The 100-Year Lens: Transforming How We Plan, Live, and Thrive
By Geoff Ivanac – Longevity Financial Planner
Have you ever considered what life could look like if you lived to 100?
As medical advancements continue to extend lifespans, many of us may well live to see our 100th birthday. This isn’t just a possibility—it’s a likelihood for an increasing number of people. So, what does that mean for your life and financial planning?
To navigate this reality, I invite you to adopt what I call the “100-year lens.” This perspective challenges the traditional idea of life planning, shifting the focus from merely saving for retirement to creating a life that’s fulfilling at every stage.
When we view life through the 100-year lens, we realise that retirement is not the end, but a new beginning—a new chapter filled with exploration, growth, and contribution.
Why the 100-Year Lens Matters
Traditional financial planning tends to focus on the period from now until retirement, emphasising how much money you need to save to support a comfortable lifestyle once you stop working.
However, this approach often overlooks the emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects of planning for a long, meaningful life.
By adopting the 100-year lens, you’re encouraged to think beyond the typical retirement age. It’s about asking bigger questions:
- What do I want my life to look like in my 70s, 80s, and even 90s?
- How do I continue to grow and explore throughout these years?
- What impact do I want to make?
The 100-year lens inspires a life-centered approach to planning, one that looks at your whole life journey—not just the financials. It considers three key aspects:
• Cultural:
What are your values, passions, and the legacy you want to create? How do you wish to contribute to your family, community, and the world?
• Scientific:
How do advancements in healthcare and lifestyle affect your planning? A 100-year life requires attention to physical health, mental well-being, and adaptability to change.
• Financial:
How can your financial resources support not just retirement, but a multi-stage life that includes exploration, contribution, and continued personal growth?
By looking through this lens, we move away from the limited goal of merely retiring and start focusing on how to build a fulfilling, vibrant life throughout every stage.
Curious where you are on your 100-year journey?
Take the free Wealth Check to see how clear your next chapter is—and how our wealth management services can help you get there with confidence.
Planning for a Multi-Stage Life
The 100-year lens introduces the concept of a multi-stage life.
In the past, life followed a predictable pattern: education, career, retirement. Today, however, our longer lifespans and changing societal norms create the opportunity for a more fluid, dynamic journey.
Imagine your life as a series of stages: periods of work and exploration, times of sabbatical and personal growth, phases dedicated to giving back to the community or pursuing creative projects.
The 100-year lens encourages you to view retirement not as an endpoint, but as one of many phases in your life.
This perspective frees you to explore different pathways. Perhaps you’ll want to start a new career after your initial retirement, or maybe you’ll decide to travel, learn new skills, or engage more deeply in community work.
The multi-stage life approach allows for continuous growth and evolution, ensuring that every phase of your life is filled with purpose and joy.
Wealth Management Services Through the 100-Year Lens
When you adopt this approach, financial planning becomes a dynamic process. It’s not just about building wealth to support a static idea of retirement; it’s about creating a flexible financial landscape that evolves as you move through different stages of life.
This means planning for various “seasons” in your life: the working years, times of exploration and personal growth, and stages where you might focus on health, relationships, and contribution.
At Longevity Financial Planner, our wealth management services are designed to support this evolution. We help you build a strategy that:
- Grows with you
- Adapts to life’s changes
- Empowers you to dream, explore, and live fully at every stage
The 100-year lens challenges you to use your financial resources not just for security, but for purpose and possibility.
What’s Next?
The 100-year lens is just the beginning of a transformational approach to life planning.
In the next post, we’ll dive into legacy planning—how to craft a legacy that reflects your values and impact, and why it’s an essential part of a longevity plan.
Legacy planning is about much more than money; it’s about defining how you want to be remembered and the story you leave behind.
Are you ready to embrace the 100-year lens and start planning for a life of continued growth and exploration?
Subscribe to my blog to stay updated, and let’s begin crafting a financial plan that supports the life you’ve always envisioned.
General Advice Disclaimer
Please note, the information provided herein is general in nature and does not consider your personal circumstances. It is not intended as legal, tax, or personal advice. Always seek personalised financial advice to ensure your estate planning aligns with your unique situation and goals
Geoff Ivanac – Longevity Financial Planner