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Time is perhaps the one thing money cannot buy. Yet that has not stopped billionaires from spending hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to slow it down. Wealthy individuals are turning healthcare into a major investment project, hiring entire teams of doctors and longevity specialists, installing oxygen chambers in their homes, experimenting with genetic technologies and relying on artificial intelligence to monitor virtually every aspect of their lives, The Wall Street Journal reports.

One of those taking the fight against aging particularly seriously is 76-year-old American real estate billionaire and investor Larry Connor. His offices in Miamisburg, Ohio, regularly host personal trainers, yoga instructors and massage therapists. Around 15 specialists monitor his physical and mental well-being, while an elaborate health regimen is designed to keep his body in optimal condition.

Connor has at least three doctors he can call at any time. He also works regularly with a performance coach who helps improve both physical and mental capabilities and whose clients include NBA and NFL stars.

The billionaire is convinced that these investments are paying off. He proudly displays a chart showing how his cholesterol levels have steadily declined over the past decade. Connor has undertaken wilderness expeditions in Alaska and even took part in a 17-day mission to the International Space Station, which cost tens of millions of dollars. While in space, he conducted research into heart health and, naturally, studied how cells age in microgravity.

Back on Earth, he has another unusual habit: Connor stopped celebrating birthdays when he turned 30. His employees know better than to mention the date or wish him a happy birthday.

On-call doctors and entire departments devoted to health management

Wealthy individuals are willing to pay tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars for personal doctors who respond to messages as late as 11 p.m., as well as longevity specialists offering various approaches to extending life.

According to UBS, investors with assets exceeding $10 million spend roughly four times as much on healthcare as people with more modest fortunes.

The desire to keep their bodies in peak condition has become so intense that some longevity specialists are partnering with financial advisers to gain access to wealthy clients.

Sanjay Banker, CEO of Private Medical, a company providing personalized medical services, describes its business model as a “family office for your health.”

Meanwhile, Tiger21, an exclusive network of ultra-high-net-worth individuals, added its own physician to the team in December to help members navigate healthcare decisions.

Some entrepreneurs and corporate executives are already integrating personalized wellness and longevity programs directly into their family offices and businesses.

Larry Connor has spent decades operating in the challenging real estate sector. His company manages more than 15,000 apartments across the United States. Like some of its competitors, Connor’s business has faced lawsuits and negative reviews from former tenants who left on bad terms. Company representatives maintain that such cases account for only a small fraction of the total number of residents.

At Connor’s headquarters, a dedicated five-person department known as the LSC Department — named after the billionaire’s initials — handles various aspects of his and his family’s lives, including arranging medical examinations.

This year, Connor is scheduled to undergo 68 different tests at the Mayo Clinic, including a full-body MRI and high-resolution brain scans.

The billionaire notes that many employees in the department devote only part of their working hours to his healthcare, and that all services are paid for entirely out of his personal funds. His primary goal, he says, is not simply to live as long as possible, but to maintain a high quality of life for the years he has left.

He says he has donated more than $15 million to the Mayo Clinic, primarily for aging research, and has also funded scientific projects focused on longevity.

William Cambas, a partner at law firm Withers Bergman who works with family offices serving wealthy clients, said one family he advises has set aside a dedicated investment fund for healthcare and other priorities. A portion of the steady income generated by those investments is intended to finance wellness programs for family members.

$15,000 injections and experiments in the Amazon jungle

Some millionaires and billionaires are going even further.

Charlie Garcia, founder of the exclusive R360 club for individuals with fortunes exceeding $100 million, traveled with his son to a luxury retreat in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, in the Southern Hemisphere. The facility hosted a special longevity retreat organized by biohacker Dave Asprey, who claims to take 150 dietary supplements every day.

Two weeks before the trip, Garcia had a continuous glucose monitor fitted to his wrist. Doctors conducted a comprehensive assessment, analyzing samples of his blood, urine, stool and saliva. He received a 75-page report detailing his health.

But the main attraction was a series of experimental treatments. Garcia and his son received injections in their arms containing experimental gene therapies intended to improve memory and promote muscle growth. Each procedure cost approximately $15,000.

Retreat participants also took part in so-called longevity ceremonies involving plant-based substances administered by shamans. Some guests, including Garcia himself, consumed psilocybin, the psychoactive compound found in hallucinogenic mushrooms.

“None of this is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA),” Garcia admitted matter-of-factly. “Essentially, I'm a laboratory rat, but I'm fine with that.”

He also took part in an hour-long breathing session that, he said, helped him reach an altered state of consciousness.

“I found myself in a state I had never experienced before,” the entrepreneur said.

Many of those who traveled to the Amazon were members of R360. Garcia estimates that club members spend at least $200,000 a year on health and longevity.

Approximately one-fifth of them have installed hyperbaric chambers in their homes — specialized sealed devices used for oxygen therapy under increased pressure.

Scientists, however, warn against getting carried away with such experiments.

S. Jay Olshansky, an emeritus professor at the University of Illinois Chicago who has devoted his research to the study of aging, advises caution when it comes to extreme life-extension methods, particularly those that have not been approved by the FDA.

According to him, the two most effective ways to extend life cost virtually nothing: eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly.

Artificial intelligence has become a billionaire's personal brain

For another R360 member, entrepreneur Justin Di Rezza, health and well-being have become just as important to his family office as investments and wealth management.

Eight of the 24 employees at his family office specialize in technology and artificial intelligence. They have developed a system he calls his “second brain.” It collects and analyzes data about his body and then helps manage his daily life.

Every morning, Di Rezza weighs himself, regularly measures his biceps and calves, tracks his sleep quality and monitors his intake of protein, fats and carbohydrates. These and dozens of other indicators are fed into an AI-powered app.

The system automatically orders groceries and plans his meals. His daily breakfast, for example, includes a serving of olive oil and lean bison meat, which provides protein.

AI agents design menus, create workout plans and schedule preventive medical examinations. If laboratory results are delayed, the system automatically follows up and monitors their delivery.

Healthcare is even included in the family office's official mission statement.

“Our goal is that even after my wife and I are gone, decisions will continue to be made as though we're still here,” 39-year-old Di Rezza said by phone. At the time, he was on a beach in Sunny Isles, Florida, completing his daily step count.

Billionaires want to live to 100 — and beyond

Wealthy investors are increasingly pouring money into ambitious life-extension projects. Over the past 25 years, they have invested more than $5 billion in longevity startups.

At the same time, investors themselves are increasingly expecting to live to at least 100.

According to a UBS survey of more than 5,000 investors worldwide, over half of wealthy respondents expect to reach their 100th birthday.

These expectations are already influencing the financial strategies of the world's richest people, including how they invest their wealth and plan to pass it on to their heirs. UBS data shows that more than four in 10 billionaires intend to make, or have already begun making, long-term investments based on the expectation of longer lifespans.

For now, they are trying to make the most of every day.

Larry Connor, for example, does not use email at all. His assistants screen incoming messages, print them out and then prepare responses on his behalf.

The billionaire's schedule is planned down to five-minute intervals. Between business meetings, he makes time for squash, yoga and intensive workouts.

Connor himself, however, does not seem particularly concerned with tracking exactly how much he spends on maintaining his health. When asked about his expenses, he initially estimated that they amounted to around $30,000 a year. One of his employees later clarified that the actual figure runs into six figures, not including the salaries of the LSC Department staff.

The billionaire often ends his working days with a workout in the gym located in his office lobby. One autumn day, his personal trainer put him through an interval session on a treadmill followed by two rounds of strength exercises.

When the workout ended and it was time to stretch, Connor asked the trainer to add another session.

His working day had begun at 7:45 a.m., but even roughly 12 hours later, he and his colleagues were still in the office. Company employees also work on Saturdays.

“He often says things like, ‘Hey, maybe I'll live forever,’” said Ryan Ernst, who has worked with Connor for many years and oversees his philanthropic projects. “Sometimes I think that's exactly what he's counting on.”

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