How Do Your Finances Stack Up?

A new study of retirees’ financial profiles is revealing and sometimes surprising.

- Janet Bodnar

Time for a quiz: How would you describe your lifestyle in retirement? Research by the Employee Benefit Research Institute identified five distinct financial profiles among retirees ages 62 to 75 with less than $1 million in financial assets. See where you fit in.

Average retirees (28% of those surveyed) were more likely to report financial assets of $99,000 or less and annual income between $40,000 and $100,000. Just over half thought, they had saved enough or more than enough for retirement. Defined-benefit plans and Social Security play a major role in their income. Half spend $2,999 or less monthly. The majority tend to believe their standard of living is unchanged from their working years. On average, they rated their satisfaction as 7.8 on a scale from 1 to 10.