Stay married at least 10 years

A more pragmatic and less romantic approach to marriage is for couples in which only one person works to take advantage of spousal Social Security benefits if they want to have a comfortable retirement. Spousal Social Security is actually essential to efficient financial planning for retirement.

In case you get divorced after less than 10 years of marriage, you will most likely lose those spousal benefits whereas if you divorce after 10 years, you will be able to claim Social Security based on an ex-spouse’s work history.

It might seem downright emotionless, but for some couples thinking about divorce, timing can be important.