s, in an interview with RetireGuide.

“What to set aside for long-term care, how long they’ll live — these are really hard things for people to get their heads around,” Block said.

Having an idea of your life expectancy is a key part of creating any retirement strategy. It affects everything you plan — from health care to how much you need to save.

  • Medicare Icon
    Medicare
    Your family medical history and longevity should factor into the type of Medicare plan you choose in order to maximize coverage while reducing costs.
  • Annuities Icon
    Annuities
    Annuities can be a source of guaranteed lifetime income, especially worth considering if you expect to live well past retirement age.
  • Life Insurance Icon
    Life Insurance
    Having a clearer picture of your life expectancy can help you shape the best life insurance strategies — as an investment or security for your loved ones.
  • Retirement Icon
    Retirement Savings
    The savings you put into your 401(k), IRA or other retirement savings account are finite. A clear picture of your life expectancy can help you determine how much to save — and how much to take out each month or year in retirement.

Getting a grasp of your potential life expectancy can help you build a savings timeline if you’re still planning for retirement. It’ll also help you establish a cash flow and net worth forecast that lets you make the most of your retirement savings once you get there.

Strengthening Your Retirement Plans for Longevity

With a clearer idea of your life expectancy, you can make the most of your retirement strategies. You’ll be able to maximize your retirement savings, minimize your tax bill in retirement and budget wisely for the future.

Tips for Retirement Strategies Based on Life Expectancy
Diversify your retirement income
Consider your retirement income sources — Social Security, 401(k), IRA, annuities. Social Security and annuities can give you a guaranteed income for life. You’ll have to estimate your lifetime income from retirement savings such as a 401(k) or IRA.
Cut your retirement costs
Budget for expenses over the course of your estimated retirement lifespan. Estimated health costs in retirement are around $295,000 per couple on average, according to financial firm Morgan Stanley. Those are likely to rise over time. Make adjustments for your personal health condition when considering which type of Medicare plans to consider.
Predict your retirement expenses
Estimating your life expectancy makes it easier to create your retirement budget long before you retire. It will give you a better idea of how to estimate your essential, discretionary, one-time and required expenses over time — as well as how much savings you’ll have to meet each type of retirement cost.
Estimate your lifetime taxes
With a clearer understanding of your life expectancy, you can better discuss your options to minimize your tax burdens in retirement. For instance, you’ll get a tax break now for saving through a traditional IRA, but you have to pay taxes on the money you take out. With a Roth IRA, you pay taxes on the money you put in, but your withdrawals are income tax-free.
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How Can You Improve Your Life Expectancy?

Estimating your life expectancy as it stands now can also help you take inventory of your health and well-being — and consider steps you can take to extend your life. A few simple steps can keep you healthy and active into your 60s, 70s and beyond.

Simple Steps to Extend Your Life Expectancy if You’re 50+
  • Don’t smoke or use tobacco — Quitting cuts your risk of cancer, heart disease and other health problems.
  • Eat healthy — Find tips at the USDA Choose My Plate website.
  • Get moving — Check out the National Institutes of Health Exercise and Physical Activity website for exercise tips to reduce your risk of age-related diseases and disabilities.
  • Get regular checkups — Help your doctor catch problems before they get out of hand.
  • Keep your brain active — Find tips for a healthy mind at the BrainHealth webpage from the National Institute on Aging.
  • Treat yourself well — Get enough sleep; keep in touch with family and friends; and surround yourself with people you enjoy to stay positive.
  • Watch your alcohol consumption — If you drink, drink in moderation to avoid health problems.
  • Watch your weight — Talk to your doctor about muscle loss or stubborn weight you can’t lose, both signs of other health problems.

Even though the average life expectancy in the United States is roughly 79 years, if you live to be 65, you have a “very high” likelihood of living to 85. And if you make it to 85, you’ve got another “very high” likelihood of reaching 92, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Fitness Adds Years to Life

A study by the National Institutes of Health found that exercise routines in people 40 or older led to longer life spans.

  • Just 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week increased life expectancy by 3.4 years.
  • Doubling that amount (300 minutes of moderate exercise or 150 minutes of vigorous exercise) added 4.2 years.
  • Even doing half (75 minutes moderate or 37.5 minutes vigorous) still added 1.8 years to their life.
Source: Plos Medicine

Talk with your doctor about a safe exercise routine and diet for your specific health and fitness level.

About This Life Expectancy Calculator

This calculator is an estimate of your life expectancy. It should not be taken as medical or financial advice. It is intended to get you thinking about your health and financial planning options and to help you discuss those options with financial and health care professionals.

There are a variety of factors that can affect your life expectancy, and no formula or calculator can weigh all those possibilities. But considering some of the most obvious factors and discussing your options with professionals can help you build better retirement strategies and work for a healthier life in your retirement.

Last Modified: December 17, 2024
Terry Turner, writer and researcher for RetireGuide
Terry Turner Senior Financial Writer and Financial Wellness Facilitator
  • Association for Financial Counseling & Planning Education (AFCPE®) member
  • Holds six Health Literacy certificates from the CDC
  • Emmy® Award winner
Edited By
Lee Williams, senior editor for RetireGuide.com
Lee Williams Senior Financial Editor
Financially Reviewed By
Ebony J. Howard, CPA
Ebony J. Howard, CPA Credentialed Tax Expert at Intuit

14 Cited Research Articles

  1. Social Security Administration. (2021, May 13). Retirement & Survivors Benefits: Life Expectancy Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/longevity.cgi
  2. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2021, May 13). Life Expectancy at 65 (Indicator). Retrieved from https://data.oecd.org/healthstat/life-expectancy-at-65.htm#indicator-chart
  3. Wamsley, L. (2021, February 18). American Life Expectancy Dropped by a Full Year in First Half of 2020. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2021/02/18/968791431/american-life-expectancy-dropped-by-a-full-year-in-the-first-half-of-2020
  4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, February). Provisional Life Expectancy Estimates for January Through June, 2020. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/vsrr/VSRR10-508.pdf
  5. Morgan Stanley. (2020, November 12). Planning for the Rising Costs of Health Care. Retrieved from https://www.morganstanley.com/ideas/healthcare-costs
  6. Preston, S.H. et al. (2018, December 20). Effect of Diabetes on Life Expectancy in the United States by Race and Ethnicity. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6550350/
  7. Kunzmann, A.T. et al. (2018, June 19). The association of lifetime alcohol use with mortality and cancer risk in older adults: A cohort study. Retrieved from https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1002585
  8. National Center for Health Statistics. (2018, June). Excess Deaths Associated with Underweight, Overweight and Obesity: An Evaluation of Potential Bias. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_03/sr03_042.pdf
  9. National Institutes of Health. (2016, June). Can You Lengthen Your Life? Retrieved from https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2016/06/can-you-lengthen-your-life
  10. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014, May 9). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpao/growthcharts/training/bmiage/page5_2.html
  11. ForensisGroup. (2013, February 14). Life Expectancy Calculation: Underwriting & Settlement Methods. Retrieved from https://www.forensisgroup.com/life-expectancy-calculations-using-life-underwriting-and-life-settlement-methods-in-the-legal-setting-2/
  12. Moore, S.C. et al. (2012, November 6). Leisure Time Physical Activity of Moderate to Vigorous Intensity and Mortality: A Large Pooled Cohort Analysis. Retrieved from https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1001335
  13. Society of Actuaries. (2008). 2008 Valuation Basic Tables [VBT] Report. Retrieved from https://www.soa.org/resources/experience-studies/2005-2009/2008-vbt-report-tables
  14. Flegal, K.M. et al. (2005, April 20). Excess Deaths Associated with Underweight, Overweight and Obesity. Retrieved from https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/200731