Women face special challenges when planning for retirement. According to the Department of Labor,1 women are more likely than men to work in part-time jobs that don’t qualify for a retirement plan. And women are more likely to interrupt their careers (or stay out of the workforce altogether) to raise children or take care of other family members. As a result, women generally work fewer years and save less, leaving many to rely on their husbands’ savings and benefits to carry them both through retirement. But this reliance creates risk–risk that benefits will not be available due to divorce, risk that retirement funds won’t be adequate to last two lifetimes (a risk that falls disproportionately on women, who outlive men on average by five years),2 and risk of bad retirement payout decisions. Here are three things you should know if you’re relying on your husband’s savings to carry you through retirement. women and money_counting on husbands retirement benefits
Three Things Women Should Know About Counting on Husband’s Retirement Income