Be honest about concerns and fears around retirement and aging

One or both partners may be worrying about what retirement will bring, but are often reluctant to voice their concerns. It seems counter-intuitive to discuss it: “If I tell him about the fact that he’s going to be in my space all day long, I’ll hurt his feelings and make a problem where one doesn’t exist.” One study of women dealing with retirement transitions, specifically, found that women who had more overall concerns about their retirement also had more overall concerns about their relationships [22]. It is thus unsurprising that evidence shows that sharing concerns about future events usually has positive consequences for individuals and for their relationships [12], and can help with better retirement transitions overall [22].

Return to "Retirement  and Your Relationship" main page