Separation means that a former couple's assets - including the family home and superannuation - are split. Solely from a retirement perspective, this means that not only are retirement savings divided but each individual has to pay for a separate home.

And as the ASFA retirement standard, published the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia, reinforces, it costs much more to finance the retirement of two single people than a couple.

And significantly, ASFA's calculations assume that the retirees in its examples own their homes, no matter whether they are individuals or couples. Many separated individuals, of course, can no longer afford to own a home.

Working out relationships , a new study by the Australian Institute of Family Studies, reports an increase in the number of couples divorcing after long marriages. This leaves less time to begin saving again for retirement.

There are times in a person's life when the services of a good financial planner may be particularly valuable - including after a relationship breakdown when guidance is often needed to rebuild personal finances, including retirement savings.

The latest-available ABS figures on marriages and divorces suggest that 40 per cent of marriages are likely to end in divorce. And these statistics don't include the breakdown of de facto relationships.

That's something to think about.

By Robin Bowerman
Smart Investing
Principal & Head of Retail, Vanguard Investments Australia9
3rd  June 2013