Carl Bourhenne's Fitness and Long Life Manual |
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Youthful and Attractive |
Plan ahead for Housing, Medical and Financial Security
Save Money!
So often I am asked what the one, single, most important factor is in living a long, healthy life. The question is inevitably followed by a suggested answer, usually either "Exercise" or "Nutrition". Many longevity researchers will say that the single most important factor for a healthy long life, youthful and attractive is...surprise!...Having a lot of money!
The reason that this is the answer often given is that without enough money to
provide the healthy necessities of life, the free time to exercise and do all of
the things that promote optimum health and attractiveness, and the financial resources
to live a relatively stress free lifestyle, optimum health is difficult to attain.
While some poorer people like to believe that people with money are unhappy, nothing could be further from the truth. Everyone has problems of one kind or another, and a certain percentage of every population are essentially unhappy. But for most people, the more money they have the more likely they are to be and to perceive themselves as happy, just as you and I are happier now than we would be if we had less money.
Furthermore, the more money that we have, the more able we are to live a stress free lifestyle, eat right, and have time to exercise and do all of the other fulfilling activities that make us healthy, youthful, and attractive for a longer life.
The heading of this section urges us to plan ahead for housing and financial security. It is critically important that we arrange our finances in such a manner that we will have all of the means to provide ourselves with housing, good food, medical care, and the opportunities for exercise, social activities, and all of the other factors that promote a healthy long life. We certainly must make provisions for an adequate living, and set aside or invest for that time when we will not work for our income.
The purpose of this section is not to design a financial program for you. There is not enough space here, and that can only be done by a Certified Financial Planner who can talk to you about where you will want to live, what your interests and hobbies are and will be, and what you anticipate your future interests will be.
Be aware of the importance of housing, medical, and financial needs for a healthy long life, and to cheer you on in your pursuit of your financial and material goals.
The more money you can obtain the better you can provide for ways to live a stress free life, full of the wide variety of factors that are generally necessary for the longest life, healthy, youthful, and attractive.
The research clearly shows that no single group of persons lives as long as those with a lot of money, for the reasons stated above. It is for these reasons that I encourage you to combine the fact that the self-employed are among the longest living (self-employment is one of the two lowest stress occupations because one has no supervisors), with the fact that the self-employed also generally have the best opportunity to make a lot of money.
Perhaps self-employment is not for you, and if it is not, then it is not best for your healthy long life.
But if self-employment is for you, then you have a dual opportunity to realize the most of your 120 possible years of life.
The most important message that this section holds for you though is, indeed, to plan ahead for housing, medical, and financial security. And the best way to do this is to hire a Certified Financial Planner who does not sell stocks or insurance, or any other items or services. Pay the financial planner for planning and strategy only, and do not use his or her services in any other capacity, and do not use the services of any persons that he or she recommends. Go elsewhere for such recommendations to avoid serious conflicts of interests that could cost you very dearly, indeed.
If the Certified (make sure he or she is Certified) Financial Planner pushes you to buy or do anything else from or through him or her, then leave and find someone else. Few stock brokers are Certified Financial Planners, and even if yours is, does it seem wise to let them talk you into doing your financial planning while they are trying to sell you investment instruments such as stocks and bonds? Perhaps not.
And now, perhaps as important as anything else that this section can say is: Make certain that you always have good Medical Insurance! It can unexpectedly make the difference between life and death and, as importantly, the regular check-ups alone could save your life.
Carl Bourhenne, MA
