As populations around the world continue to age, the number of adults over the age of 60 is increasing at an unprecedented rate. This demographic shift is placing greater demands on healthcare systems while changing the way individuals and families think about healthy aging, long-term care, and quality of life. According to the World Health Organization, longer life expectancy is transforming how societies approach aging and functional well-being. Learn more about healthy ageing.
Recognizing these challenges nearly twenty years ago, retired cardiothoracic surgeon and military veteran Dr. Philip Lisagor created ROYL, which stands for Rest of Your Life. The platform was designed to bring together healthcare, financial planning, legal guidance, insurance resources, caregiving support, and spiritual considerations into one coordinated experience.
Today, as conversations surrounding longevity, wealth preservation, purposeful living, and legacy planning continue to gain momentum, Dr. Lisagor believes ROYL offers a timely solution for families seeking a more complete approach to planning for the future.
“People dedicate years to building careers, growing investments, and planning life’s biggest milestones, yet many are still unprepared for the difficult decisions that come with changing health or the later stages of life,” says Dr. Lisagor. “ROYL was built to help families approach those conversations with greater confidence and organization.”
The concept behind ROYL grew from Dr. Lisagor’s decades of experience caring for patients during some of the most critical moments of their lives. Throughout his career as a cardiothoracic surgeon, he witnessed firsthand how medical decisions often extended beyond treatment alone. Families also faced questions involving personal wishes, finances, legal planning, caregiving responsibilities, and overall quality of life.
His professional background as both a physician and military leader shaped his belief that successful planning requires looking at the entire picture rather than focusing on one issue at a time. More about Dr. Philip Lisagor’s background can be found through his physician profile.
“Medicine can extend life, but truly meaningful care also considers how people want to live that life,” he explains. “Families deserve guidance that respects their medical needs while also addressing their financial, legal, personal, and spiritual priorities.”
His military service, including deployment to Iraq in Army medical leadership roles, reinforced the importance of preparation, leadership, and making informed decisions before crises occur.
According to Dr. Lisagor, ROYL was developed with input from professionals representing healthcare, law, finance, insurance, technology, ethics, and aging services. This collaborative approach reflects the belief that preparing for the future requires expertise from multiple disciplines working together.
Unlike traditional planning services that often operate independently, ROYL brings these essential resources into a single platform. Individuals and families can access information related to healthcare planning, financial preparedness, legal documentation, caregiving resources, healthy aging, insurance planning, and personal values through one integrated system. Additional information about the platform’s mission is available on the About ROYL page.
“The biggest obstacle has always been fragmentation,” says Dr. Lisagor. “Families often work separately with physicians, attorneys, financial advisors, and insurance professionals, but those conversations rarely connect. ROYL was designed to bring those important discussions together.”
When ROYL was originally envisioned, public awareness around aging, longevity, and legacy planning had not yet reached today’s level of attention. Dr. Lisagor believes the platform anticipated a growing movement toward proactive life planning that is now becoming increasingly important.
Current demographic trends continue to reinforce that need. Research shows that aging adults face increasingly complicated financial and life decisions, often influenced by changing cognitive abilities and evolving personal priorities. These factors have increased demand for tools that simplify retirement planning and major life transitions. Recent research examining these challenges can be found through this ScienceDirect study.
Dr. Lisagor believes this creates significant opportunities for organizations and entrepreneurs interested in expanding access to comprehensive planning solutions.
“The need for a platform like ROYL has never been greater,” he says. “The generation we built this for has now reached the point where these conversations matter most. People are realizing that preparing for the future means much more than financial planning. It also includes health, relationships, purpose, and the legacy they hope to leave.”
Beyond its technology, ROYL represents a broader philosophy centered on living intentionally while preparing responsibly for the future. The platform encourages individuals to think carefully about the decisions that will affect both themselves and the people they care about.
“Legacy is about much more than financial assets,” Dr. Lisagor says. “It includes the values, wisdom, relationships, and life lessons we pass on to future generations.”
ROYL also provides practical resources to help individuals document their healthcare preferences, including access to planning tools such as the Nevada POLST form, supporting informed conversations between patients, families, and healthcare providers.
After years of developing the platform and building its foundation, Dr. Lisagor is now seeking a strategic partner to help expand ROYL’s reach. As public awareness around aging, healthcare navigation, and holistic life planning continues to grow, he believes the platform is well positioned for its next phase of development.
“ROYL was created because families needed a more connected way to prepare for the rest of life,” Dr. Lisagor says. “Now the opportunity is to bring that vision to more people at exactly the time they’re looking for better solutions.”
