Did You Remember To Ask About Retirement Upon Wedding Vows?

According to a recent Fidelity Survey, 80% of couples disagree about their retirement plans, making it a larger issue than politics, religion or household chores. (Okay, they might be biased). But, still, I kinda get it.

With the latest U.S. economic news and the dire predictions for the country’s superpower future, Husband recently surprised me by suggesting we might end up retiring outside the U.S. After I recovered from such an unusually bold statement from Husband, I naturally asked to where? He had no answer for that. But, it put me on alert that perhaps we hadn’t discussed our happy ending well enough. I mean was he talking Mexico village or Swiss chalet?

Getting married older means you probably arrived at the altar with some retirement plans of your own already simmering on the back brain cells. And, I have to be honest, learning a new language at age 75 so I could just buy some groceries was not being considered. I pictured the home we are supposed to be building as where we’d park ourselves for the duration. (I know how to get to Tysons Corner from here. And, I like it.)

However, Husband is clearly open to other living possibilities. And, it is directly linked to what’s-left-in-the-accounts-after-the-government-has-its-way-with-it.  As in, if America becomes a country where more than 50% of the population is taking more out of the government than putting into it, we’re leavin’.

Well, am I? Do I get a say?

(By now you can guess, Husband is fiscally conservative. I am not, though I do save for retirement and have savings. But it’s nothing compared to Husband. I’m only hoping he is in a sharing mood when we are old and gray.)

How exactly does a couple determine where they land, anyway? It used to be the man’s job to declare the location of the home site. Women just had to clean it.  But, now, well, it’s different. And, if you are an LBB, it’s really, really different. (We have maid service, for one.) Plus, couples nowadays tend to act with more equality, especially if you found each other after you already found yourself.

But, are retirement plans determined by who has the larger bank account? Or by whomever brings in the most cash flow on a monthly basis? Or is it something else? Hmmmm…. And, I ponder, is his retirement fund my retirement fund, and visa versa? Is this something we share evenly or do we start a list on the refrigerator of whose turn it is to buy the Metamucil?

Something to talk about…

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