The happily ever after isn’t happening for many couples approaching retirement, and it may seem that the easy thing to do is give up. But couples should count the cost before making that decision.
You don’t do retirement alone if you’re part of a couple. I spoke to marriage therapist Bryan Craig about couples preparing for retirement and he suggested there are three areas that can be worked on to help create a satisfying, happy relationship.
By far the most-commented-on chapter in my book Retirement Ready? is ‘Let’s talk about sex’. I’ve been surprised by this response. It seems like it was an unexpected topic. And yet sex is a normal, natural and healthy part of a couple’s relationship—at whatever age.
When couples approach retirement they’re not doing it alone. Unless they’re both marching to the same beat on this, it could be difficult making it work. Here are 5 things that could help you negotiate this.
You will cope if you find yourself suddenly single—through death or divorce. In this podcast, we look at the issue and offer some suggestions that may help you work your way through this difficult time.
I received what could be the ultimate compliment for a writer yesterday. I was preparing to conduct a preparing-for-retirement workshop when one of the participants pulled me aside to thank me for my book Retirement Ready? Yes, that’s a compliment, but it’s what came next that took it to another level.
At what age do we lose interest in sex? How you answer probably depends on how old you are. For a 20-year-old, 60 could be far enough away to suggest that’s the answer. For a 50-year-old it could be that 70 feels like a reasonable answer. Yet an 80-year-old may simply say, ‘I’ll let you know when I get there.’
Traditional retirement planning for couples is fatally flawed and often based on assumptions that, in reality, may not be so. Added to that is the possibility that preparing for retirement may have focused on finances with little thought for anything else.
In this podcast episode, Kym Piez and Bruce Manners talk about the complications involved for couples as they face retirement. Of course, it can be a delightful complication.
‘I am convinced that marital counselling is an important part of the investment that people can make to get the most out of retirement.’ This comes from Michael Finke in a paper he wrote concerning finances. That’s probably why the word ‘investing’ is used.