Читать книгу The New Retirement - Jan Cullinane - Страница 15

If you're part of a couple, should you retire together? Around 50% of married couples in the United States retire within two years of one another. According to a study involving more than 500 working couples in their 50s, 60s, and 70s, they reported greater marital satisfaction if they retired at or around the same time. This is especially true if accumulating additional money is a nonissue, and the couple has shared interests, such as relocating to a new place, travel, getting in shape, or seeing/helping out their children/grandchildren. Interestingly, but perhaps not surprisingly, men who were retired but had working spouses reported the most marital discord. You may have heard the saying “Twice the husband but half the money.” According to Ronald J. Manheimer, founding director of the North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement at the University of North Carolina, women's fears in retirement include losing one's identity, being responsible for their spouses'/significant others' social lives and entertainment, and experiencing a disruption of their established patterns.

However, there are sound reasons for couples to stagger their retirement:

 Several years of additional income from the working spouse could make a huge difference in total retirement savings.

 The extra income may allow later claiming of Social Security benefits, resulting in an increase in benefits.

 Additional years of working by one spouse may shorten the years money needs to be withdrawn from retirement savings.

 If there is family medical coverage provided by an employer, this can be a great money-saving move, especially if the other person is under 65 and not eligible for Medicare.

 Although “too much togetherness” can be an issue for some couples, having one spouse retire first may help ease the transition to a new lifestyle. Consider creating two separate offices that provide a bit more breathing room if a little space is a desirable thing. Distance can be beneficial sometimes, but Arthur Aron, a relationship researcher at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, has a great suggestion for couples to revitalize their relationship. It's to do something novel that neither of you has done before – and do it together. Examples? Go whitewater rafting, try an Escape Room, take a trip to an exotic place, eat at an ethnic restaurant, help out at a Habitat for Humanity build, take up ballroom dancing. It's found that fresh kinds of activities activate the same systems of the brain that are involved in the rush of romantic love – and cocaine highs! – the dopamine reward system. Aron's research found new experiences among couples boost marital happiness.