Episode Overview

Podcast: HerMoney with Jean Chatzky
Episode: Ep 507: Healthy to 100: The Real ROI of Connection in Retirement
Guest: Ken Stern, longevity expert, author of Healthy to 100: How Strong Social Ties Lead to Long Lives, and host of the Century Lives podcast
Air Date: December 24, 2025

This episode dives deep into one of the most overlooked sources of longevity – the value of strong social connections as we age. Jean Chatzky and Ken Stern explore research from some of the world's healthiest societies, the science of social health, and how women, in particular, can build better, happier, and longer retirements by investing in community, purpose, and connection.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The True Secret to Longevity (02:09–06:53)

• Jean Chatzky introduces the core thesis: While financial and physical health often take center stage in longevity conversations, social connection may be the “best investment” for a longer, healthier life.
• Ken Stern shares his research inspiration:
  • Began research for the Century Lives podcast by exploring US counties exceeding expected life expectancy despite economic hardship.
  • “Everywhere we went… the story was the same. It wasn’t just in Presidio County. It could have been in… Co-Op City [NYC]… people staying in community for a long time and building social relationships.” (Ken Stern, 06:01)
  • Social connection has effects on health “equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day – or not smoking them if you have strong social connection.” (06:26)

America’s Loneliness Crisis vs. Global Solutions (06:53–10:53)

• Jean Chatzky highlights concerning trends:
  • Number of adults reporting no close friends has quadrupled since 1990, and those with many friends dropped threefold.
• Ken Stern explains the US context:
  • Shift from communal activities (churches, unions, PTA) to individualized entertainment (TV, smartphones).
  • "If you go... to the subway in Seoul or Singapore, people are exactly like they are in New York. They're face down in their phones. But… they've created new institutions of social connection to bring people together... Other places, they're doing something about it." (Ken Stern, 08:44)
• Discusses “third spaces” and city design:
  • Barcelona redesigns to reduce cars and foster walkability, increasing opportunities for organic connection.
  • In Korea, lifelong learning institutes bring people together across ages; in Japan, new work norms keep older people engaged.

The Power of Walkable Cities and Doing Connection on a Budget (14:00–18:21)

• Cities vs. Suburbs and Rural Communities:
  • Jean Chatzky shares her own experience of moving from suburban NY to urban Philly, increases in walking and chance encounters.
  • Ken Stern notes: urban design shapes not just exercise opportunities but frequency of eye-to-eye interactions, essential for connection and movement.
  • “People ask me a lot why social connection actually helps your health. There’s a biological reason… if you’re socially connected, you’re not staying at home, you move, you get social feedback about your health.” (Ken Stern, 14:34)
• Cost factors affecting connection:
  • Jean highlights how gyms foster connection but can be expensive.
  • Ken explains lower-income/less-educated individuals are far likelier to have few friends, a “sobering” finding tied to fewer resources and opportunities to build community.
  • On making space for connection: "I would start off by saying you need to make mental space for connection… we need to make equal room for social connection.” (Ken Stern, 17:04)
  • Many options remain low-cost or free: education, volunteering, community groups.

Financial Stress and Women’s Retirement Anxiety (18:21–22:03)

• Financial stress as a health risk:
  • “Stress generally is a killer and financial stress is one of the biggest stresses that you see.” (Ken Stern, 18:30)
  • Women face compounded pressures: longer lifespans, less lifetime income, more years spent caring for others, leading to more years in poor health.
• Jean Chatzky spells out women's specific retirement quagmires:
  • Facing gender wage gap, fewer Social Security credits, likelihood of being caregivers, potentially outliving partners, and bearing high healthcare costs.
• What women do right:
  • Ken highlights that globally, women keep stronger social ties as they age, which sustains healthy longevity despite greater financial risk.
  • “I went to… senior centers in other countries… almost invariably women in the majority… because they are much more outgoing, much more socially connected… I think that’s one reason women do live longer." (Ken Stern, 21:37)

Rethinking Work and Purpose in Old Age – Lessons from Japan (24:42–30:54)

• Models of Later-Life Work:
  • In Japan, companies hire “grandmother juniors” (60–75) and “grandmothers” (75+), especially women, recognizing the value of ongoing purpose and community in work.
  • “They had no trouble recruiting the grandmothers... because increasingly in Japan, people associate work with better health. It’s actually a concept called ikigai.” (Ken Stern, 25:57)
• Cultural vs. economic change:
  • Raising pension ages in law isn’t as effective as shifting a culture to see work (part-time, flexible, meaningful) as health-promoting.
  • Companies in Japan and Korea have remade their workplaces to suit older workers, with assistive tech, job sharing, and more flexibility.
  • The US will inevitably follow as populations age, birth rates fall, and immigration slows: “We’re going to need older workers in the same way that other countries have shown that they do.” (Ken Stern, 29:03)
  • Notable role models for working into old age: Jane Goodall, Mel Brooks (still directing at 99), Warren Buffett, Dick Van Dyke.

Volunteerism and Social Infrastructure (30:54–32:34)

• Power of organized support:
  • The US has a huge but decentralized volunteer culture; in contrast, countries like South Korea, Italy, and Germany have offices helping older adults find suitable, fulfilling volunteer roles.
  • The “young old” often volunteer to help their slightly older peers, creating robust intergenerational communities that keep everyone engaged.

Jean’s New Year Request: Three Key Longevity Tips (32:34–34:31)

Ken Stern’s Top Advice:

1. Be Deliberate in Retirement Planning
   • Don’t treat retirement as a period of decline or drift—plan the next 20+ years with as much purpose as your earlier decades.
   • “We have far less invested in thinking about the next 20 or 25 years with [the] same seriousness… We've been taught that the future past 65 is an era of decline.” (Ken Stern, 33:11)
2. Prioritize Social Connection in Your Health Hierarchy
   • Treat social ties as vital as diet or exercise.
3. Find Your Own Connection Style
   • Especially for introverts, focus not on being a social butterfly but on simply occupying space with like-minded people in work, learning, volunteering, or multi-generational neighborhoods; connections will naturally follow.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• “Social connection has effects on health equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day—or not smoking them if you have strong social connection.”
  — Ken Stern (06:26)

• “Other places, they're doing something about [loneliness]…”
  — Ken Stern (08:44)

• “In Barcelona, they've actually redesigned the city to get people out of cars and onto foot … if you're on eye level with each other … there are places to sit and talk and commune.”
  — Ken Stern (09:50)

• “We need to make equal room for social connection [as] we do for health care, fitness, and diet.”
  — Ken Stern (17:04)

• “Stress generally is a killer and financial stress is one of the biggest stresses that you see.”
  — Ken Stern (18:30)

• “Women … remain socially connected and have a stronger network of friends … I think that’s one reason women do live longer.”
  — Ken Stern (21:37)

• “What encourages people to work longer [in Japan] is a cultural change – the idea that 60 or 65 doesn’t really make sense to retire … people need ways to continue to have purpose and meaning.”
  — Ken Stern (28:01)

• “Planning and taking [retirement] with the same seriousness and purpose [as earlier decades]... Social connection isn't about being the life of the party... it's being next to people who share your values.”
  — Ken Stern (32:55—34:31)

Important Timestamps for Segments

• Main Episode Start & Introduction to Longevity/Connection: 02:09
• Social Connection vs. Traditional Longevity Factors: 04:43–06:53
• American Loneliness & Global Institutional Solutions: 06:53–10:53
• Urban Design & Social Health: 14:00–14:56
• Budgeting for Connection: 15:53–18:21
• Women's Financial Stress & Longevity Risks: 18:21–22:03
• Japan’s Model of Senior Work: 24:42–28:14
• Changing US Work Culture as Population Ages: 28:14–30:54
• Volunteerism, Social Infrastructure, & Advice: 30:54–34:31

Conclusion

Stern and Chatzky make a compelling case for reframing longevity—from a purely technical or financial journey to one centered on meaningful community. With global examples and clear, actionable advice, they encourage listeners (especially women) to recognize the ROI of investing in relationships, community engagement, and purpose as essential tools for a truly healthy retirement.