MagnifyMoney - "We find an immediate impact of retirement on individuals' happiness."
Having a little extra money can help make your post-work years much more enjoyable. In a 2017 study of life satisfaction during retirement, researchers with The American College of Financial Services, Eastern New Mexico University and Texas Tech University found — perhaps unsurprisingly — that spending more on leisure activities had a significant effect on retirees' overall happiness.
Having a spouse or companion matters more than ever during retirement, but only if your relationship is a healthy one.
"If you have a high-quality spousal relationship, then this very much enhances your life satisfaction experience in retirement," said Sandra Huston, a financial planning professor at Texas Tech University and one of the study's authors. "If, on the other hand, you have a low-quality spousal relationship, then this has a strong effect of reducing your life satisfaction in retirement — even stronger than if you are single."