Yes. Health and wealth are closely linked in the research. People with higher incomes tend to live longer, and poor health can drain income and savings. The link runs in both directions.

What the research says

In 2016, Raj Chetty and colleagues published a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association using tax and death records for the United States. The richest 1% of Americans lived about 14.6 years longer than the poorest 1% for men, and about 10.1 years longer for women.

The direction also runs the other way. Serious illness can reduce how much someone can work and earn, and medical bills can eat into savings.

What the research can't say

These studies show strong links, not that money buys health or that health creates wealth on its own. Education, jobs, neighborhoods, habits and access to care all play a part.

Why it matters for you

The same habits help both. Avoiding smoking, moving daily, sleeping well and drinking little protect your health, and they also protect your ability to work, earn and save. Healthy habits cost little, while poor health can cost a lot, in money and in years.

The habit: protect your two biggest assets together

Your body and your earning power are linked. Treat them as one plan.

  • Keep up your health basics: sleep, movement, food and checkups.
  • Keep an emergency fund so a health scare doesn't become a money crisis.
  • Understand your health coverage before you need it.

The rule that makes it stick: give it years

Neither health nor wealth is built in a month. Both come from ordinary days repeated over decades. Choose habits you can keep for years, not weeks.

This week

Pick one health habit and one money habit to start together, such as a daily walk and a small automatic transfer to savings.

The keep

Protecting your health costs some time and attention. It protects your earning power, your savings and the years you get to enjoy them.

This article is for education only and isn't medical or financial advice.

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