The 100-Year Financial Plan: Why Your Retirement Strategy Needs Updating

When most people think about retirement, they imagine a season of life that begins at 65 and winds down sometime in their 80s. That’s a 20- to 25-year plan, at best. But what if your plan needed to last 30, 40—even 50—years? With people living longer and retiring earlier, the traditional retirement strategy is no longer enough. It’s time to start thinking in terms of a 100-year financial plan.

We’re not suggesting you’ll live to 100 (although many do), but planning with that horizon brings a new level of clarity. It prompts you to consider not just how to make your money last, but how to align your financial life with the way longevity is reshaping the very definition of retirement.

Longevity Is No Longer Rare

Advancements in healthcare, technology, and lifestyle habits mean more people are living well into their 90s and beyond. In fact, according to the Social Security Administration, one out of every three 65-year-olds today will live past 90. That’s a 25+ year retirement. And one in seven will live past 95.

Yet most retirement plans are built around outdated assumptions—assuming a retirement period of 20 years, using overly simplistic withdrawal strategies, or underestimating inflation. If your strategy isn’t built for longevity, it could leave you vulnerable right when you should feel most secure.

A Longer Retirement Changes Everything

A longer retirement isn’t just more years—it’s more complexity. Healthcare costs escalate with age. Cognitive decline can make financial decision-making more difficult in the later years. Taxes, inflation, long-term care, and market volatility all play bigger roles over longer time frames. A 100-year plan doesn’t just factor in more money; it prioritizes more resilience.

It’s not about fear—it’s about readiness. Do you have a plan for income that won’t run out? Are you diversified in a way that allows growth while still protecting downside? Have you planned for healthcare costs beyond Medicare? These are the kinds of questions that a traditional plan might skip over—but a 100-year strategy confronts head-on.

Your Life Has Chapters—So Should Your Plan

A modern financial plan recognizes that retirement isn’t one big block of leisure. There are active years (travel, hobbies, maybe even part-time work), transitional years, and potentially care-dependent years. Each phase calls for different strategies.

Planning across multiple life chapters ensures that you’re not only prepared financially—but emotionally, physically, and logistically. A well-designed plan gives you options, flexibility, and dignity throughout your entire life.

Client Spotlight: A Retirement Reimagined

One of our clients, Susan, retired at 62 after a successful career. Like many, she assumed her nest egg would easily last 25 years. But when her mother lived to 98—and Susan showed every sign of following in her footsteps—she realized she needed a different approach.

Together, we restructured her financial plan with longevity and resilience in mind. Her portfolio now includes a thoughtful blend of income sources, growth-oriented investments, and a buffer for market volatility. When tariff policy shifts and international tensions shook the markets, Susan’s strategy held strong. Because we had already modeled scenarios and stress-tested her plan for inflation, tax law changes, and global economic uncertainty, she didn’t have to react emotionally or adjust her spending. We also built in long-term care coverage and created a “joy fund” for travel, hobbies, and making memories with her grandchildren. Today, Susan is thriving—not just surviving—and her plan gives her the confidence to enjoy life fully, knowing she’s prepared for whatever comes next.

This kind of resilience is essential today. In an interconnected world, a single policy decision—whether it’s a new tariff, tax code revision, or shift in interest rates—can ripple through the markets overnight. A 100-year plan isn’t just about living longer; it’s about being prepared for the unexpected.

The Bottom Line

If your current retirement strategy feels like it was designed for a different era, it probably was. The key is to design a plan that’s not just built to last, but built for you.