Happy retirement: How to achieve it as a couple

It’s a scary prospect, but if the media are to be believed, then more and more retired couples are turning to divorce. Many of these have been happily married for decades – only for retirement to send their worlds crashing down.

On the face of it, it seems almost unbelievable. However, when you dive into the topic and realize that this is a period where people’s lives are turning on their head, all starts to become clear. After all, this is probably the first time in their relationship in which they have to spend full days with each other.

If you are about to face a similar period in your life, it’s time to read on. While we don’t hold all the answers, today’s article will look at some ways in which you can preserve your relationship as you enter those retirement years.

Understand your finances

If we were to tap into another scary statistic, it would surround the number of marriages ending due to finances. Again, this is a period of transition. Up until now, you will have probably each had your own salary. Now, things have turned on their head, and you may have to make cuts together and also understand each other’s spending habits.

There is also a wave of potential new costs to take into account. These range from helping out the kids, right the way to finding money to pay for funerals. It all adds up and can add strain onto a marriage.

Identify the things you like to do as a couple

Up until now, you only had a limited amount of time to “enjoy” together. Sure, you will have had the odd vacation spread through the year, but in general, your schedule was dictated by work, and this meant there were limited hours to enjoy activities together.

Well, this is changing. For some couples, this can be dangerous territory. They are left with the prospect of sharing whole days, weeks, months and years with someone who they only had limited exposure to in the past. This might sound like quite a harsh way to describe the situation, but it is something that you need to take into account. Find out what you both like doing together, if you don’t already, and plan these activities in on a regular basis. This will be easier for some couples than it is for others.

Appreciate each other’s schedule

Following on from the above, there can be a limit when it comes to spending time together. This isn’t the time where you jump completely into each other’s pockets – this is also a dangerous move.

As well as spending time together, you need to understand how to spend time apart. Appreciate each other’s schedule, and how they have other activities and pastimes that might not always include you. Having this independence is crucial to a successful relationship and can help you migrate to retirement much more easily. It is time to be enjoyed and being mindful of each other will help you to make it work.