Oct 6 2012

Happily ever after, even in retirement?

Happily ever after… Really?

Forever is a very long time, especially in marriage.  People change, life circumstances change, and it can become difficult to remember the commitment to a marriage.

Marital bliss in retirement is the goal of A Couple’s Guide to Happy Retirement, and to achieve it, you and your partner need to look at all your options rather than focus on the traditional measures of retirement happiness . . .

My goal is to help retirees find a way to live together happily ever after, recognizing that how people interpret that phrase may have changed a bit. Most people are searching for the right mix of money with meaning, of profits with purpose, of using their many experiences in ways that aren’t just contained in photo albums but are significant and memorable. In other words, they seek an intersection of continued income, with purpose and impact, something they will be remembered for.

—From A Couple’s Guide to Happy Retirement by Sara Yogev, published October 2012 by Familius

By Sara Yogev • A Couple's Guide to Happy Retirement and Aging, Couples, Marriage, Retirement • 0 • Tags: , , ,

Oct 3 2012

Gray Divorce

The Gray Divorce Phenomenon (divorce among those age 50 and older) provides a cautionary lesson for every couple entering retirement. While overall national divorce rates have declined since spiking in the 1980s, gray divorce has risen to its highest level on record. In 1990 only 1 in10 people who got divorced was 50 or older, by 2009 the number was roughly 1 in 4. More than 600,000 people ages 50 and older got divorced in 2009.

According to The Wall Street Journal’s March 3, 2012 article about gray divorce, based on current trends, this number is predicted to top 800,000 by 2030. With Americans staying healthier longer and living longer, the retirement years are stretched out, giving couples more time together. Among many couples, retirement often creates friction, weakening even the strongest ties. The increased togetherness exacerbates existing problems, bringing tension bubbling to the surface. Without child-raising duties and demanding job responsibilities to provide distraction, structure, and escape, people are more vulnerable to conflict. There is no longer a way to ignore or avoid addressing long-term unresolved issues as well as newly created issues. Many retirees refuse to settle for retirement filled with marital discord.

… excerpted from A Couple’s Guide to Happy Retirement.

By Sara Yogev • Divorce, Retirement • 0 • Tags: , , ,

Oct 1 2012

Why I wrote this book

Why I wrote A Couple’s Guide to Happy Retirement:

My goal is to help retirees find a way to live together happily ever after, recognizing that how people interpret that phrase may have changed a bit.

Most people are searching for the right mix of money with meaning, of profits with purpose, of using their many experiences in ways that aren’t just contained in photo albums but are significant and memorable.

In other words, they seek an intersection of continued income, with purpose and impact, something they will be remembered for.

Sara Yogev, Ph.D.

By Sara Yogev • A Couple's Guide to Happy Retirement and Aging, Couples, Divorce, Introduction • 0 • Tags: , , ,

Sep 19 2012

Introductions

Before I get into really blogging on this website, I wanted to take a moment to explain why I find this field of study so fascinating and why I have this book and this blog in the first place.

In the same way that couples marital dynamics change following the birth of a first child, they change again in retirement.  Yet, unfortunately, people are often totally unaware and unprepared for these changes.  Research from various academic domains all consistently report that at least 1/3 of retirees experience difficulties with the transition to retirement and often tend to be depressed and lost.  Often, for the first 2 years in retirement, there is a notable decline in marital satisfaction for both husbands and wives. Newly retired individuals report the highest marital conflict and lowest marital satisfaction scores compared with those who are retired for a long time or are not yet retired. While most people put a lot of effort and energy into financial planning for retirement, they often neglect planning for the psychological aspects of this life stage which, thanks to modern technology and medicine, can last 20-30 years, or even more!

Planning for retirement is the second most important factor after health according to people who express satisfaction with retirement.  The planning must involve financial and psychological/emotional aspects.  In order to avoid being part of the” gray divorce” phenomenon (divorce among those 50 years old and older) I strongly recommend that you start preparing and planning.  Informing ones’ self, by reading books and other materials about this life stage, is the best way to begin preparing for this important life change.  “A Couple’s Guide to Happy Retirement” is my contribution, and I believe a terrific resource, for those looking to better prepare themselves for the transition into retirement.  “A Couple’s Guide to Happy Retirement” will be available October 2012.  And, of course, there will be plenty of information about the book, as well as other retirement related resources, made readily available on this website/blog.  I genuinely am excited and look forward to sharing some of the important and intriguing insights I collected through my research and the development of the book.

By Sara Yogev • A Couple's Guide to Happy Retirement and Aging, Introduction • 0 • Tags: , , ,

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