Couple's Retirement Puzzle: 10 Must-Have Conversations for Transitioning to the Second Half of Life

With over 30 years coaching individuals on career and mid-life change, I welcome the publication of this book for all the clients who are part of a couple! When I only consult with one person, we need to have the conversation about the necessity for involving one's partner in these planning activities.This book offers the "10 Must- Have Conversations" and every single one is important.I resonated with the chapters about "Changing Roles and Identities" and "Time Together and Time Apart" because we need to understand that the shifts in desires and needs at mid-life are very powerful. Each individual is called (whether they listen or not is another story) to re-examine and review life at mid-point and make changes and adjustments that allow the whole person to emerge. Changing roles reflect changing identities. When you have a relationship that's been in existence for a long time, change is never easy, but these brilliant authors and practitioners have given everyone a heads up on how to prepare.The chapter on Health and Wellness is so important, as this is the one area we have the least control over in some ways when it comes to catastrophic situations. Otherwise, learning to take better care physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually are pre-requisites. But the authors have also included important information for end of life care and rituals that we need to learn about as well. Other important topics include finances, location and the big one... "what's it all about?"Deborah Knox, Author, PUT YOUR SPIRIT TO WORK: MAKING A LIVING BEING YOURSELF

Michelle Singletary, Washington Post columnist, reviewed and recommended this book. See[...]"[C]ouples should sit down long before they retire to discuss not just financial issues but things such as what lifestyle they hope to enjoy.Not sure how to get the conversation going or worried it will end up in an argument? Then I have a book for you. In fact, this would be a great gift to give your spouse for Valentine's Day. To me, the romance in a relationship is enhanced with better communication, especially regarding something as important as retirement.So this month for the Color of Money Book Club, get "The Couple's Retirement Puzzle: 10 Must-Have Conversations for Transitioning to the Second Half of Life" (Lincoln Street Press, $17.95), by Roberta K. Taylor and Dorian Mintzer.

Retirement is a life changing event (DUH!). The challenge? Entering into retirement with an understanding your partner's retirement expectations, or even if they want to retire. There's a natural order of time spent at work and at home. This routine allows many partners to go through life skirting important life issues. Retirement is an event that disrupts a 30-40, or more, year equilibrium.This book provides a structured approach for discussing each persons view of the future. It offers the means of constructing a consensus vision of the future called "Retirement". The book offers several sets of retirement related questions for each partner to mull over and then share their answers. From each set of these questions common goals or expectations are identified and recorded in a "common vision" statement.Be prepared! Working through these exercises honestly could surface very potent subterranean emotions.Personally, I found the book to be a set of relationship building exercises with retirement as a central theme.

This is a very useful and informative book for when you are thinking about retiring over the next 5 years (maybe 10 at most). What this book does is methodically step you through the thought process of how you and your spouse envision what retirement should be for each of you and helps you align on these visions forward. This way neither person is surprised when retirement hits what is the direction to be taken or the lifestyle you should live. DO NOT ASSUME YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR SPOUSE WILL WANT TO DO IN RETIREMENT. This book will help validate or uncover these for you. My wife and I really enjoyed really taking the time to do this and then sitting down to discuss over a few hours time.

Hi Everyone,I just happen to get this Amazing book for my Parents ..You wont believe it .My husband and i said wait this book is more for us, We are in our fiftys. The Couple's Retirement Puzzle: 10 Must-Have Conversations for Transitioning to the Second Half of Life  it is a great book and helps you to figure out what you want to do for when you retire..Everyone should get this book....Thanks Amazon....Quick deliver too.

If you've never discussed retirement...this might be a help. Of course, if you've never discussed retirement, perhaps you need more intense therapy!! For someone who is into financial planning and who has experience with the basic financial decisions and available investment vehicles, this book is probably going to undershoot expectations. Well done, just a bit too basic for us.

This book just blathered on and on and on about how you and your spouse need to have conversations ad naseum about every little aspect of your personality, and how each chat is supposed to make you feel. Me thinks this author watches WAY too much Dr Phil or other psychological rag TV shows. If you're a touchy feely type of person with no backbone of your own who needs to discuss with your spouse, family, friends and neighbors every little aspect of your life before you can make a decision on what is best for you, then this book is probably for you. But if you're someone who has a mind of your own and you have the ability to make a decision regarding your own life and lifestyle, this book is not for you. Every single chapter was the same ol' blah blah mantra of holding hands and singing Kum-By-Yah as you contemplate your upcoming retirement.

practical ideas to look at before reaching retirement age. I already r etired and now we are trying to figure out how this will gell with my partner's retirement