Retirement Planning for a 100-Year Life: What Longevity Changes
About the Episode
Where retirement plans once targeted a life expectancy around 80, medical advances and continued innovation mean many people today should plan for the real possibility of living into their 90s or beyond.
In this episode, Dave Alison and Greg Dillon explain why this changes how they think about Social Security timing, guaranteed income sources, and long-term care, and why flexibility, rather than a fixed number, is one of the most valuable things a retirement plan can offer.
What We’ll Cover:
- Why planning for a longer life expectancy changes the math on retirement income, taxes, and market risk
- How Social Security optimization works and why the decision should never be made in isolation
- What guaranteed income sources, like annuities and pensions, can do for retirement confidence (often called mitigating longevity risk)
- Why a plan for extended care matters for a family’s finances as much as for a person’s health
- How to think about accepting risk versus mitigating it when building a retirement income plan
Timestamps:
00:00 — Cold open: the link between health and wealth
00:30 — Welcome back and today’s topic: longevity
01:00 — Why longer life expectancy changes retirement planning
03:00 — Flexibility as a core planning principle
05:00 — Why most people underestimate their own life expectancy
07:00 — Social Security as a guaranteed, inflation-adjusted pension
11:00 — Social Security optimization and common mistakes
17:00 — The income gap and The Bucket Plan® approach
20:00 — Using annuities to help mitigate longevity risk
25:00 — Guaranteed income, reduced stress, and quality of life
29:00 — Planning for extended care and its impact on families
36:00 — A real client example: insuring against catastrophic risk
39:00 — Closing thoughts: having something to retire to
About the Hosts
Dave Alison, CFP®, EA, BPC — President of Wealth Management and Founding Partner, Prosperity Capital Advisors
Dave Alison, CFP®, EA, BPC, is President of Wealth Management and Founding Partner of Prosperity Capital Advisors, where he also chairs the Investment Committee. A nationally recognized leader in tax strategies, investment management, and holistic financial planning, Dave guides ultra-high-net-worth families, individuals, and business owners through every aspect of their wealth. He has been featured in Bloomberg, Forbes, and U.S. News & World Report, among others.
Greg Dillon, CFA®, CFP®, NSSA® — Partner and Senior Wealth Manager, Prosperity Capital Advisors
Greg Dillon, CFA®, CFP®, NSSA®, is a Partner and Senior Wealth Manager at Prosperity Capital Advisors, where he builds tax-efficient retirement strategies tailored to each client’s goals. With over two decades in financial services, including experience trading fixed income and options at UBS, Greg specializes in retirement income, stock options, and investment management for clients navigating complex financial lives. He co-founded OneTeam Financial, a Prosperity Capital Advisors company, in 2019 and is a member of Ed Slott’s Master Elite IRA Group.
Related Episodes
Episode 1 – Holistic Health & Wealth: A New Podcast on Money and Well-Being
