Sponsored content
Tim Townsend, head of wealth management and corporate consulting at Alexforbes, explains why living better requires thought about money, time and purpose
IN my last column, I explored the idea that longevity is not just about living longer, but living better, and that much of our success in this new age depends on how we think about money, time and purpose. That perspective was rooted in the internal factors that shape our lives.
But as Morgan Housel reminds us in his latest book, Same as Ever, the world isn’t just moved by what’s inside us. It is also shaped by timeless external forces that don’t change, no matter how much technology or innovation surrounds us. If the first step in adapting to longevity is adjusting our mindset, the second is recognising the constants that will always shape our financial, economic and societal realities.
“Things that never change,” Housel writes, “are often more important than things that do, because they can be depended upon.” This is a powerful reminder. Over the next 20–30 years, we will see new medicines, AI breakthroughs and longer lives.
But alongside this, certain forces remain steady: human nature, the cycles of greed and fear in markets, the inevitability of uncertainty and the enduring importance of trust.
From a Jersey perspective, this matters deeply. Our Island’s prosperity has long relied on stability, reputation and stewardship. These are not passing trends; they are enduring external factors that will remain just as crucial in the longevity era as they were in the past. A growing older population may create opportunities, but those opportunities will only be realised if we can maintain trust. Trust in our institutions, in our financial system and in each other.
This is where the concept of double materiality comes into focus. Traditionally, businesses measured success by internal performance – profit, return on equity and efficiency. But double materiality asks us to consider the external impacts too: how a company affects society and the environment, and how those forces in turn affect the company. Longevity should be viewed through the same lens.
Internally, as individuals, we must prepare for longer lives by investing in health, skills and financial resilience. Externally, we must remain aware of timeless forces: markets will rise and fall, politics will swing and communities will be tested. Recognising what never changes allows us to prepare sustainably, not just for ourselves, but for future generations of islanders.
In Same as Ever, Housel points out: “Progress happens too slowly to notice; setbacks happen too fast to ignore.”
This duality is precisely why longevity planning must balance optimism with resilience. We cannot predict every twist of the future, but we can anchor ourselves in what is constant.
For Jersey, this means combining innovation in how we support longer lives with an unshakable commitment to timeless values – trust, stewardship and sustainability. For individuals, it means seeing personal sustainability as more than a financial concept. It’s about aligning internal choices with external realities so that our longer lives are not just lived, but well-lived.
Longevity, then, is not simply about more time. It is about using that time wisely. We must keep an eye on what we can control, have an appreciation for what we cannot and a recognition that true sustainability is achieved when both are balanced.
