Margaret & Tom
Two editors on the far side of fifty, writing the guides we wish someone had handed us.
Dear reader,
Most dating advice is written by 28-year-olds for 28-year-olds — or generated by nobody at all. When each of us landed back in single life after fifty, we searched for something honest and found pep talks, pickup tricks, and lists written by people who had clearly never been on a first date with reading glasses in their pocket.
So we started writing it down ourselves: what actually happens, what actually works, and what we got wrong so you don't have to. Everything practical here has been tested in the real world — by us. Every number has a source you can check. And nobody pays us to recommend anything.
The second act can be the best one. We're living proof — on the good weeks, anyway.
Margaret& Tom
Margaret Hale
Co-editor · She says · 57
Before
Married for 27 years — the kind of marriage that looks fine in photographs and goes quiet in the kitchen. It ended when she was 53, with a signed paper and a house that suddenly had one coffee cup in the sink.
The turn
«I remember the first night the house was truly mine, thinking two things at once: I'm free — and who on earth would want me now?» Four years of bad coffees, one spectacular ghosting, and several good men who weren't hers answered the second question: plenty of people. The real work was the first part.
Now
Dating on her own terms and writing the women's side of this site: dating as a woman over 50, the feelings nobody warns you about, and starting over without starting from zero.
Tom Reyes
Co-editor · He says · 61
Before
Thirty-one years with one woman, most of them good ones. He lost her when he was 58, and for a year afterward mostly talked to the dog.
The turn
«When friends first suggested dating, it felt like betrayal wearing a clean shirt.» When he finally tried, he was rusty in ways he didn't expect — and honest in ways he didn't use to be. It turned out the second thing mattered more.
Now
Writing the men's side: what men our age actually feel and want, age-gap questions everyone asks and nobody answers, and intimacy after 50 — mistakes included, because those are the useful parts.
The numbers we live by
The questions we get asked most
How we work
Every guide starts with a real situation — ours or a reader's letter. If we haven't lived it, we say so.
Every app, platform and tactic has been used by one of us personally — profiles written, dates gone on, mistakes kept in.
Every statistic is dated and named: Pew Research, academic work, identified surveys. Trace any number we print.
No money from dating platforms, no paid rankings, no sponsored lists — ever.
The full rules — sourcing, corrections, what software does and doesn't do here — are in our editorial policy. Should you trust two strangers from the internet? Not automatically. That's why everything is built to be checkable.
Frequently asked questions
Who actually writes the articles on Over 50 Romance?
Margaret Hale and Tom Reyes, the two co-editors — she writes the women’s side, he writes the men’s. Their real dating lives after 50 are the raw material. Editors and tools help with research and polish; the judgment, opinions and stories are theirs. Every article carries a byline and a last-updated date.
How is this site different from other dating advice sites?
Three ways: everything practical is tested first-hand by people actually over 50; every statistic carries a named, dated source you can check; and we take no money from dating platforms — no affiliate rankings, no sponsored lists. Our editorial policy spells all of it out.
Can I ask you a question directly?
Yes — write to hello@over50romance.com. We read every letter, answer what we can, and the most useful questions (anonymized, with permission) become part of the weekly letter or a future guide. The FAQ page collects the questions we hear most.
Write to us
The best parts of this site come from reader letters. Tell us your situation — we read everything: hello@over50romance.com