Participant Corner: Staying Healthy Can Make You Wealthy

The holidays are upon us! Staying healthy just might make you wealthy. With small lifestyle changes and healthy choices (especially with all the shared yummy foods), you may reduce your annual healthcare costs and increase your income. These lifestyle changes can be as simple as limiting your salt intake or taking your prescribed medication regularly.

By adopting healthy habits, you can mitigate future healthcare costs. Data from HealthyCapital reveals that by simply making a few minor changes to daily routines and reducing the risk factors leading to chronic disease, individuals could potentially add years to their lives and save thousands of dollars in lifetime medical expenses. (See the example to the right.)

Savannah and Adrian are both 45 years old and both sought medical treatment for high blood pressure. Savannah doesn’t follow the lifestyle changes her doctor suggested, whereas Adrian diligently follows her doctor’s recommendations. With Adrian’s small changes she saves more than $1,000 in out-of-pocket healthcare costs. Additionally, Adrian’s combined pre-retirement and in-retirement savings will be $89,456 more than Savannah, as shown in the table below.

Savannah

The average-managed patient.

• Blood pressure of 150/95

• Sometimes forgets medications

• Sometimes doesn’t follow her suggested diet

• Occasional smoker and drinker

Adrian

The well-managed patient.

• Takes prescribed medications.

• Exercises 30 minutes/day, 5 days/week.

• Moderate alcohol intake.

• Chooses healthy fats

• Limits dietary salt

• Quit smoking

For purpose of the case study, Savannah and Adrian are compared in two levels of care: average-managed (loosely follows physician recommendations) and well-managed (fully complies with physician recommendations.

For illustrative purposes only.

Have questions regarding your investments? Please contact a KerberRose Retirement Plan Services advisor at (715) 524-6626 or 401kservices@kerberrose.com.