The Surprising Science Behind Why People Underestimate Their Lifespans
When it comes to planning for retirement, and choosing when to start claiming Social Security benefits, one of the key inputs into our decisions is how long we expect to live.
Seniors can choose when they want to start taking Social Security payouts; wait longer, and the monthly check from the Social Security Administration is bigger.
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Your own life expectancy depends on a range of factors, most importantly, your health. The Social Security Administration provides life expectancy tables that account for the “conditional probability” of having reached a particular age, but you may find a calculator that takes into account your health status to be more accurate. Research by Stephen Aichele and colleagues in Psychological Science shows you can trust your gut instincts about whether you’re healthier or sicker than the average person; subjective health status is one of the best predictors of longevity.
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