The Longevity Challenge (高龄世代): When 60 Is No Longer Old

     When I was a child, turning 60 meant becoming an old person. Retirement was often seen as the final chapter of life, a time to slow down and enjoy whatever years remained. 

   Today, that picture has changed dramatically.  Many people in their sixties are still working, travelling, exercising, learning new skills and planning for the next chapter of their lives. Around the world, we see inspiring examples of people redefining what it means to grow older. A 93-year-old gymnast is still competing in senior amateur championships, while an 80 year-old ballerina continues to perform on stage. Their stories remind us that age is no longer defined simply by the number of candles on a birthday cake, but by our health, mindset, and willingness to keep moving forward. 

Seeing these remarkable individuals also made me reflect on my own life. I stopped gymnastics at 17 and ballet in my early thirties. Compared with them, I still have much to learn abut embracing lifelong growth and staying active. 

   As life expectancy continues to increase, perhaps the real question is no longer "When can I retire?" Instead, we should ask ourselves, "How can I afford a retirement that may last 30 or even 40 years?“

  Last Saturday, I accompanied my mother to a talk titled Physical Activity recommendation for people transitioning into older age. While the talk focused on healthy ageing, one topic captured my attention more than anything else, that is the rapid ageing of our population. Although I was already aware of this issue, hearing the statistics still came as a shock. It made me realize that population ageing is no longer a distant concern but one of the greatest challenges faced by countries around the world.  

  The speaker shared a statistic that surprised me. Around 1900, the average global life expectancy was only about 32 years. By the early 2000s, it has risen to around 65 years, and today it is common for people to live into their eighties. What amazed me most was the prediction of people born after year 2000 may live to the age of 100. 

 

  That made me pause and reflect. If you retire at 60 years old and live until 100, your retirement could last for 40 years. Have you ever wondered whether your savings would be enough to support you for four decades without a regular salary? It is not an easy question, but it is one we should all start asking ourselves. 

     The speaker, a Taiwan expert, explained that many Chinese societies, including Taiwan, have already entered the stage of an ageing population, where people aged 65 and above account for more than 20% of the population. Malaysia is still considered a relatively young nation, with the proportion currently around 8%, but it is only a matter of time before we face the same demographic shift. 

   Although the talk focused on physical health, its message was simple and powerful: keep moving. If we want to remain independent as we grow older, regular exercise is essential. Our bodies are much like machines, if we leave them unused for too long, they gradually lose their ability to function, but living those extra years in good health is what truly matters. 

  The talk reminded me that preparing for old age is about much more than simply living longer. Good health allows us to enjoy the extra years that modern medicine has given us, but it is only one part of the journey. 

  As I left the talk that afternoon, I realized that living longer is one of humanity's greatest achievements. Yet longevity is not just about adding years to our lives but it is about adding life to those years.

   We cannot control how long we will live, but we can influence how we live. Every walk we take, every healthy meal we choose, and every effort we make to stay active is an investment in our future selves. Growing older is inevitable, but growing older with strength, independence, and purpose is something we can work towards.

    Perhaps the real challenge of the longevity era is not simply living to 100, but making sure those extra years are worth living.

  The more I thought about it, the more I realized that preparing for a longer life also means preparing financially. If retirement could last 30 or even 40 years, are we truly ready for it? That is a question I hope to explore in my next article. 

 

The cost of learning

  

 

    I have always loved learning. Whether it is a new skill, a different perspective, or a valuable life lesson, I believe every experience helps me become a stronger and wiser person. Over the years, I have learned many things, ballet, gymnastics, karate, taekwondo, drawing, violin, piano, etc, but today I want to share one of the most important lessons of all: investing.

    When I was younger, I was an artistic and romantic person who believed that money was not important. I even had the impression that money was somehow evil. As I grew older, however, reality taught me otherwise. While money cannot buy everything, life in the modern world is difficult without it. Once you step outside your home, almost everything comes with a price. Money may not be the purpose of life, but it is an essential tool that gives us the freedom and security to pursue the life we want.

  I often wonder how early a person should start investing. Influenced by my parents, I thought I had started quite early. I made my first investment during the first year of my career, soon after receiving my first salary.

  Then I met a young man who completely changed my perspective. At just 22 years old, he had already bought a house in Melbourne without relying on his parents. I was amazed. Later, I learned that he had started investing when he was only 14. His goal was amusing yet inspiring, that is to earn enough money to buy his father's company so his father could retire and never have to work again. Although it sounded like a funny dream, it reminded me of an important lesson: every meaningful journey begins with a goal. A clear goal gives us direction and motivates us to stay committed. Even so, I still think 14 is remarkably young to begin investing, especially when most teenagers in Malaysia are focused on school and enjoying their childhood.

    As for me, my investment journey began with my very first paycheck. The first stock I ever bought was PavREIT, and I have never sold it. During the COVID-19 pandemic, only I added another 1,000 shares to my holdings. Around the same time, I also invested in a Singapore equity fund. Today, that investment has grown by more than 100%.

    Looking at those returns, I sometimes regret that I wasn't more disciplined about saving and investing when I was younger. After returning from Australia, I used the money I had earned there to buy  Maybank shares without worrying too much about the market price. Looking back, that turned out to be one of my better financial decisions. Over the years, the dividends from those shares have provided me with a steady stream of passive income and reinforced my belief in long-term investing.

   The period when I bought the most shares was during the COVID-19 pandemic, when stock prices fell sharply. It was also the time when I learned some of my most valuable lessons about investing. The market moved like a roller coaster, with prices soaring one day and plunging the next. Every day, I checked my portfolio, hoping the shares I had bought would double or even triple in value.

   When prices started to rise, greed quietly crept in. I kept thinking they would climb even higher, so I held on instead of taking profits. But the market had other plans. Some stocks continued to fall and never recovered.

   I also bought several shares at relatively high prices. As they kept declining, I refused to sell because I convinced myself, "It will recover." Some never did. A few companies were eventually delisted, while others underwent share consolidations that left me with only a small number of shares.

That experience taught me one of the most important lessons in investing: no one can predict the market. Looking back, those losses were painful, but they became the most expensive investment books I have ever read. The market charged me a high tuition fee, but the lessons it taught me were priceless.

     Now i only focus on those shares with dividends. There is limitation on Malaysia market, so I would like to have a portion on the international investment. My investment now focusing back to unit trust where i am able to choose fund that invest worldwide. Those company's share that is too expensive to be bought by individual investors can be bought through fund.

   Today, I continue to learn by exploring different investment funds and building a portfolio that aligns with my long-term goals. As I grow older, I have also started planning seriously for my retirement.

     Looking back, I realize that time is one of the greatest assets an investor can have. The earlier we start saving and investing, the more we can benefit from the power of compounding. But more importantly, we need a clear goal. A goal gives us direction, keeps us disciplined, and motivates us to stay the course even when the journey becomes challenging.

     My investment journey has not been perfect. I have made mistakes, experienced losses, and learned some expensive lessons along the way. Yet every setback has shaped the way I think about money and investing. Through continuous learning and patient investing, I hope to build enough wealth to enjoy a comfortable retirement and not just for financial security, but for the freedom to live life on my own terms.

   I hope to encourage more people to start investing early and to share what I have learned with anyone who is willing to learn. The cost of learning may be high, but the cost of never learning is often much greater.