The wealthy are in pursuit of living the longest life possible. Take the CEO of ChatGPT creator OpenAI, Sam Altman. He’s been known to look into a full-spectrum LED light most mornings when replying to emails. He also takes metformin, a diabetes drug that is purported to have anti-ageing properties. He believes his longevity routine makes him more productive and will extend his working years (and thus earnings potential).

“Compound growth gets discussed as a financial concept, but it works in careers as well, and it is magic. A small productivity gain, compounded over 50 years, is worth a lot,” Altman wrote back in 2018.

NBA star LeBron James previously revealed that he uses cryotherapy to reduce chronic inflammation. The controversial co-founder of PayPal, Peter Thiel, once expressed interest in parabiosis, a technique involving young blood plasma infusions. And, German biotech entrepreneur Christian Angermayer has been known to inject himself with weight-loss drugs, growth hormones and testosterone.

While some of the longevity treatments billionaires are pursuing are undoubtedly extreme, when it comes to wider landscape, more and more high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) are investing in longevity practices on a scale never before seen.

Longevity as a competitive advantage

According to Axa Global Healthcare research conducted in March 2026, 85 per cent of 259 UK-based HNWIs surveyed, all of whom are in the top 10 per cent of earners, are already investing in longevity to the tune of £9,793 a year on average. Three-quarters (74 per cent) intend to increase their spend over the next three years. They also expect their life expectancy to increase by an average of 8.3 years as a result of their intervention.

“The desire to live longer, healthier lives is neither new nor unique to any one group. What has changed is that HNWIs have the resources to act on it, and the market continues to develop compelling ways to help them do so,” says Archie Sinclair, COO of Lodha Partners, a strategic advisor for private individuals and families.

Axa’s Longevity Mindset Study 2026 found strong demand among the respondents for wearables that can track vital signs and body metrics 24/7, advanced diagnostics, including genetic testing, and medications and supplements. Ultimately, anything that can give them an edge.

Sinclair says that every HNWI investing in longevity will likely have a tailored plan optimised for different goals – many of which may have may have dual health and wealth benefits. It could be to maintain cognitive function with age, delay or prevent the onset of age-related diseases, stay fit enough to steward a family business for longer, or simply to have more time to grow their wealth.

The biological cost of building wealth

It’s a fact that wealthy people tend to live longer than those that are less well-off, largely because their higher purchasing power grants them access to better food and better healthcare. Office for National Statistics data from 2022 to 2024 shows that those living in the wealthiest 10 per cent of areas in the UK are expected to have at least 20 years more good health than those living in the poorest 10 per cent.

The problem is that building wealth still comes with its own “biological cost that doesn’t always show up straight away,” explains Niamh McCormack, former commercial trends and acceleration lead at Holland & Barrett and now founder of premium longevity supplement Aevum.

“There’s a certain irony in that the people best placed to invest in longevity are often the ones whose working lives are doing the most damage to it,” McCormack adds. HNWIs often face wealth-preservation pressures, the solutions to which – for example, working long hours while running a business or frequent jet-lag inducing travel – can result in a lack of sleep and chronic psychological stress, which can lead to systemic inflammation and, eventually, heart disease.

McCormack advises HNWIs considering longevity to treat it as a two-part investment. “It’s the capability and capacity to keep building wealth for longer. And, to still be well enough, physically and cognitively, to enjoy it once you’ve built it. There’s little point in a decades-long succession plan if you’re not fit enough to enjoy the freedom it’s meant to buy you.”

What it all means for capital allocation

As life expectancy increases and working and earning years are extended, HNWIs will have to rethink how and where they invest their capital. Sinclair explains that, while HNWIs “already think in terms of generations” because most families have three to four generations alive at the same time, investing in longevity could see this rise to five, and therefore require more capital to be freed up for the future.

“If more family members are alive, a single asset pool will need to support more people. This will sharpen the focus on investment returns and liquidity needs,” says Sinclair. “Longer horizons cut the other way too. Capital that stays invested compounds over more decades, which raises both the capacity and case for patient, long-term growth. The real question becomes how to balance the two.”

HNWIs will have to manage growth and safety assets so that they can live the lifestyle they want while ensuring their family doesn’t outlive their money. Then again, this could end up being for nothing if future generations aren’t investing in their longevity as well.

“The ultimate asset for HNWIs is something money can’t buy outright: health,” says McCormack. “Once your body catches up with you, no amount of wealth buys back the years, but investing early in the key markers of ageing pays dividends later.”

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