The Secret to Living 15 Years Longer

I read a statistic yesterday that really didn’t sit well with me and I want to discuss it with you today.

I’ll go ahead and give that stat to you right away because it sets the tone of the conversation.

Here it is:

Wealthy Americans live 15 years longer on average than non-wealthy Americans.

This was from a survey done by the National Financial Educators Council.

As a financial educator myself, even I was shocked by this statistic and found it hard to believe.

When I was discussing it with my wife, we realized that those who don’t have wealth do sacrifice their quality of life because they don’t have the means to live more abundantly. And it makes sense that when quality of life is sacrificed, quantity of life suffers as well.

Why does that matter?

Well, as a husband and a dad, a CEO and leader, and as someone who wants to do great things on this planet and see great things being done…I want to be around.

The argument for wealth (which I can’t believe needs to be an argument but that’s the planet we live on today) is usually about freedom, enjoyment, and getting out of the rat race. But based on this statistic, I think the argument for wealth needs to change.

Do you have people who matter in your life?

Do you have goals and purposes you want to achieve?

Do you want to live long enough to see those things through?

If yes, you and I have no real option but to go build wealth because if we don’t, we will statistically lose 15 years of life simply because we aren’t wealthy.

Now your mind might go to some of the same things that mine did at first. To be really honest, there was a little thought in my head that said, “This is wealth inequality and people shouldn’t be allowed to die younger simply because they can’t afford the same care as the wealthy.”

But I instantly realized that I was simply just replaying back the propaganda being pushed about rich people. What would be the solution? Force all high-quality products and services to lower their prices or make them free so everyone can have them? Because we’re not just talking about affording better medical care here. Most Americans pay little to nothing for health care and really it is the wealthy paying the unaffordable costs. We’re really talking about true quality of life. Things like eating organic, exercising, interacting with positive people, living somewhere nice, clean, safe and vibrant, doing work that makes you productive and happy, having no vices (smoking, drugs, drinking, porn, etc.) that lessen your quality of life. These things can’t just be given to someone or made cheap. Some of them can’t even be bought in the first place.

So, the other option is government intervention. Let’s increase taxes to penalize the wealthy for their production so that the government can bring in more tax revenue and throw it at an ever-growing budget deficit. Even if they successfully put all of it in the hands of those who weren’t in the wealthy class, it would be unethical. You can’t steal from one person the fruits of his labor and creativity to give it to another person who didn’t do anything to earn it. You may disagree with me, but simply being alive and breathing on this planet does not entitle a person to anything. The only security we have is that which we create for ourselves. Not to mention, redistribution of wealth not only penalizes the productive, but it rewards the less productive, and you get more of what you reward. A plan like that is the beginning of the fall of a nation and its culture.

This leaves us with one real choice. Go build wealth. Realize, some people just never will. There is a percentage of the human race (it isn’t huge, but it’s there) of maybe 2 in 10 that you can give all of the education, tools, and resources and they’ll never make it happen still. But most people simply need training in how to do it. And nobody is giving that training…and the ones who are typically are making it inaccessible through high prices for their courses, events, and masterminds.

I believe that financial literacy and the knowledge on how to build wealth is one of the most important things a person should know. In fact, in a survey done with kids in school, more than 51% of them said the #1 thing they wish they had classes on was financial literacy. It’s more important than almost any other aspect of life because it allows or disallows almost any other aspect of life. It should be widely available and something we teach everyone. Because it isn’t hard.

Right now, it isn’t being taught in schools for the most part. It isn’t widely available. You have to go out and get it just like I did. This means you’ll need to spend money. You’ll need to spend time. You’ll need to give some things up. You’ll need to change some behaviors and habits. You’ll need to work harder.

This is where the excuses start to enter…. “I can’t afford it”, “I’m too busy”, “I want to enjoy life too”, or “Money isn’t everything/can’t buy happiness.”

And you may be right. It isn’t everything and it can’t buy happiness.

But do you know what it can buy?

Apparently 15 more years of precious life on this planet with your loved ones.

Go ahead and ask your spouse, your kids, and your closest friends what they think. Do they want you around another 15 years? And if they knew you had a way to make sure that happens, do you think they’d want you to do it? Do you think they’d care about the excuses and reasons why you think you can’t or shouldn’t?

Nope. It’d be a no brainer for them. They love you and want you around longer.

So, what do you do about this?

For one, decide you’re going to build wealth.

Second, go get educated and increase your financial literacy.

Start now. And if you already started, keep going. I’m there with you in this thing and I’m in your corner.

In closing, my mission in life is to help good people build more wealth who make the world a better place.

So, if you’re a good person who wants to help make the world a better place and this article helped you, I want to encourage you to start planning your next quarterly trip and putting this into practice. And feel free to write to me and let me know how it went.

If you’re a client of mine and you’d like help leveling up, send an email to my team with “Level Up” in the subject line to [email protected] .

If you’re a follower and have not read my book The Blueprint to Financial Freedom yet, that is the place to start. This book covers the specifics for each level in the various chapters and you can grab the book for free as my gift.

Click here to get a copy!

The Blueprint to Financial Freedom by Jerry Fetta

To Purpose, Wealth & Freedom,

Jerry Fetta

Jerry Fetta is the CEO and Founder of Wealth DynamX. He is a nationally recognized financial expert featured in Forbes, Yahoo Finance, Fox, Chicago Weekly News, New York Finance, interviewed on 100+ podcasts with world renowned experts, earning endorsements and affiliations throughout his career with names like Kevin O’Leary, Grant Cardone, Dave Ramsey, and Pamela Yellen.

Jerry’s mission in life is to help create millions of financially educated and solvent families achieving greater financial freedom and sharing the truth about money with those around them.

Learn more at www.WealthDynamX.com

(DISCLAIMER: The information in this content should not be considered tax, financial, investment, or any kind of professional advice. Only a professional diagnosis of your specific situation can determine which strategies are appropriate for your needs. Wealth DynamX can and does not provide advice unless/until engaged by you.)