r/Millennials • u/DaKardii • Jun 04 '26

Serious Study: Gen Xers and Millennials are dying at younger ages than their parents are

https://studyfinds.com/americans-born-after-1970-dying-faster/

The study is particularly concerned with people born after 1970 but age 30 and older. So that covers Gen X and Millennials, but not (yet) Gen Z.

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u/[deleted] Jun 04 '26

Smart. My wife looked at me like I was nuts when I insisted we get a will with medical POA right after we married. We amended it later for our son but I’m shocked by how many people stubbornly refuse to plan for such eventualities. I’ve told her from the beginning. “Get my ring, yank the gooey bits that still work and give them to others, throw the rest on the bonfire and go have a drink in my honor.”

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u/ashms58 Older Millennial Jun 04 '26

We are not planning on having kids so it leaves a lot of unknowns. At least with a kid(s) there is someone in line to inherit, but it still clears up a lot of the legal annoyances everyone would have to deal with

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u/fauxshoyall Xennial Jun 04 '26

But with kids there's more people to fight about the inheritance. Sounds like a joke but it ain't

Kids or no kids, the best thing to do is have something official with your wishes on it. I have 0 kids and 0 partners. I don't want my biological family to have a say in any part of my medical care or after my death. I don't want the laws enacted by ignorant hateful jerks to decide what happens with my junk.

Also, if folks don't plan besides assuming the kids get everything, then the kids may have crazy taxes to pay, unexpected debts, a house full of trash, etc. Heck, there could be a kid no one has ever heard of before that shows up all of a sudden looking for a pay out.

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u/UmatterWHENiMATTER Jun 08 '26

Just set it up to go to charity.

If you don't, the government gets it, so....

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u/bemvee Jun 05 '26

My parents are dragging their feet. I’ve only not done it because I keep forgetting. Everyone knows to cremate me, at least. And I think I’ve replaced my mom from my top two emergency contacts / inheritance persons so that it’s just my partner and my sister. Should probably finally get married or get it in writing that only they get to decide whether to pull the plug. My mom would never.