Manulife Survey Reveals Hongkongers' New Perspective on Longevity--Prioritizing Living Well on Their Own Terms Over Simply Living Longer
As this broader understanding of longevity takes hold, there is an urgent need for proactive planning and professional support. These measures can empower individuals to make informed decisions and adopt behaviours that foster holistic health and financial security, ultimately helping them achieve their life goals.
New Perspective on Longevity: Balancing Life Quality and Lifespan
According to the Hong Kong version of this survey, conducted between January and February 2025 with 1,000 adults aged 25 or above in Hong Kong, 77% of respondents define health as "living independently and doing what's important", rather than merely avoiding illness. Many indicated they would prefer a more fulfilling life—even if it meant living to age 75 instead of the average 80—highlighting a growing appreciation for life satisfaction alongside longevity.
When asked about their top aspirations:
"It's encouraging to see more people in Hong Kong redefining what it means to live well—not just living longer, but living with purpose, independence, and peace of mind," said Celia Ling, Chief Marketing Officer, Manulife Hong Kong and Macau. "At Manulife, we recognize that quality and quantity of life don't have to be a trade-off. As people navigate their lifestyles and financial choices, the demand for flexibility and support continues to grow. Through our holistic suite of insurance products and services—designed to provide protection during illness and help financial planning for the future—we empower our customers to embrace aging with greater resilience and treat it as an evolving journey."
The Three Pillars of Resilience: Physical, Financial, and Mental Well-being — Strengthened by Family Ties
As individuals increasingly prioritize a fulfilling life over simply living longer, the survey reveals that achieving this vision requires resilience across three key pillars: physical, financial, and mental well-being —supported by the vital role of family relationships.
Respondents report experiencing signs of health issues as early as age 39 on average, despite expecting them to begin around 67. Among them:
In response, 91% are willing to make lifestyle adjustments to manage financial pressures during extended retirement, including reducing utility expenses (40%), choosing more affordable meals (30%), or seeking medical treatment across the border (20%).
Beyond physical and financial health, mental well-being and family support also play a critical role. 83% believe family relationships are as important as financial well-being in supporting mental health, while 77% believe mental well-being significantly affects longevity.
These findings underscore the importance of building all-rounded resilience early on—by maintaining a balanced focus on physical health, financial security, and mental well-being, while also nurturing strong family ties. They further highlight the value of adequate protection, with 61% of respondents agreeing that having insurance can influence their ability to sustain physical health.
With growing awareness of the link between financial health and longevity, the survey shows that building long-term income streams is essential for achieving a desired lifestyle in retirement. 43% of respondents look to pension providers for services that ensure steady income, while 36% prioritize long-term investment growth and 32% seek protection against inflation.
While the majority (70%) view financial health as a key enabler of longevity, 52% of respondents feel they may not have sufficient funds for retirement. The mindset that "cash is king" is prevalent among most people. Cash makes up 45% of liquid assets (property excluded) across total savings and investments, with younger individuals aged 25-34 holding an even larger share at 53%. When it comes to retirement preparation, 55% still consider cash their most important asset, followed by pension schemes (31%).
Jeanie Ho, Head of Hong Kong and Macau Retirement, Manulife, commented: "While cash offers a sense of security, it alone is oftentimes insufficient in maintaining a high quality of life in retirement. Our survey shows that as the MPF system continues to mature, MPF schemes are playing an increasingly important role in retirement financial planning. At Manulife, we are committed to driving product innovation in the MPF space. In addition to offering the widest range of fund choices in the market, we are also strengthening investor education through artificial intelligence (AI) in creating educational videos and an MPF simulation game platform. These efforts aim to foster awareness and habits around continued investing after retirement, helping Hongkongers achieve their desired lifestyle throughout longer lives."
The Role of Professional Guidance in Achieving Longevity Goals
With longer life expectancy adding complexity to retirement planning, the survey emphasizes the critical role of professional guidance. Among respondents, 62% of those who have a professional financial planner are confident in having sufficient funds for retirement, compared to just 29% of those without one. However, the necessity for diversification is not top of mind, with only 30% actively prioritizing it. This may hinder their ability to build sustainable wealth for retirement and effectively mitigate inflationary risks.
By aligning professional advice with the evolving goals of today's retirees—who seek not just longer lives, but better ones—financial planners can play a transformative role in helping Hongkongers age with confidence, resilience, and purpose.
About the Manulife Asia Care Survey
The Asia Care Survey 2025 was conducted across January and February 2025 and captured insights from over 9,000 individuals aged 25 or above (including 60+) across nine Asian markets: Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, Taiwan region, Japan, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, and Malaysia.
About Manulife Hong Kong
Manulife Hong Kong has been a trusted name for more than 125 years. Since our operations started in Asia in 1897, we have grown to become one of the top-tier providers of financial services, offering a diverse range of protection and wealth products and services to over 2.6 million customers in Hong Kong and Macau. We are committed to helping make decisions easier and lives better for our customers.
Manulife Hong Kong, through Manulife International Holdings Limited, owns Manulife (International) Limited, Manulife Investment Management (Hong Kong) Limited, and Manulife Provident Funds Trust Company Limited. These entities are all subsidiaries of Manulife Financial Corporation.
About Manulife
Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services provider, helping our customers make their decisions easier and lives better. With our global headquarters in Toronto, Canada, we operate as Manulife across Canada, Asia, and Europe, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States, providing financial advice and insurance for individuals, groups and businesses. Through Manulife Wealth & Asset Management, we offer global investment, financial advice, and retirement plan services to individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. At the end of 2024, we had more than 37,000 employees, over 109,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving over 36 million customers. We trade as 'MFC' on the Toronto, New York, and the Philippine stock exchanges, and under '945' in Hong Kong.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
4 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Leo Cancer Care Receives FDA 510(k) Clearance for Marie® - A Revolutionary Upright Radiotherapy Platform
MIDDLETON, Wis., July 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Leo Cancer Care, a leader in upright radiotherapy solutions, today announces that its flagship product, Marie®, has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Marie represents a paradigm shift in the delivery of particle therapy, combining an upright patient positioning system and a CT scanner that reimagines the treatment experience for both patients and clinicians, whilst drastically reducing the size and cost compared to existing particle therapy solutions. "This clearance marks a major milestone not just for Leo Cancer Care, but for the future of cancer treatment," said Stephen Towe, CEO of Leo Cancer Care. "We've long believed there's a better, more human way to deliver radiotherapy. One that puts the patient at the heart of the treatment experience and embraces smarter, more compassionate design. Marie is the embodiment of that belief." Particle therapies such as proton and carbon ion therapy have long been considered the gold standard in radiation oncology. However, the cost, size, and complexity of conventional systems with large rotating gantries have historically limited widespread adoption. Leo Cancer Care's upright solution addresses these barriers. By rotating the patient rather than the beam, Marie eliminates the need for a rotating gantry, dramatically reducing infrastructure costs, simplifying installation, and expanding access to this advanced level of care. Marie is particle beam-agnostic, meaning it's compatible with a wide range of current and emerging treatment modalities, including proton, carbon ion, BNCT and FLASH therapies. Its upright design opens new possibilities for treatment planning and delivery, particularly for tumors in the thoracic and abdominal regions. When compared to supine treatments, evidence suggests anatomical shifts are reduced due to the gravitational direction. Through collaborations with leading hospitals around the world, Leo Cancer Care is conducting clinical research and trials, laying a strong foundation for the widespread adoption of upright therapy as a new standard in radiotherapy. "We are incredibly proud of the teams and collaborators who helped bring Marie to life," added Thomas 'Rock' Mackie, Co-founder and Board Chairman of Leo Cancer Care. "This is just the beginning. We're working closely with leading particle beam companies and institutions worldwide to explore how upright positioning can unlock new levels of precision and personalization in cancer care."
Korea Herald
20 hours ago
- Korea Herald
FROM THE ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2025: U.S. POINTER STUDY SHOWS STRUCTURED LIFESTYLE PROGRAM TARGETING MULTIPLE RISK FACTORS IMPROVES COGNITION IN OLDER ADULTS AT RISK OF COGNITIVE DECLINE
Key Takeaways TORONTO, July 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Alzheimer's Association U.S. Study to Protect Brain Health Through Lifestyle Intervention to Reduce Risk (U.S. POINTER) — a two-year, multi-site clinical trial testing two different lifestyle interventions in a representative population of older adults at risk for cognitive decline and dementia — found that both interventions improved cognition in older adults at risk of cognitive decline. Trial participants in the structured (STR) intervention showed greater improvement on global cognition compared to the self-guided (SG) intervention, protecting cognition from normal age-related decline for up to two years. The STR intervention differed from the SG intervention in intensity, structure, accountability and support provided. The results were reported for the first time today at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) 2025 in Toronto and online. "Effects Of Structured vs Self-Guided Multidomain Lifestyle Interventions for Global Cognitive Function: The U.S. POINTER Randomized Clinical Trial," was published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) simultaneously with the report at AAIC 2025. U.S. POINTER is the first large-scale, randomized controlled clinical trial to demonstrate that an accessible and sustainable healthy lifestyle intervention can protect cognitive function in diverse populations in communities across the United States. "As the burden of dementia grows world-wide, U.S. POINTER affirms a vital public health message: healthy behavior has a powerful impact on brain health," said Joanne Pike, DrPH, Alzheimer's Association president and CEO. "This is a critical public health opportunity. The intervention was effective across a broad, representative group — regardless of sex, ethnicity, APOE genetic risk, or heart health status — demonstrating its applicability and scalability for communities across the country," said Pike. "The positive results of U.S. POINTER encourage us to look at the potential for a combination of a lifestyle program and drug treatment as the next frontier in our fight against cognitive decline and possibly dementia." U.S. POINTER leadership acknowledges participants, their family members and study site staff for their unique and essential contributions: "You helped change what we know about brain health. Thanks to your dedication, time and support, U.S. POINTER delivered groundbreaking results. Your children, grandchildren and generations to come will benefit from the commitment you made." Both interventions focused on physical exercise, nutrition, cognitive challenge and social engagement, and heart health monitoring, but differed in intensity, structure, accountability and support provided. "The potential to improve cognition with fewer resources and lower participant burden is compelling. It highlights that while not everyone has the same access or ability to adhere to more intensive behavior interventions, even modest changes may protect the brain," said Laura D. Baker, Ph.D., Professor of Gerontology and Geriatrics, and Internal Medicine, at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and Advocate Health, and U.S. POINTER principal investigator. "These are the initial results. Over the coming weeks and months, study leadership will be exploring all of the data collected in the trial to paint an even more comprehensive picture of the U.S. POINTER intervention effects on brain health," Baker said. People with cognitive decline and dementia often have a variety of damaging changes in their brain. This means effective treatment will likely require a multi-pronged or combination strategy to address multiple disease mechanisms. "Complex diseases like heart disease and cancer use combination treatment strategies tailored to individual characteristics. The next generation of treatments for diseases like Alzheimer's will likely integrate drug and non-drug strategies. U.S. POINTER provides a strong foundation for such combination approaches," said Heather M. Snyder, Ph.D., Alzheimer's Association study primary investigator and senior vice president of medical and scientific relations. "While these results are fascinating and extremely hopeful, how they are rolled out to the public — especially those at risk for Alzheimer's and other diseases that cause dementia — needs to be handled with care and individual attention to tailor to the local environment," said Snyder. The Alzheimer's Association has invested nearly $50 million to lead this study to date, with additional support from the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health for add-on studies exploring imaging, vascular measures, sleep and gut microbiome-related health data. In addition to its investments to date, the Alzheimer's Association will invest more than $40 million over the next four years to continue to follow U.S. POINTER participants, and to bring U.S. POINTER interventions to communities across America. U.S. POINTER is a phase 3, five-site, two-year, single-blind randomized clinical trial of two lifestyle interventions in older adults at risk for dementia. U.S. POINTER was developed to assess whether the results of the FINGER study [ Lancet, 6-6-15] generalize to a larger, more diverse U.S. population at risk for cognitive decline and dementia, using culturally adapted protocols. The primary aim was to compare the effects of two multimodal lifestyle interventions on global cognitive function in 2,000+ at-risk older adults. Secondary aims assessed intervention effects on specific cognitive domains, and potential differences based on baseline cognition, sex, age, APOE-e4 genotype, and cardiovascular risk. The study was conducted at five geographically dispersed U.S. academic centers and health care systems in partnership with the Alzheimer's Association. Participant eligibility criteria were designed to enrich the risk of cognitive decline and included older age (60-79 years), sedentary lifestyle, suboptimal diet and cardiometabolic health, and family history of memory impairment. 2,111 participants were enrolled and randomized to STR (n=1,056) or SG (n=1,055). Mean age was 68.2 years, 68.9% were female, 30.8% were from ethnoracial minority groups. Seventy-eight percent (78%) reported a first-degree family history of memory loss, and 30% were APOE-e4 carriers. Retention was high, with 89% completing the final 2 year assessment. At two years, there was a statistically significant intervention group difference on the primary outcome. Global cognitive composite scores (primary outcome) increased over time in both groups but the improvement over time was statistically significant for a greater benefit for the STR versus SG: 0.029 SD per year (95% CI, 0.008-0.050, P =0.008). For secondary outcomes, the increase in executive function z-score was greater in STR than SG by 0.037 SD per year (95% CI, 0.010-0.064). Processing speed showed a similar trend but was not statistically significant. There were no group differences in memory. Looking ahead, the Association will build on the momentum of U.S. POINTER by launching several programs and initiatives, including: About AAIC AAIC is the world's largest gathering of researchers from around the world focused on Alzheimer's and other diseases that cause dementia. As a part of the Alzheimer's Association's research program, AAIC serves as a catalyst for generating new knowledge about dementia and fostering a vital, collegial research community. AAIC 2025: AAIC 2025 newsroom: AAIC 2025 hashtag: #AAIC25 About the Alzheimer's Association The Alzheimer's Association is a worldwide voluntary health organization dedicated to Alzheimer's care, support and research. Our mission is to lead the way to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia — by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer's and all other dementia®. Visit or call +1 800.272.3900.
Korea Herald
a day ago
- Korea Herald
Alamar Biosciences Showcases Pioneering Brain-Derived pTau Data at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC)
Groundbreaking Insights into Neurodegenerative Disease Biomarkers to be Unveiled through 30+ Posters and Presentations at International Meeting FREMONT, Calif., July 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Alamar Biosciences, a company pioneering precision proteomics to drive the earliest detection of disease, today announced the presentation of NULISA™ data in over 30 scientific sessions and poster presentations at the AAIC conference held July 27-31 in Toronto, Canada. The NULISA platform is poised to redefine the landscape of biomarker detection, offering unprecedented sensitivity, specificity and multiplex detection for neurodegenerative disease diagnosis and monitoring. This year's AAIC marks the first public presentation of robust clinical data generated using NULISA to measure brain-derived pTaus alongside over 120 key CNS disease-related proteins, an achievement that could accelerate both early detection and therapeutic monitoring in Alzheimer's and related neurodegenerative conditions. "The presentation of brain-derived pTau data at AAIC is a testament to the power of the NULISA sensitivity and specificity and our team's dedication to advancing biomarker development for neurodegenerative diseases," said Yuling Luo, PhD, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Alamar Biosciences. These data will be presented during Alamar's product theater on Monday, July 28, 1:20 PM ET, featuring Prof. Jonathan Schott from University College London and the UK DRI, and Dr. Cheryl Wellington from the University of British Columbia. Highlights include: The Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) is the world's premier forum for the scientific community focused on dementia and Alzheimer's research. Every year, the conference gathers leading experts, scientists, clinicians, and stakeholders to share the latest discoveries, foster collaborations, and accelerate the quest for effective diagnostics and therapies. See here for a full list of posters and presentations featuring NULISA data during the AAIC meeting. About Alamar Biosciences, Inc. Alamar Biosciences is a privately held life sciences company with a mission to power precision proteomics to enable the earliest detection of disease. The company's proprietary NULISA Platform along with the ARGO HT System work seamlessly with the latest advances in genomics to achieve single digit attomolar detection sensitivity, greatly surpassing the most sensitive protein detection technology on the market today. For more information, please visit
