The Big Middle

Richard Eisenberg

Episode Summary

How do Blue Zoners pay for their healthy, longer lives?

Episode Notes

This week on The Big Middle, a podcast postcard from the five Blue Zones. You likely know it was journalist Dan Buettner who first put these five pockets of longevity on the world's radar with his piece in National Geographic in 2005.

Each is home to more 90 and 100-year-olds than usual, all living without chronic illness or disability. Dan wrote about their habits - how they live, what they eat, how much exercise they get. But he didn’t tell us much about how they finance their longer lives. That’s our focus now. Fellow journalist Richard Eisenberg, the managing editor of Next Avenue, has done a Blue Zones money tour. He joins us from Westfield, New Jersey.

Notes

“They don’t feel like they need very much. Spending money is not something that is very important to them. There’s no status symbol culture down there. They’re very content with what they have.”

“Everyone very much helps each other and there is great respect for older people.”

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