Divorce

Radio interview on Health, Wealth & Wisdom – 1470 AM WMGG (Tampa Bay, FL)

I’m glad to let you know that I had a radio interview on 5/30/13 at 4; 20pm EST with the above mentioned station about retirement issues. Topics that were discussed were how to find a new passion in retirement which I see as what I want to pass on,   thus breaking to word to    pass-I-on.  I stressed the importance of “engage as you age”. In addition   how do spouses create a new balance in their relationship as their dynamics and interactions change in retirement. The increased time together often causes increased conflicts and lower marital satisfaction and couples can take steps to avoid becoming part of the Gray Divorce trend.

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.

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.