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Retirement

Longevity update required

  • November 13 2019
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Retirement

Longevity update required

By Cameron Micallef
November 13 2019

The table used by the superannuation industry and financial planners to estimate longevity and calculate savings and spending habits is drastically underestimating retiree requirements, according to the Actuaries Institute.

Longevity update required

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  • November 13 2019
  • Share

The table used by the superannuation industry and financial planners to estimate longevity and calculate savings and spending habits is drastically underestimating retiree requirements, according to the Actuaries Institute.

Longevity update required

The Actuaries Institute is pushing for a government review as more and more superannuation members outlive their retirement nest eggs.

A couple of average health needs a plan that lasts until they are 100 to be 80 per cent sure their financial plan meets their lifespan, the institute explained.

According to the institute, that is 16 years longer than if the adviser used the simple look-up table for a 65-year-old male.

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Actuaries Institute president Nicolette Rubinsztein said the government has made a strategic commitment to improve retirement income products, due to longer life expectancy.

Longevity update required

She noted that “life expectancy calculations are often required in the superannuation and financial planning industries”. 

Highlighting improvements to lifespan over the past 50 years, the advisory group has emphasised that the 2010 figure of a woman living to 87 is likely to outlive her retirement income.

“A healthy, well-educated female entering retirement today, who had an affluent career and enjoys a good quality of housing, is just as likely to live beyond age 100 as she is to die before age 80,” the institute said.

It looked at a number of factors affecting longevity, including: medical research, living standards, nutrition, lifestyle, education, occupation, genetics and wealth.

“If an adviser group has 1,000 healthy, educated, professional 65-year-old couples as clients, it could expect more than half of these households to still have one spouse alive at age 95,” the institute concluded.  

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About the author

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Cameron is a journalist for Momentum Media's nestegg and Smart Property Investment. He enjoys giving Aussies practical financial tips and tricks to help grow their wealth and achieve financial independence. As a self-confessed finance nerd, Cameron enjoys chatting with industry experts and commentators to leverage their insights to grow your portfolio.

About the author

author image
Cameron Micallef

Cameron is a journalist for Momentum Media's nestegg and Smart Property Investment. He enjoys giving Aussies practical financial tips and tricks to help grow their wealth and achieve financial independence. As a self-confessed finance nerd, Cameron enjoys chatting with industry experts and commentators to leverage their insights to grow your portfolio.

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