The Sibyl’s Error (and How To Avoid It)

According to legend, the Greek god Apollo once fell in love with a mortal priestess from Cumae (known to us as ‘The Sibyl’), whom he promised to grant any wish. Without hesitating, the Sibyl picked up a handful of sand from the seashore, and asked the god to grant her one additional year of life to match each grain.

Without knowing the precise dimensions of the Sibyl’s hand, that’s approximately 10,000 years of life.

Apollo was vexed by her request, as she had forgotten to ask for perpetual youth. The legend relates that the Sibyl slowly withered away over time, until she had to be kept in a jar that was hung in the temple of Apollo at Cumae. The god’s gift had become a curse.

As a financial advisor, I feel that the standard telling of this tale understates the magnitude of the error. Think about it: a multi-century liability for unfunded long-term care, from the rising costs of caregivers to eventual jar maintenance, with no apparent strategy to protect her assets from inflation. Not to mention the fact that her peak earning years were confined to the first few centuries, while prophecy was still a growth industry.

All of the above could be avoided by thinking through the opportunities and risks of longevity.

Maximization versus Optimization

If things continue on their current path, a 100-year life might become the norm, not the exception. This means that the above story of the Sibyl is increasingly relevant to all of us.

The issue of longevity is frequently misunderstood as a straightforward question of adding years to life (= Maximization). This is the realm of “bio-hacking” - hyperbaric oxygen chambers, NAD+ boosters, and cellular regeneration. All fascinating stuff, no doubt, and (some of it) highly worthwhile. But maximizing life is not the same as optimizing it.

The latter involves not just addressing the bare mechanics of aging, but also the underlying challenges associated with a longer life, in a world where nothing seems to stay put like it used to, for any length of time.

How to finance it, how to adapt one’s skills, and most importantly of all - WHAT to do with it - these are not addressed by miracle anti-ageing pills or telomere research.

Even today, it’s not uncommon for financial advisors to ask retiring couples what it is they want to do after the world cruise - and hear silence. You can’t make the best of life if you don’t know what a good life looks like for you.

The purpose of this blog is to address this gap in the conversation. It’s based on a book I published called Optimizing Longevity: A Road Atlas for A Happier, Less Predictable Life, available from the online behemoth that is in the process of replacing all other bookstores.

It's too late for the Sibyl, but for the rest of us, the real planning can begin right now.

Join me in a few weeks for the next blog post, and let’s see if we can figure this thing out together.