Health Is Wealth: Why Your Body Is Your Most Important Financial Asset
Why Health Has Better Returns Than the Stock Market
The average American will spend $320,000 on healthcare over their lifetime. (source) Outside of insurance premiums, I've spent less than $5,000 total.
The difference isn't luck or avoiding necessary medical care. It's choices. (Looking at my family, genetics aren’t on my side either.)
While Americans complain about a $10 price increase on their favorite streaming package, they’re hemorrhaging thousands on preventable diseases. Obesity alone costs the U.S. health care system $173 billion annually (source), with medical costs for adults with obesity $2,505 (source) higher than those without obesity. Meanwhile, people with cardiovascular disease can lower their medical bills by an average $2,500 a year through consistent exercise. (source)
But here's what really should wake you up: rates of colorectal cancer among 20-34 year olds have increased 51% since 1994, with rates expected to increase by 90% between 2010-2030. The research points directly at ultra-processed food consumption, with men in the highest consumption group having a 29% higher risk of developing colorectal cancer. (source)
This isn't your grandfather's slow decline into old age. This is rapid biological aging happening in your 20s and 30s. Young adults who develop colorectal cancer are, on average, biologically 15 years older than their chronological age. (source)
You're literally eating yourself into early disease and financial ruin.
The Double FI Benefit: Why Health Is the Ultimate Investment
Most people think about health and wealth as separate goals, but that’s wrong. Your health is your most leveraged financial asset, providing two multiplicative benefits:
Benefit 1: Massive expense reduction. Using our 25x rule, eliminating just $2,000 in annual healthcare costs reduces your FI number by $50,000. For someone avoiding the average obesity-related costs, that's potentially $75,000+ less needed for financial independence.
Benefit 2: Enhanced time value. What good is financial independence if you're too sick to enjoy it?
I've watched people achieve FI in their 50s only to spend their "freedom" managing diabetes, recovering from heart surgery, or dealing with joint problems from decades of poor choices. They have the money to travel the world but lack the energy to walk around the block.
Your body is the vehicle for enjoying your financial independence. Neglect it, and you've won a prize you can't use.
My Evolution: From Processed Food Addict to Zero Healthcare Spending
I wasn't born healthy. I grew up on the Standard American Diet: processed foods, sugary drinks, fast food multiple times per week. My idea of cooking was microwaving frozen dinners.
But in 2015, I made a decision that probably saved me $100,000+ in future healthcare costs. I started cooking meals at home and lifting weights for the first time. Not because I was particularly health-conscious, but because I was trying to save money on restaurants.
The progression was gradual but relentless:
2015: Started cooking at home, began lifting weights
2016: Eliminated unhealthy snacks and processed foods
2017: Starting shopping at the farmer’s market for local organic produce
2018: Bike to work
2020: Cut out nearly all restaurants (pandemic helped)
2023: Prioritized getting a full night's sleep, eliminated alcohol
2024: Added daily cardio to my routine
Each change built on the previous ones. Each change compounds over time, just like investments.
The alcohol elimination was primarily a cost play. I was spending monthly on alcohol that provided minimal actual enjoyment and was actively harming my health. If you spend $200 per month, that's $2,400 annually, or $60,000 off your FI number. The health benefits were originally a bonus, but eventually they became the main benefit.
The result? In most years, my total healthcare service spending (non-premium) is zero dollars. No doctor visits, no prescriptions, no emergency rooms, no specialists. My health insurance exists for catastrophic coverage, not regular maintenance of preventable diseases.
The Hierarchy of Health ROI
From my experience eliminating each category, here's the rank order of impact:
1. Nutrition (Highest ROI)
Why it's #1: Hits your wallet daily AND your health simultaneously.
The math: Cooking at home saves $10-15 per meal compared to restaurants. Avoiding processed snack foods eliminates both the purchase cost and the future disease costs. Studies show high consumption of sugar sweetened beverages, Western diet patterns, and processed meats all increase early-onset colorectal cancer risk. (and other diseases)
The compound effect: Every meal is a choice between fueling your body or poisoning it. Make the right choice 1,000+ times per year, and the results become inevitable.
2. Exercise (Physical and Mental ROI)
The immediate payoff: Even people without heart disease who exercise regularly had yearly medical costs averaging about $500 lower than those who didn't exercise.
The long-term payoff: Physical activity reduces healthcare costs by preventing physical-inactivity-related diseases and people who are insufficiently active have a 20% to 30% increased risk of death compared to people who are sufficiently active.
The hidden benefit: Exercise improves mental health, reducing the need for psychiatric medications and therapy while increasing productivity and earnings potential.
3. Sleep (The Foundation)
Why it matters: Poor sleep drives bad food choices, reduces exercise performance, and increases stress hormones that promote disease.
The cost: Sleep deprivation leads to accidents, poor decision-making, and increased sick days. All expensive.
4. Stress Management (The Multiplier)
The connection: Chronic stress promotes every disease process and drives emotional spending, poor food choices, and bad financial decisions.
The intervention: Regular exercise, adequate sleep, and financial security all reduce stress. They work synergistically.
No Excuses: Discipline Required
Here comes the tough love you need to hear.
"I Don't Have Time to Be Healthy"
Yes you do. We all have 24 hours each day. If you spend any time on Netflix, you have time for 30 minutes of exercise. (Try watching Netflix during the exercise?) You have time to scroll social media but not to cook a meal? (Try mounting your phone?)
The math: Exercise 30 minutes daily = 3.5 hours per week. Cooking at home saves time compared to driving to restaurants, waiting for food, and driving back.
The reality: You don't have time NOT to be healthy. The global estimate of the cost of physical inactivity to public health care systems between 2020 and 2030 is about US$ 300 billion. (source) That's $27 billion per year because people "don't have time" for 30 minutes of movement.
"Healthy Food Is Too Expensive"
No it isn’t. Beans, rice, oats, eggs, chicken thighs, seasonal vegetables, and basic fruits are the cheapest foods in the grocery store. Ultra-processed foods now contribute 57% of total daily calories consumed by American adults. Those are the expensive foods.
The comparison: A McDonald's meal costs ~$10. A home-cooked meal with protein, vegetables, and whole grains costs $3-5.
The long-term math: Spending an extra $50/month on quality food saves $2,000+/year in healthcare costs. That's a 4,000% ROI.
"I Have Bad Genetics"
Partially true, completely irrelevant. Some people have genetic predispositions to certain diseases. But many cancer cases can be prevented through lifestyle: by eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy body weight, engaging in regular physical activity, and reducing sedentary time.
The reality: Your genetics load the gun. Your lifestyle pulls the trigger. You can't control your genetics, but you can control whether you activate them.
The Big Four: Where to Start
1. Eliminate Ultra-Processed Foods
What to remove: Anything with more than 5 ingredients, anything with ingredients you can't pronounce, anything that doesn't spoil within a week.
Why: Ultra-processed foods are linked to cancer. (source) The association was strongest for meat/poultry/seafood based ready-to-eat products and sugar sweetened beverages.
The replacement: Shop the perimeter of the grocery store. Buy ingredients, not products.
2. Move Your Body Daily
The minimum: 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week, or about 22 minutes daily.
The benefit: People with cardiovascular disease following a consistent exercise routine lowered their medical bills by an average $2,500 a year.
The progression: Start with walking. Add resistance training. Build consistency before intensity.
3. Prioritize Sleep
The target: 7-9 hours of quality sleep nightly.
The setup: Dark room, cool temperature, no screens 1 hour before bed, consistent sleep schedule.
The payoff: Better food choices, improved exercise performance, reduced stress, enhanced immune function.
4. Manage Stress
The approach: Regular exercise, adequate sleep, financial security, and meaningful relationships all reduce chronic stress.
The importance: Chronic stress promotes inflammation, poor decision-making, and emotional spending.
What About Serious Health Issues?
Important clarification: This isn't about avoiding necessary medical care or shaming people with serious health conditions. Some people struggle with addiction, mental health issues, genetic conditions, or other medical problems that require professional treatment.
The goal isn't to avoid medical spending. People should absolutely see doctors when they're unwell, take prescribed medications, and seek treatment for health problems.
The goal is to avoid feeling unwell because of preventable lifestyle diseases.
If you have diabetes, absolutely manage it properly with medical supervision. But recognize that Type 2 diabetes is largely preventable through diet and exercise. If you struggle with depression, get professional help. But also recognize that exercise, sleep, and nutrition significantly impact mental health.
The distinction: We're targeting the $260 billion spent annually on preventable diseases, not the necessary costs of treating unavoidable health issues.
The Compound Effect: Why Starting Now Matters
Health habits compound just like investments, but the compounding happens faster and more dramatically.
The upward spiral: Good nutrition → better energy → more exercise → better sleep → lower stress → better food choices → improved health markers → reduced medical costs → more money to invest → faster FI timeline → reduced financial stress → better health choices.
The downward spiral: Poor nutrition → low energy → sedentary lifestyle → poor sleep → high stress → emotional eating → weight gain → health problems → medical costs → financial stress → worse food choices to save money → accelerated health decline.
The timing advantage: Unlike investments, health improvements can show results in weeks. Better energy, mood, and sleep happen almost immediately with improved nutrition and exercise.
The biological reality: Your daily choices are either accelerating aging or slowing it down. There's no neutral.
The Financial Independence Connection
Your health is your most important financial asset because it affects:
Earnings capacity: Healthy people miss fewer work days, perform better, and often earn more over their careers.
Healthcare costs: The difference between healthy and unhealthy lifestyle costs can exceed $100,000 over a lifetime.
FI timeline: Lower expenses and higher earnings dramatically accelerate financial independence.
Enjoyment of FI: What's the point of achieving financial independence if you're too sick to enjoy it?
Longevity: Living longer means your money needs to last longer, but it also means more years to enjoy the freedom you built.
The Bottom Line
Most people treat their health like they treat their finances: with good intentions and terrible execution. They know what to do but don't do it consistently.
The parallel is exact: Small daily health choices compound into massive long-term results, just like small daily investment contributions.
The difference: Health improvements show results faster than investments. You can feel better in weeks, look better in months, and dramatically reduce disease risk in years.
The opportunity: While everyone else is destroying their health with processed foods and sedentary lifestyles, you can build a massive competitive advantage by simply doing the obvious things consistently.
Your body is the vehicle for enjoying everything else you build. Optimize it like your financial future depends on it, because it does.
Every meal is an investment. Every workout is a deposit. Every good night's sleep pays dividends.
The compound interest on your health choices will dwarf the compound interest on your investment portfolio, and they multiply each other.
Your homework: Calculate how much you spent on healthcare last year, including insurance premiums, copays, prescriptions, and out-of-pocket costs. Then calculate what that money could become if invested instead. The number might shock you into better choices.
Here's to building wealth through health,
Max
Remember: The goal isn't perfection. It's progress. Every healthy choice you make today is an investment in a wealthier, more energetic, and more enjoyable future.