Educational assessment
How Retirement-Ready Are You?
Answer 18 questions to identify whether your next priority is foundation building, transition planning, coordination or validation. No account numbers, Social Security numbers or sensitive documents are requested.
About the assessment
How the Retirement Readiness Assessment works
Each of the 18 statements describes something many people try to resolve before retiring. Choose the answer that fits best: Not yet (0 points), Partly (1), Mostly (2) or Yes (3). The total, out of 54, places you in one of four educational result groups. Your answers are scored in your browser. The assessment does not ask for your name, contact information, account numbers or Social Security number.
| Score | Result | What it generally suggests |
|---|---|---|
| 0–15 | Foundation Building | Several foundational decisions are open. Start with education and organization before any account or product decisions. |
| 16–30 | Transition Planning | Some pieces are in place. Income, investments, healthcare and taxes still need to be coordinated. |
| 31–43 | Retirement Coordination Needed | Many individual decisions are understood. The next step is testing how they interact when assumptions change. |
| 44–54 | Retirement Ready — Validate the Details | The plan appears relatively developed. Validate assumptions and stress-test the timeline. |
What the 18 questions cover
| Questions | Area | Go deeper |
|---|---|---|
| 1–4 | Retirement date, spending, reserves and debt | Can I Retire at 62? checklist |
| 5–6 | Social Security and pensions | Social Security planning · 62 vs. 67 |
| 7–10 | Accounts, employer plans, first-year cash flow and market risk | 401(k) rollover questions · Sequence-of-returns risk |
| 11–13 | Healthcare before 65, Medicare and HSAs | Healthcare before Medicare · Medicare and HSA timing |
| 14–16 | Taxes, Roth conversions and RMDs | Roth conversions in the retirement window |
| 17–18 | Beneficiaries, estate documents and family communication | 55–65 Retirement Opportunity Guide |
Getting the most from your result
- Look at your lowest-scoring area, not just the total. A high score with a “Not yet” on healthcare or market risk still points to an important gap.
- Answer for the household. If you are married, consider taking it separately and comparing answers. Differences are useful conversation starters.
- Retake it after you make progress. The result is a snapshot, not a grade.
When you are ready, you can bring your result to a conversation with Strong Tower Advisors. Nothing is required. Many people simply use the printable guides on their own.
The assessment is educational. It does not determine suitability, risk tolerance, insurance needs or whether retirement is feasible, and it is not individualized financial, investment, tax, legal, Medicare or insurance advice.
Prepared by Strong Tower Advisors for general retirement education. Rule-based content is linked to primary public sources where practical and is reviewed periodically because tax, retirement-plan, Social Security, healthcare and Medicare rules can change.
About Strong Tower Advisors · Editorial and sourcing standards · Last reviewed October 2026