About & Methodology

Our Mission

RetirementReadyChecker was built with a simple goal: provide a fast, accurate, and completely anonymous way for Americans to gauge their retirement readiness. We were tired of "free" calculators that withhold your results until you hand over your contact information to a financial advisor looking for leads.

How the Quiz Works

Our 10-question algorithm evaluates both your current assets and your financial habits. The maximum score is 47 points. Users are sorted into one of five custom tiers based on their score:

• Behind (0–10 points): Significant gaps in savings and habits requiring immediate action.
• At Risk (11–20 points): Some savings but vulnerable to several retirement risks.
• On Track (21–30 points): Solid foundation with room for strategic improvement.
• Strong (31–38 points): Well-prepared with only minor optimizations needed.
• Excellent (39–47 points): Exemplary retirement preparation.

Each tier generates a specific set of action cards designed to address the most urgent vulnerabilities in that profile.

Data Benchmarks

The peer comparisons provided in your results are drawn from objective, publicly available datasets. We utilize data from:

• Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances
• Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI)
• Fidelity Investments annual retirement benchmarks
• Vanguard How America Saves report

Editorial Standards

Our content is researched using primary sources including the IRS, SSA.gov, and peer-reviewed financial planning research. We update our guides annually when tax limits and contribution limits change. The content on this site is educational, designed to raise general financial literacy, and should not be construed as personalized advice.

The Team

We are the RetirementReadyChecker Editorial Team — a collective of independent financial educators, software developers, and data nerds deeply passionate about raising retirement literacy among everyday Americans.

Independence & Funding

This is an independent website, not affiliated with or owned by any bank, brokerage, or financial institution. We sustain the site's development costs through display advertising, allowing us to keep the core tool completely free and ungated for users.