ChooseFI · Monday, September 14, 2026
Dr. Bobby DeBoys highlights that the average life expectancy in the U.S. is around 80 years, with men often living slightly less and women slightly more. However, financial planning tools commonly use 90 or 95 as the planning horizon, creating a significant gap.
“People in the United States can live to 90 or 95, but the average is more like 80, or if you're a man, a little bit higher if you're a woman. So why would a default number so much higher be the way to go?”
“So, if we look at survival from birth. Men about 71 years, women about 76. Well, people are not doing FI calculations at birth. Obviously, they're older. So if you take somebody who's 55. Now, what's their life expectancy? For a man, it's 79. For a woman, it's 82. That's quite a bit of distance from 95.”
“And so again, on average, you're not going to live much beyond 80.”