Summary
The TIAA Institute convened researchers, practitioners, and policy leaders to explore the deep connection between health and wealth across the lifespan. The central message: longevity is both a shared opportunity and a collective responsibility.
Morning sessions introduced the Unit of HealthSM — a tool to help individuals translate lifestyle choices into projected gains in healthy life years — and highlighted four key longevity risks facing older adults: declining physical health, cognitive decline, financial insecurity, and social isolation. The World Economic Forum and Milken Institute made the business case for addressing health and wealth holistically, noting that simple interventions could prevent millions of disease cases and save trillions in global healthcare costs by 2040.
Afternoon sessions examined AI's growing role in longevity, with AI-enabled senior financial scams projected to reach $40 billion by 2027. Additional sessions covered a proposed Social Determinants of Retirement Well-Being Index, the mounting financial toll on America's 59 million unpaid family caregivers, and the widening gap between lifespan and healthspan driven by income, education, and race.
Closing remarks underscored the need to break down silos and build a shared longevity agenda across business, policy, and individuals.
