Investing and health are two important things in life, but they can also be confusing. There is so much conflicting data, articles and advice.

I recently read that one of the bestselling books of the year is physician Peter Attia’s Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity. The book looks at recent scientific research on aging and explores strategies for not only living longer but also living healthier.

There are clear parallels here between our health and how I believe we should think about investing. Some examples of this are as follows:

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution. From an investing perspective we all have different aspirations and risk tolerances, and I believe the best investment strategy is the one a person can stick with. The same can be said about our ongoing health.
There are no quick fixes. As with our health the same applies to investing. To take advantage of the power of compounding we need time. Smart investing, like good health, requires long term discipline and commitment.
It’s better to prevent problems than being in the position of having to fix them. We can be proactive about how we approach investing by accepting uncertainty, building robust and well diversified portfolios so we stay the course, and importantly, which fits within a plan which is both flexible and accounts for a range of outcomes. It’s the same with our health – making the best-informed decisions whilst recognising the outcomes are uncertain.

Attia sees the goal of medicine (which can have various connotations) as prolonging not only our life span but also our “health span” so that we’re in the best shape to enjoy what matters most to us.

When it comes to investing, the aim is to experience a successful journey so our accumulated wealth can be used to lead the lives we want to live while feeling comfortable and safe along the way. Having a healthy “wealth span” is not just about accumulating money, but aligning it towards what really matters.

Helping people change how they approach their health is important, but to me helping people change the way they invest is also important work. By recognising the importance of prevention and implementing tailored strategies, there is a common theme around making informed choices to lead both healthier and wealthier lives.