Two research reports from the Milken Institute Future of Aging, published in November 2025 with funding support from the M Center of Excellence, explore the deepening challenge of aligning longer lifespans with parallel improvements in healthspans and wealthspans.
The 47-page report, “The Longevity Equation: How Healthspan and Wealthspan Intersect,” examines the social foundation underpinning people’s access to healthcare with respect to their wealth status, emphasizing that people in the middle are often the most affected.
“When the broad middle of society lacks adequate protection and support, the effects extend outward in the form of higher insurance premiums, greater tax burdens, and diminished productivity,” the report notes. “By contrast, when this broad middle is resilient, the benefits circulate widely. Stable risk pools lower costs, communities gain from stronger social and economic networks, and older adults are better able to remain engaged contributors, sustaining the vitality of both local life and the larger economy.”
The report uses the Longevity Equation — an equation for calculating how the variables of longevity interrelate to healthspan, wealthspan, and technology (any method, skill, or organized system that enables a practical goal) — and the Matrix Model — which operationalizes the equation by mapping the intersections of wealth and health across different populations — as a framework for arriving at prospective outcomes.
“The Longevity Equation and Matrix Model offer an ethical, business, and civic frame to facilitate interactive dialogue, risk-informed decision-making, and innovative collaboration around healthspan and wealthspan,” the report notes.
The report includes example scenarios and real-world case studies to illustrate longevity outcomes using this framework.
The report concludes, “This report is an open invitation to financial services companies, insurance firms, corporate leaders, health systems, asset managers, policymakers, investors, and others to use the Longevity Equation, adapt the Matrix Model, test interventions, share results, and keep broader social benefits in view when designing programs and policies that impact healthspan and wealthspan.”
The second report, “Longevity Ready: A Systems Approach to Aging Well at Home,” considers a systemic approach for facilitating improved living at home as people continue to live longer lives. Ninety percent of people aged 85 and older will live at home, the report notes, requiring a comprehensive planning framework to ensure their needs are met.
“People’s ability to live safely, independently, and comfortably at home through evolving physical, cognitive, and social needs as they age requires preparation across multiple dimensions,” the 34-page report states. “Notably, this planning process is a life-long effort and not confined to retirement and financial security; it is commonly called longevity planning.”
Most adults tend to defer preparation for extensive periods of being at home, according to the report. The result is a reactive or late response to conditions brought on by aging.
The report explores key concepts, such as awareness, access, adoption, and tools and resources, to enable action plans for people to prepare for longer and healthier lives in their homes and communities. It also identifies five opportunity areas where stakeholders present in people’s daily lives can take action to align healthspan and wealthspan with longer lifespan.
“We offer a systems approach to achieving these goals, one that involves engaging key stakeholders — from health care, financial services, and employers to community-based organizations, government agencies, and advocacy groups — each with a role to play,” the report concludes.
About the M Center of Excellence
The nonprofit M Center of Excellence funds scientific, charitable, and educational research and programming related to enhancing longevity vitality. Its focus is on initiatives that drive positive outcomes for society’s financial security, health and well-being, and lifespan extension.
For more information, please contact Jamie Robinson, VP, Executive Operations.
