We often read that the life expectancy of Canadians is continually increasing and that we need to be prepared to live longer. The 24 year old man who died recently in a car accident had a life expectancy of over 80 years. He didn't give a damn about that statistic! He is dead. However, his death affects your life expectancy!
Life expectancy at birth
In 2017, life expectancy at birth in Quebec was 80.6 years for men and 84.5 years for women, according to the Institut de la statistique du Québec. Life expectancy at birth is a statistic that is influenced by deaths at birth and by the 24 year old male in our introduction. Our life expectancy is changing and increasing every day. A 65 year old man, for example, no longer has to worry about dying at a young age in a car accident. His life expectancy is now around 90 years. Here again, we must be wary of the average as a statistic. There will be men who die between 65 and 70, 70 and 80. Despite their life expectancy of 90 years, at age 65, a large majority will not reach it.
Longevity and retirement savings
It is easier to remember our neighbor who retired at 65 and died at 70 of cancer than our aunt who lived to the age of 95 confined to a wheelchair in a nursing home.
This causes a false perception of our longevity and consequently a deficit in our retirement savings.
We often hear, especially from "baby boomers," phrases like, "Let's enjoy it while we're healthy! "
Mr. Robert Bourbeau, professor emeritus in the Department of Demography at the Université de Montréal, proposes the notion of probability of survival illustrated by the table below.
For example, a 60-year-old woman has a one in two chance of reaching the age of 91, while a man has a one in four chance of reaching the age of 89. This woman has a one in four chance of reaching 96 years of age while for the man it is 94 years.
You and your spouse are 50 years old, one of you will reach an age close to 90. Think about it for a minute!
Even a 1 in 4 chance is huge!
We need to prepare to live longer. Therefore, we must start saving early. Pierre-Carl Michaud, Industrial Alliance Research Chair in the Economics of Demographic Change, pointed out that the individual annuity market has stagnated over the past 10 years. "When you have significant capital, it's hard to let it go in exchange for a guaranteed monthly payment. "
Conclusion
Our role is to help you understand this issue of your life expectancy and to help you make informed decisions.