Are You Ready to Retire?

Take this test from AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) and find out. To make this as helpful as possible, respond honestly and accurately. If you’re retired now check the one statement in each group that is the most true for you.

Finances

  • -50= I haven’t saved enough money to make it right now.
  • 5= I probably have enough money to scrape by, but only without much inflation.
  • 10= I can make it if I live and buy smart and cut back on extras.
  • 15= I’m okay for a while at my present level of income.
  • 25= I’ve enough money for most retirement situations.
  • 50= Money is not a problem.

Health

  • -5= My current work keeps me active, gives me exercise, and helps me watch my diet and personal habits.
  • 5= I feel my work favors my health because it involves good exercise on a regular basis.
  • 15= My work usually wears me out by the end of the day. If it weren’t for weekends, I’d be completely burned out.
  • 50= My work’s a terrible strain. It drains my energy, keeps me on edge emotionally and physically, and also affects my sleep.

Relationships

  • -5= I believe my personal relationships would suffer from the loss of my friends at work, and I think my spouse and I won’t get along well when spending a lot of time together.
  • 0= I don’t have many friends outside of work; my social life would be greatly reduced.
  • 10= I don’t depend much on people I meet at work for socializing, and have a good group of friends and relatives who’ll continue to give me a full social life.
  • 25= Once I retire, I’ll have even more time to devote to my many relationships.

Emotional Outlook

  • -10= I’m not emotionally prepared to stop work. I wouldn’t be able to make many of the necessary adjustments.
  • 5= I doubt retirement is going to be very hard for me; I’m pretty flexible in my outlook.
  • 15= I find the idea of retirement exciting and appealing.
  • 30= I can hardly wait for retirement. There are so many things I want to do.

Housing

  • -5= I would have to give up where I live now for something less desirable if I retired.
  • 5= My retirement won’t affect my housing arrangements much either way.
  • 15= My expected retirement benefits will help me do a lot of work on the house I’ve put off, which will give me activities I enjoy and also increase my home’s value.
  • 20= I could move from my current home to a better suited one, giving my whole life a lift.

Work

  • -15= I would miss my work terribly. There’s so much more I want to achieve before I quit.
  • 0= I can take my work or leave it.
  • 15= I’m proud of my work record and feel I’ve achieved about all I want to there.
  • 25= The day I leave the job will be one of the happiest days of my life.

Activities

  • -10= I’ll never find anything else to do I’ll enjoy as much as I enjoy my job.
  • 5= I enjoy my life on the job as much as anything I might do on the outside.
  • 10= I like the idea of getting on to new things.
  • 20= I’ve wanted to do many other things for a long time. When I retire, I’ll finally have enough time to do them.

TOTAL (Using value of your choices from ALL 7 areas.)