How do you plan for retirement when your spouse isn't a saver?
One partner often has to take full responsibility for retirement planning because the other is not a saver, leading to intense anxiety and feeling like they are flying blind. This lack of shared alignment leaves the saving partner overwhelmed and unsure if they are actually on track to meet their goals.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Taking on all the financial planning and retirement saving responsibilities independently
- 2Posting on online forums to get external reviews and validation of retirement plans
- 3Consulting online forums and communities for portfolio audits and feedback
- 4Self-managing investments using index funds and sector ETFs
- 5Considering hiring a financial fiduciary
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I guess my question is what would you do or change in my shoes? I’m the first in my family to even have a retirement account so I feel like I’m flying a little blind”source ↗
“My anxiety keeps getting the best of me. I’d really, really appreciate someone else reviewing the status of our retirement plan and making sure we‘re on track / goals can be met. My husband (spouse 2) is not a saver so I find myself taking it all on, so, yay…”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 3How do 401(k)s and retirement accounts actually work?
- 3How to manage money and credit card debt alone after a divorce
- 15What do I do with an inherited IRA?
- 29What funds and allocations should I pick for a new Roth IRA?
- 2How to manage personal savings alongside a joint account
- 3How to minimize taxes on a large pre-tax retirement account and RMDs