Love Advice from Women Who have been Married for more than 40 years

When I first had the idea for this story, I grossly underestimated how difficult it would be to find couples who have been married for more than 40 years in order to ask them for their best marriage advice. However, through video chat, I managed to connect with a couple who has been married for over 40 years. As soon as I started asking around among my circle of friends (with the hope that their parents might qualify), I was quickly reminded that the statistics are no longer in favor of such long-term unions.

Get Married to Someone who has Similar Spending Habits

People who are frugal by nature are more likely to get married to individuals who are careless with their financial decisions, which frequently turns out to be detrimental to the marriage. People have a tendency to choose their spending opposites as romantic partners, according to research conducted by Scott Rick of the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan and his colleagues.

Trust

It is difficult to earn someone's trust, but very simple to lose it. It is necessary to treat it as a holy relic. It's true that none of us are perfect, and we're all going to mess up sometimes, but in order to have a happy marriage, trust can never be broken.

Maintaining Daily Communication with your Partner

The order of priorities is clear a spouse comes first, followed by work, friends, extended family, hobbies, and everything else that comes after that. The budget is in good shape. Both partners are equally responsible, and they are aware that they are operating from the same playbook. We usually have a financial checkup every quarter to see how we are doing, as well as budgeting every month together.

They can communicate effectively and can agree to disagree

You both know that being married, becoming one, doesn’t mean they have to share the same world view and opinion about everything. Listen to Each Other "My first husband did not hide the fact he was bored when I talked about my work, says Jessica, who married Stu in 2018.

You make your partner feel valued if you show interest in their life outside your relationship

Have a Housework Schedule No, it's not the sexiest of marriage advice, but several studies have shown that couples who share household chores are happier on average. But this communication is commonly what Orbuch calls “maintaining the household,” which includes talks about paying the bills, buying groceries, helping the kids with homework or calling the in-laws.

Building a Strong Foundation: Understanding Each Other's Values Before Committing to a Lifetime Together

Understand each other's values Long before making that commitment to spend the rest of your lives together, it's important to communicate and discuss your individual values and beliefs, such as religion, family dynamics and rituals, and politics. "You may not always agree, but you need to respect each other's viewpoints and ensure that they're not a deal-breaker before walking down the aisle," says Brittny Drye, founder of Love Inc. in New York City.