Retirement questions that show how ready savers really feel
Ask savers how prepared they feel, what they pay in and how well they understand their pension. Each question below comes with when to ask it and what the answer tells you.
What retirement planning survey questions tell you
Retirement planning survey questions ask savers how ready they feel, what share of their pay goes in, how many old pensions they have from past jobs and whether they understand their yearly statement. For a pension provider or an employer with a retirement plan, the answers show where clearer statements, a bigger match or a simple tool would help people save more.
Ask once a year, a week or two after the yearly statement, or after a change such as a new employer match. Send it by email or as a link in your statement email, and show it on your online account pages for savers who log in. Pick five or six questions.
Each written answer gets a category, a theme, a type and a sentiment, and each response an urgency, so a saver confused about their pension reaches your team quickly. Give those responses an owner and a status in the inbox, and post them to Slack or Microsoft Teams.
- Questions
- 14
- Best asked
- A week or two after the yearly statement
- Industry
- Finance
- Where to find them
- From library in the Usertick survey editor, on every plan
The 14 pensions and retirement questions, with when to ask each
Grouped by what they tell you. Use them as they are or change the wording.
How ready savers feel
Ask about readiness, the income they will need, the age they aim for and the retirement they picture, the heart of any retirement survey.
- 02Big scale
How ready do you feel for retirement?
Readiness on a 1 to 10 scale. Results shows the average and a column per step; compare it with the period before after you change statements or tools.
- 09Yes / No
Do you know how much you will need each month?
Whether the saver knows the monthly income they will need. Select No in Results; those savers are the audience for a retirement planning tool.
- 07Number
At what age do you hope to retire?
The age the saver hopes to retire, between 45 and 80. Results shows the median and the middle half; read it beside readiness to find savers planning to stop early with little set aside.
- 06Text
What do you want your retirement to look like?
An open question on the retirement they picture. Answers arrive with a sentiment and a theme, which gives your letters and tools language savers recognize.
What savers have today
Learn whether they have a pension, what they pay in, how many old ones they hold and how often they look, so you can read readiness in context.
- 01Yes / No
Do you have a pension or retirement account?
A first yes or no. Use logic so savers without a pension skip the questions about statements and providers and go straight to what would help.
- 03Slider
What share of your pay goes into a pension?
Share of pay going into a pension, from 0 to 100. Results shows the median and the middle half, a quick check against what your plan's default rate suggests.
- 10Dropdown
How many pensions do you have from past jobs?
Pensions from past jobs, from none to four or more. A large share with several old pensions points to interest in combining them.
- 04Multiple choice
How often do you check your pension?
How often savers check, from every month to never. Select I have never looked in Results to read how ready those savers feel.
Your statements and service
Check whether savers can see what the pension is worth and understand the statement, then rate each part of your service.
- 08Customer effort
How easy is it to see what your pension is worth?
How easy it is to see what the pension is worth. Results shows the average and the share who found it easy; low scores point at the online account or the statement layout.
- 13Yes / No
Do you understand your yearly pension statement?
Whether the yearly statement makes sense. Ask it a week or two after statements go out; a large share of No answers says the statement needs rewriting.
- 11Matrix
Rate your pension provider on each
Statements, online access, fees and fund choice in one grid. The heat map shows which part of your service savers rate lowest, with an average for each row.
What would make them save more
Find the levers, the priorities and the barriers, before you change the match, the fees or the way you write to savers.
- 05Multiple choice
What would make you pay in more?
What would make savers pay in more, from a bigger employer match to lower fees. The bars show which lever to try first.
- 14Ranking
Rank what matters most in a pension
Savers put low fees, steady growth, ethical funds, online access and advice in order. Results shows the average place per item, a clear guide to what to lead with.
- 12Text
What stops you thinking about retirement?
Asks what stops the saver thinking about retirement. The themes, such as time, worry or confusion, show which barrier your messages should take on.
Tips for asking about pensions and retirement
Small choices that get honest, useful answers.
- 01
Ask after the yearly statement
Send the survey a week or two after statements go out, while savers have their numbers fresh in mind.
- 02
Skip what doesn't apply
Use logic so savers without a pension skip the provider and statement questions.
- 03
Leave the jargon out
Avoid terms such as vesting or annuity in your questions. A saver who doesn't know the term can't answer well.
- 04
Repeat once a year
Ask the readiness and statement questions every year. Usertick has no recurring sends, so schedule each round, and Results compares each card with the period before.
Add these questions to a survey
From the library to the first answers.
- 1
Open the library
In the Usertick survey editor, choose From library, filter by industry and topic, and add several questions at once.
- 2
Or paste your own list
Paste questions reads up to 10 questions from any text on Free, 100 on Starter and 200 on Pro and above, keeps your wording and picks an answer type for each.
- 3
Choose where it runs
Show the survey on your website, send it by email, share its link and QR code, or switch it to a conversation.
- 4
Read the answers
Results counts every score and choice, and Usertick reads each written answer and files it by topic, on every plan.
Templates and more questions about pensions and retirement
Full surveys that ask about the same things, and neighboring topics in the library.
Templates
Browse all templatesFrequently asked questions
A week or two after the yearly statement. Usertick sends to a contact list now or on a date you schedule up to 30 days ahead, with no recurring sends, so schedule each year's round yourself.
Yes. Send the survey to employees in the plan, and turn on anonymous responses for a link or QR code survey if you want answers without names: no user ID, traits or visitor ID are stored.
Five or six. Start with readiness, ask about statements and what they pay in, and end with what would help them save more.
Yes. The question library comes with every plan, the free plan included, and the free plan covers 150 responses a month across your surveys.
Yes. Once a question is in your survey, reword it, change its options or its answer type, and add logic to skip it for some answers.
Yes. The library is translated into Usertick's built-in languages, and in any other language it shows in English for you to translate.
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