Health is important with investing, not just wealth.

Bigbobby

I was having a think about investing recently and even compared to 10-15 years ago we have never had so much advice and information at out fingertips regarding investing. Loads of online videos, forums, online journals and you can order investing books online as well. i remember in the early days of Youtube things were a bit more limited and the highlight was listening to Phil Collin's - Invisible Touch and U2 - The Streets have no Name. 😀

I pay into a workplace pension and also and also have a S&S ISA containing index funds containing global equities and bonds. I also have a property portfolio because I see property as having the power of leverage.

Now it is all well and good giving advice about clearing debt, building an emergency fund and investing in certain asset classes but what does not get spoken about a lot is investing in your own health? To me a think investors would benefit a lot more if it were to be emphasised to them that health is also important not just wealth. Poor health can also cause a financial strain whether that be sickness from work, medications, adaptations, dental treatments etc.

I know a lot a people in high paying jobs and have high wealth but their health is not great so how can they enjoy their eventual fruits of their labour? I can see their quality of life being poor and some will be lucky to even reach retirement. The UK does face significant issues with obesity linked to poor diet and exercise, dementia, alcohol and mental health issues.

People may ask well what are other people's health conditions got to do with me? I do think however that when it comes to investing it is not just financial decisions. It is about taking care of yourself physically, mentally, socially etc. To me health is the most important pillar when it comes to investing because how can we enjoy out eventual investments when we are not well ourselves? If health were to be emphasised more in the investment community there would be a lot more happy investors.

Sam_666

I realy dont see point of this post.
You dont invest in your health, you look after your health.
Investment means financial profit, how is "investing in health" going to generate finiacial profit?

Yes, eveyone should look after their health, not just investors. Plenty publicity on that field, suprised you missed that out.

Anyways, this post should go to health section or simular.

The_Groat_Counter

@Sam_666 posted:

"Investment means financial profit, how is "investing in health" going to generate financial profit?"

"Investment" doesn't necessarily have to do with anything financial as such.

The Cambridge English Dictionary says this…

investment - the act of putting money, effort, time, etc. into something to make a profit or get an advantage, or the money, effort, time, etc. used to do this

GeoffTF

There can be a connection. I retired at 50 because I believed that I would be more healthy and live longer if I prepared my own food and got out on the hills. The alternative was eating sandwiches from a machine and sitting in front of a desk with a fat belly. At 76, I am a healthy and wealthy man. If I had not retired, I would probably be twice as wealthy, but I would not be as healthy, and may already be dead.

kipsterno1

If you read some of the, excellent, long running threads on the pension forum you will see that health is a big parts of people's planning. A good one to start with might be @Smudgeismydog Bold leap into retirement.

flexyfox

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6669095/health-is-important-with-investing-not-just-wealth

I completely agree. Wealth is important, but there’s little point building a strong financial future if your health deteriorates along the way. Looking after your physical and mental health should be seen as an investment too. Good health gives us the best chance of actually enjoying the wealth we work so hard to build.

Nebulous2

Money and health are linked - poorer people often have poorer health, live in areas with health hazards, have more difficulty accessing healthcare etc.

However many of our (un)healthy habits are formed in young adulthood and become extremely difficult to change after they have been established.

I'm not up-to-date on all this stuff, but young girls used to lose interest in sports and fitness around puberty, as it wasn't cool. Getting them by that bump and keeping them going until very late teens, early adulthood meant they were much more likely to continue exercising through their adult years.

I suspect nowadays both boys and girls tend to lose interest earlier and fewer of them are exercising.

I holiday near a place with a large parkrun occasionally, and while walking round it is cheering to see the range of people taking part, including children. It's not in a convenient place for public transport however, and I suspect most of them are middle class people who have arrived by car.

I'm of an age - still short of state pension age - where it has been a wake-up call to see some of my peers dying. It doesn't seem long since it was their parents. However as I see some of them becoming unwell, being in poor health or dying, there are often lifestyle factors. Obesity, smoking, sedentary jobs / lifestyles, stressed angry personalities all play a part. I overheard somebody complaining about ill-health recently, and an acquaintance asked him. "Wasn't it the alcohol then?" He replied. "They haven't told me that, but it could well have been."

strawb_shortcake

I'm inclined to agree with @Nebulous2 that poor health is more closely linked with poorer people than wealthy people.

Though high wealth may be linked to high paying stressful jobs. I think you also see some high earners that also indulge a bit too much in good food and alcohol.

I'd say that better education about healthiness is needed across the board not just wealthy investors.

Albermarle

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82099318#Comment_82099318

I always assumed that drinking fine wine was better for you than knocking back pints of Stella, but my Doctor does not seem to agree 😄

More seriously someone who likes their drink, but also has a good diet, nice house, a gym membership etc. is probably going to have less effects from the alcohol indulgence, than someone with a high fat diet not doing any exercise. It is all about risk factors and how they add up, plus an element of luck as well.

strawb_shortcake

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82099398#Comment_82099398

Agreed, I guess I had quite stereotypical older wealthier rotund businessman in mind as I wrote that.

It's always about balance isn't it.

GeoffTF

Money and health are linked - poorer people often have poorer health,
live in areas with health hazards, have more difficulty accessing
healthcare etc.

It is not as simple as that. There is big difference between the average life expectancy (and other health measures) between richer and poorer areas not far from one another. I do not believe that we fully understand why.

The postcode where I live is classed as a deprived area. (You would not believe that walking down the street where I live, but that is another matter.) In my local government ward, Men live an average of 74 years and women live 78 years. That is less than the UK average of 79 years for men and 83 years for women.

There are no heath hazards in my area. I have always been able to get an NHS GP appointment on the same day. The local NHS Trust has better than average waiting times. There is lots of green space. There is big supermarket up the road, and a regular bus service. There seems to be plenty of work if you are fit in mind and body. If you are not, you are likely to be poor.

I believe that we are looking at the lottery of life here, rather than a simple causal relationship.