在 USC 的财务老龄学课程中，教授在一开始就要求我们带着对这些问题的思考来上课：你有想过自己会活多久吗？你希望在任何代价下被维持生命吗？你想在哪里走完人生的最后一程，比如在自己家中、养老院、医院，还是临终关怀机构？谁会在你年老时照顾你？这些问题也许让人不太舒服，但却无法回避。
这些问题既艰难又至关重要。我们无法精确预测自己能活多久，也无法完全预知未来的发展，但现实是，随着年龄增长，我们的身心能力都会下降，这使得维持独立和生活质量变得更加困难。对我来说，选择学习这门财务老龄学课程，就是为了尽可能为这些现实做好准备。毕竟，人生的三大终极问题无非是如何、何时、以及在哪里面对生命的终点。这门课程正是让我提前思考并为这些情况做好准备的一种方式。
Professor: Have you thought about how long you will live, whether you want to be kept alive at all costs, and where you want to die (e.g., in your own home, a nursing home or hospital, or a hospice facility)? These are unpleasant questions, but you cannot ignore them. Come prepared to class to discuss them. Who will take care of you in your old age?
My thoughts: These are tough but crucial questions. We can’t really predict exactly how long we’ll live or how things will unfold, but the reality is that both our mental and physical capacities will decline as we age. That makes it more challenging to maintain our independence and quality of life.
For me, taking this Financial Gerontology course is about getting as prepared as I can for those realities. After all, the ‘big three’ questions of life are really about how, when, and where we might face the end. This course is just one way to ensure we’re thinking ahead and prepared for those eventualities.