Correlations Between Health and Wealth

SmartMoney

SmartMoney

As a physician, you know theimportance of good health, and as aninvestor, you know the value of wealth,and oddly enough, the two could be related.According to , a RANDCorporation study showed that a crosssection of 35-to 44-year-olds who saidthey were in excellent health in 1984almost doubled their wealth over the nextdecade; while people in poor health onlyexperienced a 9% increase in their wealth.In addition, those who saw their healthslide lost money over the decade. The associationbetween health and wealth makessense when you consider that unhealthypeople simply have to spend more on hospitalvisits and insurance costs. For example,people who are overweight spend10% to 36% more per year on hospitalstays and ambulances, while smokers pay20% more. Your health may also influenceyour paycheck. points outthat a fit man will earn on average 3%more than an unhealthy man, while awoman who's in shape will earn 6% morethan her pallid counterpart.