If you’re planning for the future, you’ve likely been told to track retirement savings. Joe Coughlin, director of the MIT AgeLab, argues there’s more to planning for a long life than money. With the number of centenarians expected to quadruple by 2054, Coughlin and collaborators created the Longevity Preparedness Index to offer a broader way to plan for aging.
Rather than focusing solely on savings, the index examines the practical and social elements that shape later life. “We may expect things won’t change, but when a big life transition comes along — whether it’s retiring, a death or unexpected sickness — many people have unintentionally ignored some of the very decisions that could help us thrive,” Coughlin says.
The free online quiz takes about 15 minutes and scores respondents across eight domains, including relationships with family, friends and community, health, and daily activities. MIT AgeLab researcher Katie Warren demonstrated the survey at a John Hancock longevity conference. John Hancock partnered with MIT AgeLab to develop the index and has launched an initiative to help customers live longer, healthier lives.
Financial planner Matt Hudack, in his early 60s, walked through the survey questions, reading items about neighborhood walkability and social gathering spaces and confronting harder prompts such as whether he knows who would provide care if needed. Watching older relatives struggle prompted him to consider home modifications and planning before care needs arise. He completed the survey and scored 89 out of 100; the average score is 60.
John Hancock CEO Brooks Tingle says taking the quiz changed his thinking. People often choose retirement locations for leisure reasons without fully weighing long-term considerations like health care quality or social connections. “The general lack of preparedness struck me,” he says, reflecting on the average score.
Answering questions about life transitions, community, care and home can reveal both challenges and opportunities, Coughlin says. Savings remain crucial: many older adults prefer to age in place but may need caregiving support. Non-medical caregiving — meal preparation, housekeeping, personal hygiene assistance — can cost on average $80,000 a year, a figure that creates a “dual burden” of housing and care that can overwhelm families, says Samara Scheckler of Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.
Psychologist Laura Carstensen, director of the Stanford Center on Longevity, notes that when people imagine living to 100 their top worries are dementia and running out of money. Practical concerns matter, but Carstensen warns that a purely fear-driven approach can obscure the possibilities of longer life. Planning ahead can free space to envision thriving at advanced ages: “We really need to raise the bar and begin to daydream about what it means to be 100 and doing really well,” she says.
Life expectancy in the U.S. is roughly 30 years longer than in 1900. Carstensen and colleagues are working on The New Map of Life to rethink how societal and educational structures can support lifelong learning and better health outcomes. Coughlin emphasizes that the Longevity Preparedness Index aims to spark conversation, encourage preparedness and prompt action. The goal is not merely to live longer, but to live better.