Wealth Insights - The 70s Are the New 50s - Welcome to the New Longevity

Oct 22, 2026

Uploaded by Callum

Wealth Insights (Autumn 2026) explains how longevity is reshaping retirement assumptions and wealth planning priorities. It highlights evidence that people in their seventies may retain cognitive abilities similar to earlier cohorts, and shows longevity’s economic effects through shifts in consumption and GDP contribution. It links longer working lives and expanding healthspan innovation to investment and planning needs, including retirement income, growth assumptions, account optimization, decumulation timing, transfers, spending duration, inflation, and possible healthcare costs.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time10 min

AccessFree to download

In This Issue

Back to School: RESP Withdrawal Questions Answered

How the Investing Landscape Has Changed

Tax-Loss Harvesting: Turn Losses Into Opportunities

Life Insurance to Support Unique Needs of HNW Investors

Wealth Insights TD Wealth Private Investment Advice Autumn 2026 The 70s Are the New 50s Welcome to the new longevity. We aren’t just living longer; we are also extending the years in which we remain healthy, active and productive. A recent study found that a 70-yearold in 2022 had roughly the same cognitive ability as a 53-year-old in 2000.¹ This shift is already having economic implications. Just a decade ago, many observers warned that retiring baby boomers would become a significant drag on economic growth as they left the workforce. Yet the opposite has occurred. Those aged 50 and older, now part of the so-called “longevity economy,” accounted for just 24 percent of the global population in 2020 but contributed 34 percent of global GDP.2 In the U.S., households headed by someone aged 50 or older now account for more than half of all consumer spending.3 And the demographic shift is only beginning. Canadian life expectancy is now around 82 years, while those reaching age 65 can expect to live to approximately 86.4 Canada’s centenarian population has more than tripled since 2000 and is projected to increase nearly tenfold over the next 50 years.5 These trends challenge some long-standing assumptions about retirement. If healthier lives extend into our 70s and beyond, the traditional progression from working years to retirement may become less defined. Indeed, the average working life has already increased from 34 to 38 years since 2000.6 Some continue working out of necessity, while others choose to remain professionally active, pursue new ventures or transition gradually into retirement. Atthe same time, longevity has become an expanding field of innovation and investment. Consider the $101 million global competition to find ways to extend healthspan: the number of years spent in good health 7 Billions are being invested in research, technologies and therapies aimed at adding quality years, not simply more years, to life. For wealth planning, the implications are significant. At age 60 or 65, a wealth plan may need to contemplate another 30 or even 40 years. The question, then, shifts from simply “Do I have enough?” to“How do I optimize what I have to support a longer, healthier life?” As advisors, our role is to help clients adapt their wealth plans as healthspans extend. This may involve considerations around retirement income, appropriate growth potential, registered account optimization, strategic decumulation and the timing of wealth transfers, while accounting for additional years of spending, inflation and potential health care costs. In This Issue Back to School: RESP Withdrawal Questions Answered ...... 2 How the Investing Landscape Has Changed ................... 3 Tax-Loss Harvesting: Turn Losses Into Opportunities ...... 3 Life Insurance to Support Unique Needs of HNW Investors ... 4 H. Michael Sim Senior Portfolio Manager Senior Investment Advisor Kelsie Stevenson Client Service Associate Seth Wolodka Client Service Associate To Our Clients: Escalating trade tensions toward the end of the summer are a reminder that these volatile exchanges are likely to persist. Weare here to separate the signal from the noise. While certain sectors will be hit harder than others, TD economists estimate that current tariff changes will subtract less than 0.6 percentage points from GDP.8 We continue to look ahead. Thank you for your ongoing trust. Here’s to the many bounties of the fall. —Michael, Kelsie & Seth Perhaps the biggest change is one of perspective. Retirement planning has traditionally focused on accumulating enough to reach retirement, then making those assets last. Our new longevity calls for a broader approach: creating a plan flexible enough to accommodate a longer and healthier life. The good news? With a longer horizon comes greater possibilities. [1. www.imf.org/-/media/files/publications/weo/2025/april/english/ch2.pdf;](1. www.imf.org/-/media/files/publications

FAQs

What is the core shift in retirement planning discussed in this issue?

Planning should move from simply accumulating enough for retirement to building a flexible plan that supports a longer and healthier life.

How does longevity affect wealth planning horizons?

At age 60 or 65, a wealth plan may need to account for an additional 30 to 40 years, influencing income strategy, spending, and inflation assumptions.

What RESP topics are covered in this issue?

It addresses Registered Education Savings Plan withdrawal questions, including how to distinguish educational assistance payment and post-secondary education payment for educational tax purposes.

Oct 22, 2026

Uploaded by Callum