The Economics of Peptides

Happy Tuesday!

Today’s email is inspired by a fantastic reader question that landed in my inbox this week.

The gist of it was this:

You might not know that I worked in finance and real estate in my younger years.

I love delving into financial management because it reveals so much about human nature.

How people decide to allocate their resources uncovers everything about their priorities.

Henceforth, the question above is one of the most important and misunderstood in the world of health optimization.

If you’ve ever looked at the price tag on a peptide protocol, crunched the numbers, and thought “That’s as much as a monthly car payment!” then this email is for you.

Let’s dive deep into the real economics of peptides, and why I believe investing in your health up front is the smartest financial decision you’ll ever make.

The Price of “Doing Nothing”

First, let’s get brutally honest about what it costs to live the Standard American Lifestyle and rely on the traditional, allopathic medical system.

Most people spend their 30s and 40s “living for today,” eating what they want, skipping exercise, riding a stress roller coaster, and assuming they can just fix everything later with a few prescriptions.

Here’s what the math really looks like over a 30-year window (let’s say ages 40–70):

• Insurance premiums: On average, you’ll pay about $7,000 a year for health insurance (assuming you’re self-employed or don’t have a Cadillac plan from your employer). That’s $210,000 over 30 years.

• Out-of-pocket medical costs: Even with insurance, expect to cough up at least $2,000 a year for deductibles, copays, and uncovered meds. Another $60,000.

• Major health events: The “big four” (heart attack, diabetes, cancer, major surgery) will hit 50–70% of Americans. The probability-adjusted cost of these (think: your chance times the average event cost) is about $71,000.

• Lost work and income: When illness strikes, you miss work. Over 30 years, the average person loses at least $60,000 in income or productivity due to illness, recovery, and disability.

Total bill for the “conventional” path?

A whopping $401,000 over 30 years, and that’s being conservative.

And what do you get for that mountain of cash?

A parade of pills, procedures, and hospital stays while your health steadily declines and your quality of life slips away.

The system isn’t broken.

It is actually a well-oiled machine.

It’s designed to profit from disease, not prevent it.

Investing in Optimization

Now, let’s look at the alternative.

What if, instead of following the Standard American script, you invested in therapeutic peptides and an optimized lifestyle?

What if you took your health as seriously as your 401(k) and proactively prevented the problems most people accept as “inevitable”?

• Insurance premiums: You’ll still want health coverage for emergencies, so that’s still $210,000 over 30 years.

• Peptide protocol: Say you run a robust peptide stack (GLP-1s like retatrutide, BPC-157, TB-500, MOTS-c, SS-31, thymosin alpha-1, and a few more), and it costs you an average of $300–$500 a month. Over 30 years, that’s $108,000–$180,000.

• Out-of-pocket costs: Because you’re healthier, you’ll spend much less on doctor visits, hospital stays, and chronic meds, approximately $500 a year or $15,000 over three decades.

• Major health events: I estimate that peptide users can reduce their risk of the big four events by at least 80%. That means your probability-adjusted cost drops to about $14,200 total.

• Lost work/income: Fewer sick days, more energy, better productivity. Let’s estimate $15,000 over 30 years, which is 75% less than the conventional route.

Total bill for the “optimized” path?

Somewhere between $362,000 and $434,200, BUT you get a radically different experience for your money.

Numbers Don’t Lie

Let’s put it side-by-side:

So even at the high end, the peptide route is no more expensive (and often less expensive!) than doing nothing and waiting for the medical system to “save you” when disaster strikes.

But that’s just the dollars.

What about the real cost?

The Opportunity Cost

The price of the conventional path isn’t just paid in dollars, but in years lost to pain, disease, disability, and dependency.

The real “opportunity cost” is measured in children’s parties missed, adventures never taken, and time with loved ones you never get back.

If you invest in your health now through peptides, nutrition, movement, sleep, and community, you’re buying better years.

You stay leaner, sharper, more mobile, more independent, and more you for longer.

And think about the reverse.

If you’re paying $500 a month for peptides, but avoiding a $50,000 heart attack (plus the permanent hit to your quality of life), you’re actually making the best investment imaginable.

No car, no house, no stock portfolio will ever deliver a return like that.

Peptides Are an Investment

At the end of the day, the question isn’t, “Can I afford to spend money on peptides?”

The question is, “Can I afford the cost of not investing in my health?”

The conventional system asks you to make a gamble.

Save a little now, pay a lot later.

But if you’re reading this, you already know there’s a smarter way.

Peptides, when combined with an optimized lifestyle, are a down payment on your future self.

Your energy, your confidence, and your freedom are priceless.

And in a world where chronic illness is bankrupting families every day, the economics of peptides are actually a no-brainer.

Best,

Hunter Williams