Digital Assets and the Death of Retirement: Preparing for a Longer, Smarter Life

Since I stopped going into an office every day, many things in my life have changed. One of the most significant is that the flexibility in my schedule now allows me to consume a massive amount of content. Between podcasts and YouTube videos, I average more than 15 hours a week, mostly focused on AI, crypto, and macroeconomic trends. Every now and then, something I’m listening to manages to tie all three topics together. And occasionally, the timing aligns perfectly with major news. That’s exactly what happened recently.

In a recent episode of The Compound and Friends podcast, Ric Edelman made a striking case for rethinking portfolio allocations in light of one undeniable reality: people are going to live longer. Edelman is a bestselling author and the co-founder of Edelman Financial Engines, the largest independent registered investment advisor in the United States, with approximately $270 billion in assets under management. His argument centered around the idea that traditional retirement planning, built for lifespans of 75 to 85 years, is quickly becoming obsolete. In a world where AI-driven medical breakthroughs and healthspan-focused technologies are poised to push lifespans well beyond 100, financial planning needs to catch up.

As a result, Edelman believes investors must extend their time horizons and take on more risk to meet the demands of a 60-year retirement rather than a 30-year one. “If you're alive in 2030,” he said, “odds are high you'll live to age 100 or beyond. And a 60/40 portfolio won’t get you there.”

At the core of his thesis is the role of crypto. Edelman sees it not as a passing trend, but as a digital-native asset class that will ultimately support the infrastructure of the future financial system. “Today, it's not just about investing in Bitcoin,” he explained. “It's about investing in the ecosystem; stablecoins, tokenization, digital assets, and the companies building this future.” In his view, crypto is no longer a speculative play. It’s a necessary component of a portfolio designed to last deep into the 21st century.

While the longevity story reshapes investment horizons, crypto is simultaneously experiencing a surge in mainstream attention. With Bitcoin pushing to new all-time highs, more and more people are being drawn into the conversation. At the same time, structural changes in the crypto ecosystem are enhancing its credibility and importance.

Tom Lee of Fundstrat recently described crypto as nearing its “ChatGPT moment,” referring to the wave of public attention sparked by the success of the Circle IPO. This event was a watershed, broadening investor awareness beyond Bitcoin and validating stablecoins as a legitimate part of traditional finance. It also highlighted the growing institutional demand for the infrastructure that supports the digital asset economy.

Further accelerating this trend, Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev called tokenization “the greatest innovation in capital markets,” noting its potential to transform how ownership, settlement, and access are structured. These developments are not unfolding in isolation. In Washington, bipartisan support is growing around initiatives like the Genius Act, a proposed framework that could finally bring regulatory clarity and unlock broader adoption.

Together, these signals point to a major shift. Crypto is no longer a fringe asset. It is on the path to becoming a foundational component of the future financial system. As Edelman summed it up, “You weren't wrong not to buy Bitcoin in 2012. It was early, unregulated, and uncertain. But today is completely different; institutional, political, and technological acceptance has arrived.”

Shortly after that episode aired, news broke in the longevity space that echoed the same theme. Alphabet’s AI-powered drug discovery company, Isomorphic Labs, announced it is preparing to launch its first human clinical trials of AI-designed cancer drugs. This milestone marks a major step forward in turning computational breakthroughs into life-saving treatments. It also underscores the accelerating role AI is playing in transforming medicine and, by extension, investment strategy.

Few individuals have been more influential in this area than Demis Hassabis, founder of Google DeepMind and co-recipient of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on AlphaFold. The system’s ability to predict protein structures with astonishing accuracy laid the groundwork for this next phase of drug development. Hassabis first captured public attention when AlphaGo defeated the world champion in Go—an event many thought was still a decade away. That historic moment, particularly the now-famous Move 37, became symbolic of AI’s ability to think creatively and solve problems once thought to be the exclusive domain of human intuition.

Now, with a generative AI platform designed specifically to accelerate drug discovery, Isomorphic Labs is targeting some of the world’s most intractable diseases. AI is no longer just winning games; it is beginning to unlock the secrets of biology itself. What was once theoretical is rapidly becoming real. The idea of radically extending human healthspan is no longer science fiction; it is becoming a medical and economic reality.

The implications of longer lifespans are enormous. They don’t just affect healthcare—they challenge the entire structure of financial planning. For decades, the standard model assumed a relatively simple path: work until 65, retire for 20 years, and aim to preserve capital. But if people start living well into their 90s or beyond, and remain active and independent, this entire model collapses.

Longer lives demand longer investment horizons. Retirement may be delayed. The focus shifts from preserving wealth to growing it across multiple decades. Strategies based on fixed income alone are unlikely to be sufficient. What’s needed are assets tied to innovation and growth; precisely the environment where digital assets, biotech, and AI-driven companies thrive. This isn’t just a reallocation of capital. It’s a redefinition of risk. In this context, risk isn’t measured by short-term volatility. It’s defined by whether or not your portfolio can keep up with your lifespan.

Crypto, in particular, offers a unique advantage in this new era. Much like early-stage tech or venture capital, it provides access to the bleeding edge of innovation. But unlike traditional private markets, which are often reserved for the wealthy or well-connected, crypto and tokenization open the door to nearly anyone with a smartphone. Whether it’s real estate, private credit, or fine art, tokenization allows for fractional ownership and borderless access. It removes long-standing barriers and makes investing more inclusive.

In that sense, crypto is not merely a high-risk, high-reward play on the future. It is the foundation of a more democratized financial system. For a generation that may routinely live to 100, this is no longer a speculative argument. It is a strategic imperative.

Yet despite these changes, many in the financial advisory world remain hesitant to have this conversation. As Ric Edelman pointed out, “If you're fearful that recommending crypto could cause a client to fire you, then you're suffering from a conflict of interest.” The problem isn’t just fear. It's also institutional. “Fifty percent of advisors in this country own Bitcoin,” he noted, “but only 20 percent are recommending it to clients—because their firms won’t let them.” This disconnect illustrates how legacy systems can stifle progress and delay the adoption of necessary tools.

The convergence of breakthroughs in longevity and financial technology is forcing a reassessment of what it means to build a resilient portfolio. As AI pushes the boundaries of how long and how well we live, and as blockchain redefines how capital flows, the old 60/40 framework loses its relevance.

We are entering the age of the 100-year portfolio. It’s one that demands exposure to biotech, AI, and tokenized assets. These aren’t exotic side bets—they are the building blocks of a future where life is longer, health is better, and the financial system is more open than ever. The investors who adapt early, who understand that science and finance are now deeply intertwined, will be the ones best positioned to thrive in the decades ahead.