Wife has only $80,000 saved for retirement. I have $2.2 million. Am I wrong to be shocked?

In a personal finance Q&A, Quentin answers a reader’s concern about a large retirement savings gap within a long-term marriage. The husband, 64, reports about $2.2 million across a 401(k), IRA and brokerage. His wife, 61, reportedly has less than $80,000 in her 401(k) from a school district job where she works. He says he assumed both would be ready to retire in about three years, but discovered her balance while sorting paperwork. The couple’s discussion centers on whether retirement planning should treat savings as separate “mine and hers” versus “ours,” alongside worries about health insurance before Medicare, inflation and long-term care.