Centenarian Heroes

Action to take

Forget Superman and Beckman. Choose remarkable centenarians as role models. Here are four who recently made the news:

Why

At 104 R. Waldo McBurney maintains a downtown office in Quinter Kansas where he sells honey from his 199 colony of bee hives. He still competes in several track events in the Senior Olympics. In 2004 he came out with his first book,
My First 100 Years.

The mysterious decline in bee populations is causing an agricultural crisis. Bees not only produce honey, they pollinate flowers and plants. Diagnosing the problem may come from a young scientist. Or it may come from 101-year-old beekeeper Wendell Cummings. He has kept bees since he was a child. Several years ago he downsized his honey business. He still does a lot of observing and thinking about bees. He believes he the mysterious decline in the bee populations is due to a new strain of beetles from South America. Scientists are seriously studying his theory.

Centenarian Kathryn Davis could have spent her millions self-indulgently. Instead she donated $20 million for clean up and conservation along the Hudson River where she still loves to kayak. Her “1000 Projects for Peace” scholarships awarded $10,000 scholarships to undergraduates who develop and implement grassroots ideas for peace. She also has funded several projects to study Russian language and culture.

Jose “El Nino” Temprana was a Cuban sponge diver and lobster fisherman. He left Cuba in 1994 after spending thirty years in a Cuban prison for opposing Fidel Castro. At 105 he achieved a dream he has had since prison He became an American citizen. He still enjoys gardening and socializing with lots of friends.

Quotes

We don’t get to choose our parents, but we select our lifestyles.
~ R. Waldo McBurney, 104 year old beekeeper and fitness advocate,

I love the thought of people enjoying the river, sailing, kayaking, hiking.
~Kathryn Wasserman Davis, philanthropist

Humor

I was always taught to respect my elders and I’ve now reached the age when I don’t have anybody to respect.
~George Burns

If you live to be one hundred, you’ve got it made. Very few people die past that age.
~George Burns

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Anti-Aging Psychologist Dr. Michael Brickey is keynote speaker and author of the Oprah-featured book, Defy Aging and 52 baby steps to Grow Young. The books and his Reverse Aging anti-aging hypnosis CDs comprise his anti-aging system.

Hip Centenarians

Action to take

Take heart, 100+ can be pretty hip.

Why

The US Census Bureau estimates there currently are 80,000 Americans
who are 100+ years old. Evercare conducted its second annual 100@100
survey of 100 Americans who are 99 years and older. The results looked a
lot like people in their forties or sixties. To site some examples:

–27% have watched MTV or music videos
–31% have watched reality TV programs
–4% have listened to music on an iPod
–72% have eaten at a fast food restaurant
–11% have had coffee at a Starbucks

To what do they credit their longevity and vitality?
They trust clergy more than doctors and believe
positive attitude and faith are more important than
genes and doctors.

They are concerned about health and nutrition.
82% reported their eating habits were the same or
improved compared to their eating habits 50 years ago.
When asked to choose, they voted for having a
better memory (34 percent) over fewer aches and pains (27 percent)
or taking fewer prescription drugs (13 percent).

Their favorite memories were:
–28% their wedding day
–13% birth of a child
–13% their hundredth birthday
–1% learning to fly at age 76

Quotes

Old age takes away from us what we have inherited
and gives to us what we have earned.
~Gerald Brenan

Humor

I’m getting older so I’ve started to smile more,
because I want the crow’s feet to go up.
~Simone Alexander

He’s so old his blood type was discontinued.
~Bill Dana

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Anti-Aging Psychologist Dr. Michael Brickey is keynote speaker and author of the Oprah-featured book, Defy Aging and 52 baby steps to Grow Young. The books and his Reverse Aging anti-aging hypnosis CDs comprise his anti-aging system.

Longevity Insurance

Action to take

Consider longevity insurance.

Why

Only a third of Americans say they would like to live to 100.
Their reasons include fearing they will run out of money and be poor.

In a previous blog I cited a British man who bet $200 he would
live to 100 and eventually received $50,000 for winning his bet.
Since then the odds makers want to increase the target to 110 years old.

But there is a relatively new way to win that kind of bet – longevity insurance.

Personally, I dislike life insurance as I hate betting against myself.
You (or rather your survivors) only get the money if you die.
Longevity insurance rewards you for living longer and helps make sure
you have enough income starting at age 85. For example, let’s say a
65-year-old man pays $50,000 in after tax money for a longevity policy.
At age 85 he starts collecting $3,614 a month ($43,368 a year)
for the rest of his life.

If he dies before age 85 he and his heirs receive nothing. For women,
the monthly payments would be somewhat lower because of a longer
life expectancy. Of course you can purchase the insurance before age
65 and receive even higher monthly premiums at 85.

At age 65, life expectancy for American men (2004 data) was
82.1 years and women 85 years. Met Life, Hartford, and other insurance
companies are betting that in most cases they won’t have to pay anything.

You could take the same money and invest it in stocks or bonds.
That would allow you to take money out in an emergency and to
pass on money to heirs. If you get a 6% after tax return rate
on your investments compounded over 20 years, you would start
coming out ahead a shortly before your 90th birthday
with the longevity insurance.

The primary advantage of the insurance is less concern about outliving your money.
It also might be out of reach in the event of a lawsuit or divorce. Unlike life insurance,
you don’t need to qualify, you only need a birth certificate.

The biggest risk with longevity insurance is not living to 85 and collecting nothing.
Another risk is the insurance company could go out of business.

Another consideration is the likelihood of inflation. Whether you invest the money
in an IRA or have longevity insurance, the money will probably have far less purchasing
power in 20 years. At 4% inflation compounded annually, $1,000 in today’s money
would be worth $456 in 20 years. In our previous example the monthly payment
would be equivalent to $1,648 in today’s dollars and each year the value would be a little less.

With life expectancies likely to increase, purchasing longevity insurance in the future
is likely to bring lower monthly benefits than are being offered now. If you believe
you have a good shot at living to 100 or older, longevity insurance can be a good bet.

Quotes

Corporations often purchase “key man” insurance on staff they can’t afford to lose.
Think of yourself as the key man or woman in the business of your own life.
But rather than buy life insurance, do what it takes to live longer and healthier.
~Mike Brickey

Humor

My wife and I took out life insurance policies on each other,
so now it’s just a waiting game.
~Bill Dwyer

The insurance man told me that the accident policy covered falling off the roof,
but not hitting the ground.
~Tommy Cooper

Can atheists get insurance for acts of God?

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Anti-Aging Psychologist Dr. Michael Brickey is keynote speaker and author of the Oprah-featured book, Defy Aging and 52 baby steps to Grow Young. The books and his Reverse Aging anti-aging hypnosis CDs comprise his anti-aging system.

You Bet Your Life

Action to take

Bet someone you will live to 100 (or older).

Why

250:1 odds. I’d love to take that bet. Ten years ago Englishman Alec Holden
placed a £100 bet with his bookie that he would live to 100. He recently
cashed in on that $200 bet and received $50,000.

You won’t be able to get the 250:1 odds these days. Rupert Adams,
spokesperson for the the bookie, said, “When we started taking these
bets, 100 years old seemed to be an almost mythical landmark and we
were prepared to offer massive odds. But these age wagers are starting
to cost us a fortune and from now on we are going to push out the age
to 110.” The US Census Bureau says the US had 75,000 centenarians
in 2000 and will have 170,000 in 2010 and 1.2 million in 2050.

Don’t you just hate to lose a bet? A lot of people will put a lot of
effort into making sure they win a bet. So why not bet on yourself?
Personally, I have always disliked the idea of life insurance asking me
to bet against myself. Betting you will live to 100, 110, or even 150
puts the incentive where it belongs. And you want to be there for payday.

Quotes

Money won is twice as sweet as money earned.
~from the movie, The Color of Money

Humor

Americans spend $300 billion every year on games of chance;
and that doesn’t include weddings and elections.
~Argus Hamilton

I’m am an only child.
I used to have a brother but my parents gambled a lot.
~Rita Rudner

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Anti-Aging Psychologist Dr. Michael Brickey is keynote speaker and author of the Oprah-featured book, Defy Aging and 52 baby steps to Grow Young. The books and his Reverse Aging anti-aging hypnosis CDs comprise his anti-aging system.