Life Expectancy Calculator

Why You Should Calculate Your Life Expectancy

As you age, the risk of death increases. While it may not be a pleasant thought, it’s the reality of life. Rather than simply hoping that you live as long as possible, it’s a good idea to calculate your estimated life expectancy. Knowing how long you’re likely to live (barring any unforeseen events) can help you create a more nuanced plan for your life.

Here are just a few things that our life expectancy calculator can help you do:

• Estimate how many years of retirement income you will need
• Plan for cost of living changes as you age
• Make financial plans for your spouse and any dependents
• Craft a more nuanced estate plan
• Account for your housing and long-term care needs

Your age can have a major impact on the way you live and what choices you make before and during retirement. If you anticipate living for another 30 years, you’ll want to make sure that you have the savings and retirement income to cover it. On the other hand, if your life expectancy is only a few remaining years, you’ll likely prioritize getting your affairs in order, ensuring that you can leave something for your loved ones. In either case, having an idea of your life expectancy now can help you make the right decisions for yourself and your family.

What Factors Can Affect Your Lifespan?

There are dozens of factors that can affect your lifespan, but your current age and gender are the two most important components. When calculating things like insurance rates and annuity payouts, companies and regulatory agencies often use actuarial life calculations. The Social Security Administration provides a detailed table of actuarial life spans every year. These calculations not only provide you with your estimated life expectancy based on your gender and current age, but also the probability of death within a year.2 However, these tables aren’t very easy to read and interpret, which is why it’s much easier to use a life expectancy calculator.

It’s also important to remember that life expectancy estimates are based on probabilities. Other factors that can affect your life expectancy include:

• Diet
• Lifestyle and activity levels
• Sleep routine
• Smoking habits
• Drinking habits
• Family health history
• Socioeconomic status

This means that it’s never an exact science, and you shouldn’t let the results of the calculations make you worry. Instead, use the results to plan your life and retirement accordingly.

How to Interpret Your Life Expectancy Results

When you use our life expectancy calculator, you only have to input two pieces of information:  your gender and current age. With this information, we calculate the approximate number of years you have left. Remember, this is just an estimate based on averages, so don’t be disheartened if the results aren’t as positive as you hoped!

Once you click “Calculate,” you’ll be presented with a line graph. The x-axis (horizontal axis) shows your age in years, while the y-axis (vertical axis) shows the number of years you potentially have left. You’ll see a dot at the point where your current age and the “years left” merge. Hovering over this dot will show you the exact number you’re looking for.

It’s important to understand that your results are based on years of data analysis related to the life spans of men and women. It is not a diagnosis, prognosis, or official confirmation of any kind. You should look at these results as a general guidepost for your future.