How to retire after a mid-50s marriage

A couple in their mid-50s are planning to retire, but they’re also engaged to be married. How might this affect their investment strategy?

Jason Heath, financial planner, takes on this question in a column for sister publication MoneySense.

Hating to be a pessimist, Heath says it’s important to think about “the potential cost of a grey divorce.”

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Heath writes: “While the hope is obviously that you guys combine your finances and your lives for the long run, you should be particularly mindful of the risks that you face individually if it doesn’t work out. After all, if your fiancé retires in five years and is counting on some of your $100,000 pension to fund his retirement, you would hate for him to retire too early and not understand the repercussions of a divorce.”

Among other recommendations, the financial planner adds that the couple may want to take into consideration their lifestyles.

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“Starting your marriage with one of you retired and one of you working could be a good or a bad thing,” Heath says. “And being retired in your 50s can be great for some, but awfully boring for others. Consider all factors and make your decision in part with outside input from professionals like me, but primarily based on mutual agreement with your new life partner.”

Read the full MoneySense column: Retirement after a second marriage

Staff

The staff of Advisor.ca have been covering news for financial advisors since 1998.