Forbes Shows How Old Loma Linda Adventists Make Their Money Last
15 May 2019 | A Forbes online article recently looked at a different aspect of life for Adventists in their 80s, 90s and beyond that live in Loma Linda, California.
Adventists of advanced age that live in this community are often profiled for their health habits as they live in one of five Blue Zones (areas of the world with unusually high percentages of people in their 90s and above). The Forbes article instead looked at how these individuals made their money stretch for their longer-than-usual lifetimes.
The article started that Adventists of this age tend not to worry about money. The Adventists in concern had “saved and invested diligently in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, annuities, 401(k) plans and rental real estate, often with help from financial advisers.”
Adventists were described as being frugal. A 10% tithe was also mentioned as a factor that helped Adventists manage money.
“It would be inappropriate not to mention that no money we earn from any kind of source is [totally] ours; 90% is ours and 10% belongs to God. We always return [to the church] a faithful 10% tithe, and it probably turns out to be more like 20%,” said Pastor Dan Matthews, 84.
Staying healthy and keeping stress levels low through prioritizing community helped contain healthcare expenditures, further saving money.
Dr. Bruce Chernof, CEO of The SCAN Foundation, a California-based nonprofit focused on patient-centered health care for older Americans, said that for Loma Linda Adventists, “It’s about an architecture of beliefs that leads to being planful in a broader way.”
Older people in this demographic plan financially to live long lives and not run out of funds.
Judith Chipps, a financial adviser at Merrill Lynch said, “If you live in a community where everyone is living to a ripe old age, you think about finances from an earlier age — because they have to last longer.”