{"id":28759,"date":"2026-06-05T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T02:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thebrokernews.ch\/?p=28759"},"modified":"2026-06-02T12:44:53","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T10:44:53","slug":"live-longer-plan-shorter-risk-in26-2-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thebrokernews.ch\/en\/live-longer-plan-shorter-risk-in26-2-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Live longer, plan shorter?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Longevity\" is much more than a dietary supplement or retirement provision. Binci Heeb, Editor-in-Chief of thebrokernews, Caroline la Cocheti\u00e8re, MD Lincoln, Nadine Esposito, Wellthspan Advisory. <\/span><\/div>\n\n

Longevity is no longer a pension issue. For the insurance and reinsurance industry, demographic change is becoming a strategic question of survival and very few companies are prepared. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Anyone who thinks of dietary supplements or retirement provisions when they hear the word “longevity” has not yet understood the problem. That was the clear message from Nadine Esposito, Wellthspan Advisory<\/a> and Caroline de la Cocheti\u00e8re, MD Switzerland Lincoln<\/a> at the Risk-!n Conference 2026<\/a> in Zurich, moderated by Binci Heeb, Editor-in-Chief of thebrokernews<\/em>. Longevity, the panel concluded, is a systemic risk. And at the same time one of the biggest untapped business opportunities of the coming decades. <\/p>\n\n

Lifespan versus Healthspan <\/h6>\n\n

Traditionally, the insurance industry looked at longevity risk through a single lens: people live longer than expected, the pension fund is not enough. Today, this view is too narrow. Esposito introduced a distinction that has far-reaching consequences for the industry: Lifespan is the number of years lived. Healthspan is the time spent in good health. In between is the sickspan, which lasts around ten years on average, during which chronic illnesses, the need for care and high costs come together. In the USA, this period is actually growing. <\/p>\n\n

For insurers, this means that it is no longer just about how long someone lives, but how. Prevention, healthy ageing and care infrastructure are becoming central product themes and risk areas that have hardly been priced in to date. <\/p>\n\n

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Nadine Esposito, Founder Wellthspan Advisory<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Binci Heeb, Editor-in-Chief thebrokernews<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Caroline de la Cocheti\u00e8re, Managing Director Switzerland Lincoln<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The silent risk: knowledge drain<\/h6>\n\n

As the customer base ages, so does the workforce. And this is where Caroline de la Cocheti\u00e8re sees the most pressing operational risk: not age per se, but the loss of experience, judgment and relationship capital that has been built up over decades. The insurance industry is a business of trust. When experienced professionals retire and succession plans are lacking, a company doesn’t just lose a job, it loses networks, market knowledge and complex judgment that can’t be packed into an onboarding document. <\/p>\n\n

Esposito added: “Technical expertise can increasingly be replaced by AI. What cannot be replaced – at least not yet – is personal judgment, experience gained from hundreds of decision-making situations and trust that has grown. This is exactly what is systematically flowing out of companies right now. <\/p>\n\n

The preferred candidate does not exist<\/h6>\n\n

Heeb summed up the paradox that she has experienced herself: Companies are looking for a 35-year-old person with the knowledge of a 55-year-old – completely AI-savvy, digitally native, immediately ready for action. This person does not exist. And while companies wait for him, they send the 55-year-olds home. <\/p>\n\n

The consequence that awaits them: In a few years, companies will actively try to bring back older skilled workers because there will simply be no one left who knows the job. Esposito agreed and called for a fundamental rethink in succession planning: “Careers today are no longer linear. People will have several professional biographies, with breaks, new beginnings and salary dips. Anyone who still links succession planning to age and hierarchy is not planning in line with reality. <\/p>\n\n

Four generations, one office<\/h6>\n\n

For the first time, four or five generations are working simultaneously in many companies. De la Cocheti\u00e8re does not see this as a line of conflict, but rather an opportunity, provided that companies stop pitting generations against each other. Older employees bring judgment, market knowledge and relationships. Younger employees bring agility, an understanding of technology and new ways of thinking. What is missing are the organizational structures that bring the two together. <\/p>\n\n

Heeb cited a practical obstacle from his own experience: “It is of little use offering AI tools to a 60-year-old if the explanation comes from a 25-year-old who clicks through thirty functions in ten minutes. If you take knowledge transfer in both directions seriously, you also have to adapt the language and speed. <\/p>\n\n

Longevity as a market opportunity<\/h6>\n\n

Esposito concluded with an outlook that goes beyond risk management: “Longevity is not just a problem to be managed, it is one of the biggest growth markets of the coming decades. The fastest growing demographic group is the 50- or 60-plus generation, depending on the country. They hold the majority of private assets. And they don’t want what their grandparents wanted when they were 70. They are digital, travel-loving, health-conscious and largely ignored by the insurance industry’s product development. <\/p>\n\n

Those who understand early on what older customers really need – not in ten years’ time, but as they age – will have a structural advantage. According to Esposito, the companies that see demographic change as a strategic transformation rather than an HR problem will be the more resilient ones. And the more profitable ones. <\/p>\n\n

The next Risk-!n-Conference will take place on May 20 + 21, 2027 at the Swiss Life Arena<\/a>, Vulkanstrasse 130 in 8048 Zurich-Altstetten.<\/p>\n\n

Binci Heeb<\/p>\n\n

Read also: AI can assist, but not be liable<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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