Life Extension and Wealth

When I was young, I wanted to become a firefighter when I got older. Then, I wanted to become a fighter pilot. Finally, I wanted to become an astronaut. And now, I’m an accountant. My current occupation may not be as exciting as I had hoped, but the stability and physical safety are nice to have.

The other careers I dreamed of having are inherently dangerous. Subconsciously, I must have steered away from the uncertainty and the possibility of dying early.

Up to this point in time, everyone who has been born, has died. It is the natural cycle of life on Earth. But, technological advances in the future may make it possible to extend human life beyond what we have previously considered feasible.

As of now, retiring at 67 is considered normal. The average American lives around 87 years, so you are expected to live off of your savings/investments/social security income for about 20 years until you croak.

But, what if we end up living 100 years or 150 years? This is a real possibility we have to consider. And, these extra years may not necessarily mean that you look 100 or 150 years old. You may be able to look like someone in their 30’s or 40’s. You could still enjoy a very high quality of life.

This could mean many more years of work that you hadn’t intended on. You may have to continue working forever, unless you are financially independent! We should be prepared for the possibility of living a very long time. The sooner we are able to create wealth and get out of the rat race, the more enjoyment we will be able to experience.

With compounding investment returns, your wealth could become astronomical. Let’s say you have $1 million in investments at 40 years old and keep it invested for 100 years at 10% returns, before you die at 140. Your money could increase to over $10 billion.

In the future, let’s say there is a technology that exists to extend life, but only the super wealthy can afford it. I want to be one of the wealthy people that can afford it!

Or, let’s say there is an asteroid headed towards Earth and there are a limited number of seats aboard an Ark space craft that will carry on life as we know it on another planet. The seat costs $5 billion. I want to be able to afford that seat!

People say they wouldn’t want to live forever because it would get boring. I disagree. No one has lived forever yet, so nobody really has a clue what it means. Technological advances and knowledge of our brain could allow us to experience the world in a vastly more powerful way. We have just started to scratch the surface of what’s possible.

Perhaps A.I. robots will take all our jobs and money won’t matter in the future. This is a decent possibility too. If the economy runs itself, having people work could become pointless and actually be a detriment to society.

Being wealthy is a safeguard for life. Life costs money. Why not have a shitload of it??!!?