Longevity Calculator: How Long Will Your Money Need to Last?
Average U.S. life expectancy at birth (~78–79 years) is the wrong planning number — if you've reached 65, Social Security period tables give a 65-year-old man ~17 more years on average and a woman ~20, and averages mean half live longer. For a healthy 65-year-old couple, actuarial tables commonly show a 45–50% chance at least one spouse reaches 90. Standard planning practice: fund retirement to age 90–95, or model with a personalized longevity calculator like the estimator below.
Quick Longevity Estimator
Simplified estimate based on SSA period-table averages plus lifestyle adjustment. For planning only — not a prediction. Try the detailed research-based calculators at longevityillustrator.org (American Academy of Actuaries / Society of Actuaries) and ssa.gov.
Why Averages Mislead
Life expectancy at birth includes infant and mid-life mortality. Once you reach 65, your conditional expectancy is much higher — and planning to the average means a coin-flip chance of outliving your plan. That's why planners fund to 90–95 and why lifetime income annuities exist: they transfer the "living too long" risk to an insurer.
What Longevity Changes in Your Plan
- Social Security timing: longer expected life strengthens the case for delaying to 70 (larger, inflation-adjusted, lifetime checks). See the over-50 makeover.
- Withdrawal rate: the classic "4% rule" was built on 30-year retirements; longer horizons argue for lower initial rates or flexible spending.
- Long-term care odds: HHS/ASPE research has estimated that over half of Americans turning 65 will need some long-term services and supports — see LTC insurance.
- Couples math: plan on joint longevity — the second-to-die horizon is what the portfolio must survive.
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View Gainbridge annuity rates →Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best longevity calculator?
The Longevity Illustrator (longevityillustrator.org), built by the American Academy of Actuaries and Society of Actuaries, is the standard free research-based tool; the Social Security Administration's life expectancy calculator at ssa.gov is a simpler alternative.
What age should I plan to live to for retirement?
Common planning practice is age 90–95 for individuals and 95+ for couples, because actuarial tables give a healthy 65-year-old couple roughly even odds that one spouse reaches 90.
What is the life expectancy of a 65-year-old?
Recent Social Security period tables show a 65-year-old man living about 17 more years on average (to ~82) and a woman about 20 (to ~85) — and half of people live longer than these averages.
How does longevity affect how much I can withdraw?
The longer the horizon, the lower the safe starting withdrawal rate. The well-known 4% guideline assumed ~30 years; planning to 95 from a 60-year-old start (35 years) argues for a lower rate, flexible spending rules, or guaranteed income layers.