Planning concepts
How long should the retirement plan last?
A life expectancy calculator for planning: clients enter age, sex, smoking status and general health to see an estimated life expectancy, years remaining and an age to plan retirement through.
Included in Firm and Network. 14-day trial, cancel any time.
What age should I plan my retirement to?
Start from life expectancy for your current age and sex, then add a margin, because half of people live longer than the average. The calculator starts from U.S. period life tables (CDC/NCHS) and applies rough lifestyle adjustments, then suggests a planning age beyond the estimate so savings aren't planned to run out too soon.
When building a retirement plan
Retirement calculators ask for years in retirement, and clients rarely know what to enter. They search for an estimate grounded in data.
What the client types into a search box
“how long will I live”
How a client works through it
Enter age and sex
Starting point in the life tables.
Enter smoking status
A major adjustment.
Enter general health
A rough adjustment.
See the horizon
Estimated life expectancy, years remaining and plan-through age.
What lands in your inbox
When a client asks your firm to review the result, the request arrives as a contact record with their inputs and results attached, by email and, on paid plans, by webhook to your CRM.
Received
Age and health inputs show the client's stage. Good health and longer horizons support delayed Social Security and lower withdrawal rates.
Estimate versus planning age
Estimated Life Expectancy is an average, and Years Remaining follows from it. Plan Retirement Through adds a margin, because planning to the average leaves roughly a coin-flip chance of outliving savings.
It's an educational estimate, not a medical prediction.
Results shown: Estimated Life Expectancy · Years Remaining · Plan Retirement Through.
Why longevity belongs in planning
Underestimating lifespan is one of the biggest planning risks. A data-based horizon makes withdrawal rates, Social Security claiming and annuity decisions more realistic.
It's sensitive, so a firm that handles it thoughtfully builds trust.
Follow-ups this request opens
- Set the plan horizon
- Revisit Social Security claiming
- Consider longevity insurance or annuities
- Review long-term care planning
What this calculator leaves out
- Rough lifestyle adjustments only.
- Not a medical or actuarial assessment.
- Based on period life tables.
- Couples' joint longevity not modeled.
Platform disclaimer shown under the calculator: Educational estimate only. Starts from U.S. period life tables (CDC/NCHS, 2023) for your current age and sex, then applies rough lifestyle adjustments; it is not a medical or actuarial prediction and should not drive medical or financial decisions on its own.
Compliance note for firms
Health-related inputs are sensitive. Keep lead capture optional and handle any submitted data under your privacy notice; avoid using the result in insurance underwriting or marketing claims.
Not legal advice. See our disclaimer and the guide to compliance for client calculators.
Terms your client sees in the calculator
These definitions appear in the calculator's collapsible Definitions block, so clients don't have to call to ask what a label means.
- Life expectancy
- The average age people of a given current age and sex are expected to reach, based on current death rates. It is an average: about half of people live longer. This calculator starts from U.S. period life tables (CDC/NCHS, 2023) and applies rough adjustments for smoking and general health.
- Period life table
- A table showing death rates and remaining life expectancy at each age, based on deaths in a single year. It assumes today’s death rates never change, so it does not build in future medical progress. The tables used here are from CDC/NCHS for 2023, rounded and interpolated between ages.
- Years remaining
- The estimated number of additional years from your current age, after lifestyle adjustments. Estimated life expectancy is your age plus this figure. Remaining years shrink as you age, but total life expectancy rises, because you have already survived the risks of earlier years.
- Longevity risk
- The financial risk of living longer than your savings last. Because life expectancy is only an average, planning to exactly that age leaves roughly even odds of running short. This calculator’s “plan retirement through” result adds five years to the estimate to give a margin for that risk.
- Planning horizon
- The age your retirement, withdrawal and insurance plans are built to last to. A longer horizon means smaller safe withdrawals or more savings needed. Many planners choose an age well beyond average life expectancy, especially for couples, since the chance that at least one spouse lives to an advanced age is higher.
- Smoking adjustment
- Smoking is one of the largest single factors that lower life expectancy. This calculator reduces remaining years by about 20% for smokers, which is roughly a decade at midlife. It is a rough population average, not a personal prediction; quitting reduces the risk over time.
Life Expectancy calculator: questions from firms and clients
Is this a medical prediction?
No, an educational estimate for planning.
Why plan beyond life expectancy?
Because many people live longer than average.
Where does the data come from?
U.S. period life tables published by CDC/NCHS, with rough adjustments.
What about couples?
One spouse often lives much longer than the average; plan for the survivor.
Does it affect Social Security timing?
Longer expected lives favor delaying; see the benefit calculator.
Is my data stored?
Only if you choose to send results to the firm.
Should I use it for insurance?
No, insurers use their own underwriting.
Which plan includes it?
Firm and Network. See pricing.
No question matches that filter. Clear it to see them all, search the whole site, or ask us directly; we reply within one business day.
Clients who ask this usually ask next
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will I run out of money in retirement
Social Security Benefit
should I take social security at 62 or wait
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Embed the Life Expectancy calculator on your firm's site in an afternoon and receive requests with the numbers already filled in.
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