Letters in Economic Research Updates
Actuaries vs. Eternity: The Widening Gap Between Fast-Moving Lifespan Technologies and Change-Resistant Risk Models
Abstract
David M. Dror
The accelerating frontier of human longevity—driven by advances in cellular reprogramming, real-time biological monitoring, and AI-enabled drug discovery—is reshaping the possibilities of lifespan and healthspan. However, the institutional systems that manage financial risk over the life course—particularly actuarial models, pensions, and insurance—have failed to evolve in parallel. This paper explores the structural lag between rapidly advancing lifespan technologies and the static risk frameworks that underpin retirement security and social protection. It introduces the concept of translational actuarialism, a novel framework for re-aligning insurance and pension systems with biological innovation. Through real-world cases, conceptual models, and policy proposals, the paper maps the widening disconnect between what is biologically possible and what is institutionally prepared—arguing that without systemic adaptation, even the most transformative technologies may be slowed, distorted, or rendered inaccessible. Bridging this gap is not merely a technical task; it is a societal imperative.