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Originally Posted by Uphillputt330
You’re absolutely right neither end if life nor investment life are certain, but here are some thoughts.
Your best predictors of your life span are your parents and grandparents due to your genes etc. I know my parents and grandparents all lived to approximately the same ages. The one study I read indicated that, by not including any parents or grandparents who died of accidents, war, etc., if you add 4 years to the age of your parents when they each died, and 8 years to each of your grandparents, the average is your best prediction of end of life.
As far as investment returns, in the long term, the stock market (as a whole) returns 9 or 10% annually. Fixed income investments are down in the 2-to-4%. Netting a balanced portfolio against average inflation you’re looking at 3-to-5% maybe? The old rule of thumb of spending 3-4% annually of your portfolio means that your investments will last your lifetime?
Just some thoughts. Lots of variables
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My mother died the same year as her mother. Both of natural causes. One was 93, the other 75. My dad lived to an age 30 years older than his mom, and 20 years older than his dad. All from natural causes. My dad passed away at 88. His little brother still going at 93.
My mom, dead from cancer at 75. Her little brother still going at 93.
My mother-in-law is 93. She has buried two of her children (cancer and a heart attack), and has another daughter who not likely to outlive her.
In other words, it's a crap shoot.