Just paid for one of my insurance schemes. It should be very inspired to discuss here about LIFE (hehe, not so serious, but realistic) as there are users around the globe in TC.

Living in one of the top 10 high life expectancy country, we have extensive and intensive "security net", i.e. many insurance plans of life/retirement... Today I rethink about this, normally(without fatal accidents) I will have 40-50 more years of life ahead of me! OMG! Retirement funds?...wait 30 more years to use it and with high inflation, should be not enough to feed me till I died...Life insurance?...wait until I died and will be beneficial to my mom(but normally, I'll die after her, right? )...Saving/investment funds?...can be used some more years later, but now I am broke after the payments

So what's the point to live a long life? I have some Turkish friends who told me that normally people died at their 50's or 60's. Some don't have any savings. Some never plan for retirement. Most of them just enjoy the present. Though this phenomenon is not exactly something to do with lower life expectancy...But I am thinking: A shorter life maybe a blessing, right?

You really don't need a large life insurance policy, unless maybe you have small children. Enough to bury you and pay for your funeral. Retirement plan is a must however, unless you plan on working until the day you die. On an annual basis, when I receive an increase in pay, I put that percentage towards my retirement and it's money I don't miss. I think you have to plan for your future, at least have something to look forward to when you are able to retire. Yes, you can also have the view as "live for the moment". However, this can also cause a hardship to your fellow citizens. Because then the government and tax payers end up having to flip the bill for those who want to "live for the moment".

In the UK you must have life insurance if you have a loan or mortgage, just in case you die whilst you are still paying it off. It is also sensible to have life insurance if you are self-employed.

After you are 65 you can no longer have life insurance as a separate insurance. Normally if we have a pension, then this is covered by life insurance and my salary is also covered. If I should die then my husband would get twice my salary, as he is self-employed, and also my pension. If he died then I would get nothing, only what his pension would pay out.

Life expectancy in the UK is something like mid 70's and I know in Turkey it is around 65 ish, but there are always those who go beyond that. All except one of my grand parents died in their 90's and my great grandmother was 98.

Trouble is when you can least afford it you need it and when you can afford you don't need it! Catch 22!!!!

When I finished University, one of the first things I did was get a $20,000 life insurance policy. Why burden my parents with expenses if I die unexpectedly?
When you get married and have a family, you need to have enough coverage to care for them if you were to die (unexpectedly). Once your children are gone, you can reduce the amount of the coverage and your payments are cheap.
The sooner you get insurance in life, the cheaper it will be when you really need it (in your 40's and 50's).
So really, at each stage of your life, you can get cost effective insuarnce that will provide for the expenses that you will leave behind.
The mistake many make is buying the insurance that is an investment rather than "insurance". This is a scam and highly profitable for insurance salesman.

I also have started paying for life insurance after graduation. Then when I began working, I need to pay for mandatory provident fund. To help better savings, I started another plan...What I meant was, all these are preparing for the "future", right?. My point is "how much future" would you want? Do you want long life?

I always think of what it would be like if I live in a third world, with a shorter life expectancy, fewer materialistic needs..There should be special beauty in it.

It all depends on when you want to retire. You need to invest differently if you want to retire at 45 then if you want to retire at 65.
I'm not totally in command with all the laws in Turkey, but I know many companies in Turkey force you to retire after 20 years working, so many of these people are in their 40's when they stop working.
The Turkish pension is not enough so you need to either get another job, or have saved enough money to live on. Many here buy flats as they work in life and then either continue to rent them or sell them when they retire.

But I think your other question is why would you want to live a long life? You are young so have a different outlook than me. I am closer to 40 than to 20 so I assure you I want to live another 40 years at least! Inşallah...

I have a life insurance which will pay me after 62 or 65 (the later I choose, the more I get) and will be an extra adding to my pension, which is only 70% of my current salary. I love to travel now and I hope I can still do it after retirement (18-21 years from now!!!!) so some extra will be needed then.

Average age in Holland is 81 for women and 76 for men.

Just a querry: why new posts of this forum topic are not shown on the main page of TC? I can see all the other new posts there, mostly translation requests.
Would anyone know whether the moderator is screening? What are the criteria?

It’s just the way admin has set it up to pull topics on to the home page.
Only a few of the forum topics show there and Off-topic is not one of them.

Then it would be a pity. I wish that there could be more responses from different countries. We need input from people living in Turkey(of course), eastern Europe, Middle east, etc. It would be inspiring to know how people think about long life and their preparation for it.

I think ninja you will find either people enjoy or hate life in every country. Some plan for their future and some live for the moment.

I'm a little baffled by why you would be happy to only live another 5 years. Maybe you could explain a little more on this.

Sounds like Ninja (forgive me if I am wrong) is of the Live fast, die young and leave a pretty corpse mindset.

Actually, my parents are both past life expectancy in the US and they are doing well. Self-sufficient. Volunteers, play golf 3 times a week, active in their faith.

I think we need the older ones to help us see experience and faith in action. I would like to live to help my children raise their children in a Godly manner.

Thanks for your input, teaschip1 & suzieswimz.

Why I wish to live 5 more years...it's just a crazy thought. Not that I have serious problems in life nor wishing to die young and pretty.

I got this crazy thought as I paid my insurance and wondered that I have to pay much much more in order to secure my aged life which will begin 40 more years later. I think among the countries that have high life expectancy and "better"(just relatively saying, I assume) systems of living security, people all have to live in the present and at the same time strive and pay so much to prepare for the very long future...

What will you feel about this? Maybe in some of the more developed countries, elder people are taken good care by their governments or societies. At least they can foresee a blessed aged life. Yet there are some parts of the world that have quite different scenario. That is why I would like to know how people would choose, to live long or to live "long enough"?

How you enjoy your old age depends entirely on your health. I will be 70 this year and despite some minor aches and pains feel I will last another few years yet.On the other hand, yesterday I attended the funeral of a friend who died at 61 after many years of ill health.When you get old you begin to loose your faculties,the first usually your memory, the second your ehm the second ... sorry I seem to have forgotten what the next one was