{"id":41671,"date":"2026-03-03T12:22:54","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T12:22:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/financialrush.com\/?p=41671"},"modified":"2026-03-03T12:22:54","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T12:22:54","slug":"poor-coordination-can-cost-couples-retirement-wealth-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/financialrush.com\/?p=41671","title":{"rendered":"Poor coordination can cost couples retirement wealth: research"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Halfpoint Images | Moment | Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Spouses who don’t ask one question \u2014 “your 401(k)<\/a> or mine?” \u2014 could be losing out on retirement money, research finds.<\/p>\n

By failing to allocate retirement savings to the spouse with the employer that provides the highest match rate<\/a>, couples may be leaving money on the table, according to 2025 research published in the American Economic Review<\/a>.<\/p>\n

By switching retirement contributions to the account with the higher match rate, 1 in 5 couples could increase their savings by an estimated $750 per year, note the research authors: Taha Choukhmane, assistant professor of finance at MIT Sloan School of Management; Lucas Goodman, an economist at the Treasury Department; and Cormac O’Dea, assistant professor of economics at Yale University. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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More from Women and Wealth:<\/h2>\n
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Here’s a look at more coverage in CNBC’s Women & Wealth special report, which highlights success stories and strategies for women to grow long-term wealth and make informed financial decisions.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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By not focusing on the highest match, couples may sacrifice an average of $14,000 in retirement wealth over their lifetime, which may climb to as high as $40,000 in additional wealth at retirement for 10% of couples, according to the research.<\/p>\n

“The absence of coordination can be a choice, but it’s a costly choice,” Choukhmane said.<\/p>\n

Couples who don’t sit down and talk about their finances are likely missing gaps like this that\u00a0they could address, said Kate Winget, chief revenue officer at Morgan Stanley at Work, a provider of equity compensation plans for public and private companies.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Which couples tend to coordinate best<\/h2>\n
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Choukmane said the research aims to gauge <\/strong>whether couples coordinate their finances as a household or instead manage their money individually. <\/p>\n

In the latter case, a couple is like roommates living under the same roof, yet make their financial decisions independently, prioritizing each individual, he said. In the former, couples coordinate household financial decision-making so they optimize their decisions together, Choukmane said.<\/p>\n

Retirement plans are one example, but there are\u00a0many\u00a0other opportunities for couples to coordinate their financial decisions and, therefore, realize financial gains, he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Another example: One spouse may have credit card debt with annual interest rates ranging from 20% to 30%, while the other spouse has cash sitting in a checking account earning nothing, Choukmane said.<\/p>\n

“They could save a lot of money by moving money from the checking account to repay the credit card,” Choukmane said. “But that requires a certain level of trust, of coordination, of agreeing on things, of giving up some independence.”<\/p>\n

Couples who tend to do a better job at coordinating their finances often have been married for longer and shared a bank account before getting married, according to Choukmane.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

How setting money dates can help <\/h2>\n
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Couples who regularly set money dates<\/a> to check in on their financial and relationship status have the best chance of not missing coordination opportunities, Winget said.<\/p>\n

That applies particularly to workplace benefits, including 401(k) or other retirement plans, and also emergency savings programs or employee stock purchase plans that employers may offer, she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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By sitting down two times a year or even quarterly, couples have a better chance of identifying time windows when they may be able to apply for certain benefits or increase their contribution amounts, Winget said.<\/p>\n

Certain milestones like a new job or the birth of a child may also trigger the need for a money conversation, Winget said. <\/p>\n

“Are you both on the same page for the future?” <\/strong>she said. “Are you both aligned on what’s happening with the contributions that you’re making, and are these numbers adding up to what your goals and objectives are?” <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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