I Turned 30 Today

30 is a magical age.

For some, the first 30 years of life is all they need. Bill Gates was a billionaire by age 30.

For others, the first 30 years is just their warm-up. At 30, future President George W. Bush was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol near his family's summer home in Maine. He pleaded guilty, was fined $150, and had his driver's license suspended.

For many, the first 30 years is just the beginning. Siddhartha Gautama, better known as the Buddha, left his home at the age of 29 to seek enlightenment. The Gospel of Luke states that Jesus was "about 30 years of age" at the start of his ministry. United States' Senators must be 30 years of age or older to hold office.

To quote the Analects, “The Master (aka Confucius) says: At 15 I set my heart on learning, at 30 I know where I stood, at 40 I have no more doubts, at 50 I knew the will of Heaven (life’s purpose), at 60 my ears were attuned (i.e. my moral sense was developed), and at 70 I followed my heart’s desire without crossing the line.” (Confucius died at age 72). Even here, Confucius identifies the age of 30 as a time when "I know where I stood" hinting to the idea that by the age of 30 a person should have a good idea of where they fit in the world.

Despite this, the age of 30 hasn't been a "young" age for long.

The average life expectancy at birth in ancient Greek and Roman times was approximately 20 to 35 years. Bear in mind, this number was significantly impacted by infant mortality. Nonetheless, I would be deep in the 2nd half of my life either way. Demographic research suggests that at the beginning of the 19th century no country in the world had a life expectancy at birth longer than 40 years.

We take for granted the fact we don't die at 30 or 40 any more. What was once an entire life is now our "warm-up".

Pocahontas died at around age twenty. Vincent van Gogh and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart didn't see their 40th birthdays. Joan of Arc was killed at age nineteen. Alexander the Great died at 33. Hundreds of historical legends haven't made it to this side of 30.

Yet, look at me. I spent 18 years in Midland, Texas learning (unsuccessfully) how to be a functioning adult. I then spent 7 years in Tucson, Arizona successfully learning how to be a functioning adult. At the tail-end of my time in Tucson, I married Angelina when I was 25.

Spending 25 years to get my act together is a luxury given to me through healthcare innovation, capitalism, and really really smart people.

Crap, I wasn't even fully "together" at 25. I've just recently graduated from MBA school and finally have found a legitimate path forward. I turned 30 today.

In the modern world, hundreds of millions of people die before reaching 30. I knew a few. Despite this fact, many take it for granted that the current life expectancy for someone in the U.S. in 2020 is 78.93 years. With the advancements in technology and healthcare, it isn't unrealistic to see a significant portion of the Millennial generation live until age 90 and beyond.

To quote Ricky Bobby, "No one lives forever. No one. But with advances in modern science, and my high level of income, I mean, it's not crazy to think I can't live to be 245, maybe 300."

There seems to be two stories surrounding the age of 30.

1. On one hand, 30 years is plenty to do remarkable things and leave an impact on the world, and for thousands of years, mankind had seen 30 as "old" age.
2. On the other hand, 30 years is only about a third of our modern life and we should focus on maximizing the years after 30.

As an optimist, I seem to always have my eyes on the horizon. I believe spending 30 years learning about the world and my role in it was an excellent use of my life to date. I think with expanded life expectancy comes expanded responsibilities.

The vast majority of farmers, Senators, and citizens of Ancient Rome didn't have to worry about a 401(k), Social Security, Medicare, or any other number of issues surrounding old age. In fact, it wasn't until 1890 that "retirement" was even a concept. Germany's Otto von Bismarck initially set age 70 as the retirement age, but in 1916 Germany lowered it to 65.

In the last 50 years, mankind has entered a new world never before experienced by humans; the world of longevity.

Yes. We should cherish each day we are breathing.

Yes. We shouldn't take our long life expectancy for granted.

Yes. You need to plan to live until you are 90.

These decisions and philosophies aren't mutually exclusive.

As a group, we must actively decide to prepare our bodies, finances, relationships, and careers for a long life.

Poor nutrition and lack of exercise at age 30 will vastly impact the state of your body at age 60 and even more so at age 90. Don't believe me? Look up Tony Horton's age and then click "Images". Now do the same thing with Val Kilmer. At one point, these two were probably very similar in shape and fitness, but one gave up exercise and the other didn't. Who would you rather be?

Weak budgeting and a small investment portfolio will greatly affect your quality of life at age 70 and beyond. The average Social Security benefit was $1,503 per month in January 2020. The maximum possible Social Security benefit for someone who retires at full retirement age is $3,011 in 2020. Do you want to live on less than $36k a year from age 65 to 90? I don't. That's why I save and invest as much money as I possibly can for the future.

Not creating high-quality relationships built on trust and respect will leave you empty and lonely as you approach your later half of life. Don't believe me? Just talk to anyone with an estranged son or daughter. Don't care if you are lonely? You should. Research has shown loneliness is a significant predictor of overall suicide ideation and/or behavior. Being lonely is associated with a higher risk of physical health issues, like cardiac disease and immune deficiency, and mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression (Cacioppo et al 2002). With longer life, you have more time to build quality relationships. At the same time, it gives people a greater opportunity to leave bad relationships.

If you ignore the innovations in your career and refuse to be a lifelong learner, you'll be commoditized in your career path and have little ways of creating an income as you approach 65. Look at Travel Agents, Door-to-Door Sales, and Taxi Drivers if you want some examples of dead career paths. No one can predict the future, but I can tell you lifelong learning will keep you from becoming an unemployment statistic.

That's a lot to take in.

How do you balance today's demands with tomorrow's possibilities?

Split it up. My personal philosophy on the modern life is to cut it into thirds.

In my first 30 years, I spent learning life's rules. I spent thousands of hours learning about how society, my body, careers, relationships, financial markets, and the world all works. I'm not done, but that was the significant focus of my first 30 years.

As I enter my next 30 years, I plan on leveraging this knowledge to create the life I want. I want to travel the world. I want to build a house. I want to run a company. I want to coach a team. I want to do. Between now and 60, I'll do all these things and more. Along the way, I have to "sharpen my saw" by reserving time for financial management, physical fitness, and relationship building. If all goes well, I'll be constantly learning something new along the way.

After age 60, it is time to dedicate my time to giving back in any way I can. In theory, I will have accomplished a lot of my goals and I can help pass along my knowledge, skills, and wealth to those in need.

I turned 30 today.

1/3rd (or more) of my life is in the past. I've spent 30 years learning. Now I hope to spend 30 years doing. While I may not be Jesus or Buddha or Bill Gates, and I don't have any desire to run for political office, I'm glad I live in a time where 30 is "young" and I have a lot of life in front of me.

If you haven't made it to 30 yet, don't worry, it only gets better. If you've passed 30 yourself, I hope you are planning for 90.

Happy New Year!