Retiring? Best Talk it Over!

It's always tempting to wade into the swamps of lively argument - especially when fired with opposing opinions on the economic and financial difficulties we all share.  After all, whatever our circumstances, our view of common sense is not necessarily that of our neighbour.  Or, come to that, our partner.
But, as the TV commercials always say, it's good to talk!

Which makes all the more mysterious the silence of couples as they face each other at a restaurant table or, as I was recently, sitting together on a tourist coach.

There we were, my wife and I swapping opinions - yes, she has some and is never slow to voice them - but above all sharing the visual wonders of snow-capped mountain and azure-blue lake, remarking on this; comparing that in what we regard as companionable exchanges. Yet around us, as we passed through stunning scenery, many of our fellow-travellers - the majority, if not all, senior citizens - sat two-by-two staring straight ahead, mute as trappist monks.
Face-to-face each was perfectly friendly, often forthcoming - the way strangers can be and conscious that what they might be reluctant to reveal about themselves nearer home falls on unjudgmental and impartial ears.

Surely we agree an experience shared can more than double the pleasure.

An important aspect of the retirement planning programmes Focus for Change www.focus4change.co.uk  is the interactive exploration of relationships that can produce some surprising results. The end of a career is the beginning of a new and rewarding phase of life as we shall be discussing on December 2nd in our Open Executive pre-retirement seminar at Westwood Park.

It's a fact that many couples discover the person they married all those years before has changed. Having been separated throughout each day, retirement means time spent together.  They may share the home, but not always the same interests.

One of the factors that makes retirement planning essential is the realisation that serious consideration must be given to readjusting lifestyles.  The knowledge that things are going to be different reduces the shock of discovering he or she is a different person.  The prospect of years of shared harmony is much more likely if there is a recognition of each other's needs.

It was the Duchess of Windsor, who clearly enjoyed her space, who is famously quoted as declaring: I married for love - but not for lunch!

Now there was a woman with opinions!