This article appears as part of Casey Weade's Weekend Reading for Retirees series. Every Friday, Casey highlights four hand-picked articles on trending retirement topics and delivers them straight to your email inbox. Get on the list here.

Here, you’ll find feedback on how to navigate the retirement planning process with your spouse, including areas such as:

📌Account management: If you and your spouse have opposing financial priorities, setting up individual accounts for certain assets is an option worth considering, in addition to having a joint account dedicated to family expenses

📌Strategic asset allocation: By maintaining some exposure to growth-oriented investments (stocks), as well as keeping safeguarded investments on the sideline (bonds, cash), you might be able to find an agreeable balance of risk and conservative investments within your portfolio as a couple

📌Communication and compromise: Regardless of viewpoints, it is important both partners in a marriage feel seen and heard when it comes to their financial preferences, and your advisor can help create an open environment for discussing these topics by building trust and understanding

📌Retirement timing: Prior to retiring, you should have a discussion with your spouse regarding financial roles, expectations and spending so that you are both on the same page as soon as one (or both) of you shift away from the workforce

📌Social Security timing: You should weigh Social Security claiming strategies with your spouse prior to making any moves, and if possible, file for the lower-earning spouse first, so that the higher-earning spouse can potentially earn delayed credit

Don’t delay: You shouldn’t wait to have these conversations. Have them now; Otherwise, you will be putting your financial plan at risk due to the potential implementation of conflicting strategies, not to mention, the relational turmoil that could ensue in the process.