Longer lifespans are fundamentally reshaping how people live, work and plan, exposing a growing mismatch between extended life courses and institutions designed for shorter lives. At the Stanford Center on Longevity’s convening, leaders across sectors explored how financial advice must evolve from a retirement-focused model to a holistic, life-course approach integrating health, work, housing and family dynamics.

Key Takeaways

• Longevity is redefining life paths and straining outdated systems: Multistage lives are replacing linear careers and retirement, while education, work and retirement institutions lag behind.
• Financial advice must become holistic and personalized: Effective planning now requires integrating finances with health, housing, caregiving and flexible work over longer, less predictable horizons.
• Critical gaps persist between advisers and clients: Health, longevity risk and caregiving remain under-discussed, even as clients worry about long-term care and outliving assets.
• Work, technology and risk are reshaping the landscape: Flexible work patterns are rising, AI is transforming advisory services, and new risks — from fraud to cognitive decline — are increasing.
• Behavior, products and systems must evolve together: Simpler income products, better longevity literacy and planning frameworks (like annual reviews and defaults) are needed to make life-course planning routine.

Read the report 

Special thanks to Russel Hill and Finance of America whose support helps advance this work.