Why Investing in Your Health Is the Most Overlooked Form of Long-Term Wealth Planning

Nearly twenty years ago, my understanding of “long-term planning” changed forever.

My father passed away at age 63. Two days before his death, my mother was diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer. She would survive another four years, but those events reshaped how I think about longevity, health, and what it truly means to plan for the future. Like many people, I had assumed that if I worked hard, saved diligently, and made prudent financial decisions, the later years of life would naturally be rewarding. That assumption turned out to be incomplete.

In the years following my parents’ illnesses, I became deeply committed with learning how to improve my own health and reduce the risk of disease That journey led to discoveries I never expected. I was diagnosed with Celiac disease, learned I was allergic to dairy, and was identified as pre-diabetic. At one point, my nutritionist told me I was less than a year away from developing Type I diabetes.

That wake-up call forced a fundamental shift. Through discipline, education, and a clear desire to improve my longevity, I radically changed my diet and lifestyle. Today, I feel better than ever—and the dividends of those changes compound daily.

When I meet people for the first time, they are often surprised by my age and ask what my “secret” is. The honest answer is simple: I invest in my health and wellness with the same intentionality that I encourage clients to apply to their finances.

As a wealth advisor, my professional role is to help individuals and families make informed decisions so they can achieve meaningful financial goals. But over time, I’ve realized that financial planning without health planning is fundamentally incomplete. If you don’t invest early in your physical, mental, and metabolic health, decades of thoughtful saving and investing may ultimately serve a lifestyle you’re no longer healthy enough to enjoy.

Longevity is not just about living longer—it’s about preserving quality of life. That includes energy, mobility, mental clarity, independence, and emotional well-being. Without those, even substantial wealth loses much of its purpose.

Investing in health and wellness is not inexpensive. For many households, high-quality nutrition, personalized healthcare, fitness, and recovery feel like discretionary expenses. In our home, Whole Foods has certainly lived up to its nickname: “whole paycheck.”

Early in my transformation, I once complained to my nutritionist about the cost of eating and living this way. His response reframed everything: You can invest in your health over the next several decades, or you can maintain an unhealthy lifestyle and eventually invest far more as a patient with a life-threatening disease.

That perspective has stayed with me. Preventive health is not cheap—but chronic disease is far more expensive, financially and emotionally. The return on investment from proactive health decisions often comes in the form of avoided costs, preserved independence, and years of meaningful living.

A book that strongly reinforced this philosophy for me is “Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity” by Peter Attia, MD. It draws on the latest research to address nutrition, exercise, sleep optimization, emotional health, and disease prevention—many principles I actively follow. What resonates most is the idea that longevity planning should begin decades before retirement, not once problems appear.

From a planning standpoint, this mirrors sound financial strategy. Just as compounding works best when time is on your side, health outcomes improve dramatically when investments are made early and consistently. Waiting until symptoms appear—financially or physically—is rarely optimal.

True wealth is the ability to fully participate in your life, not just afford it.

Investing in your health is not a luxury, a vanity project, or a short-term trend. It is one of the most important long-term planning decisions you can make. When health and wealth planning move in parallel, the odds of enjoying your later years—rather than merely reaching them—improve dramatically.

Because the ultimate goal isn’t just to live longer. It’s to live well.