The Retirement Readiness Score for Women Over 40: How to Know If You’re on Track
- 15 hours ago
- 8 min read
Let’s be honest…
At some point after 40, something shifts.
You start thinking differently about time. About energy. About stability. About what you truly want your life to look like in 10, 15, or 25 years.
You might still be building your career. You might be recovering from a divorce, a job change, or a financial setback. You might be raising teenagers, supporting aging parents, or rebuilding your savings after years of putting everyone else first.
And somewhere in the middle of it all, a quiet thought starts creeping in:
“Am I actually ready for retirement?”
Not just the idea of retirement… but the reality.
Retirement isn’t just about stopping work. It’s about having options. Freedom. Peace. Health. And the ability to live life without financial fear.
That’s why inside Serenity Wellness Journey, we are launching something bigger than a program.
We’re starting a Retirement Readiness Movement—created specifically for women over 40 who want to stop guessing and start preparing.
And it all begins with one powerful tool:
✨ Your Retirement Readiness Score.
Because clarity creates confidence.
Why Women Over 40 Need a Retirement Readiness Score
Most women don’t lack motivation.
They lack a starting point.
One of the biggest challenges women face in midlife is not knowing where they stand financially. You might be saving a little, paying bills, trying to stay afloat… but still feeling uncertain.
And uncertainty can be exhausting.
You may have asked yourself:
“Am I saving enough?”
“What if I get sick?”
“What if my income changes?”
“What if I’m still working at 70?”
“What if I don’t have enough?”
“What if I’m behind?”
The truth is, many women over 40 are navigating retirement planning while juggling multiple responsibilities.
And unfortunately, traditional retirement advice doesn’t always feel realistic.
It’s often written for people who:
started saving at 25
have no debt
earn six figures
and have a perfect financial life
But that is not the real story for many women.
In the real world, women over 40 are often:
starting over
rebuilding after setbacks
recovering financially from caregiving or divorce
working hard but still feeling behind
trying to balance wellness and wealth
That’s why a Retirement Readiness Score matters.
Because it gives you a simple, clear answer to the most important question:
Where am I right now—and what should I focus on next?
What Is a Retirement Readiness Score?
Your Retirement Readiness Score is a personal measurement that helps you evaluate how prepared you are for retirement across the areas that matter most.
It’s not just about how much money is in your account.
It looks at your entire lifestyle foundation.
Because retirement readiness is about more than wealth.
It’s about your health, your mindset, your income stability, your debt load, your retirement accounts, and your overall life structure.
Your score gives you a snapshot of where you stand today.
Think of it like a wellness check-up—but for your future.
Just like you go to the doctor for blood pressure, cholesterol, and labs…
You need a check-up for your financial life too.
And once you know your score, you stop guessing.
You stop panicking.
You stop avoiding.
You start planning.
Free Download.
The Hidden Problem: Many Women Are “Functioning” But Not Prepared
Here’s something no one talks about enough:
Many women look like they’re doing fine… but they’re silently stressed.
They are functioning.
They’re paying bills.
They’re showing up at work.
They’re holding the family together.
They’re making it happen.
But deep down, they’re unsure if their future is secure.
And that stress doesn’t stay in your bank account—it shows up in your body.
It shows up as:
anxiety
burnout
insomnia
emotional spending
financial avoidance
lack of motivation
fear of checking accounts
constant “catch-up mode”
This is why Serenity Wellness Journey focuses on retirement readiness through a holistic lens.
Because the truth is:
💡 You can’t separate health and wealth.
And you can’t build a peaceful retirement without addressing both.
Introducing the CORE Framework: The Retirement Readiness Blueprint
At Serenity Wellness Journey, we teach retirement readiness using a signature framework called:
CORE
CORE is the foundation of your retirement-ready lifestyle:
C — Clarity
Knowing exactly where you stand financially, emotionally, and strategically.
O — Ownership
Taking control of your decisions, habits, and financial direction.
R — Resilience
Building protection and stability so setbacks don’t knock you off course.
E — Empowerment
Creating the confidence, systems, and support to build lasting freedom.
This is about the first step:
✨ Clarity.
Because clarity is where the movement begins.
And the Retirement Readiness Score is the first tool in your clarity journey.
No Overwhelm, just Clarity.
Why “Clarity” Is the First Step to Becoming Retirement Ready
Clarity is not just knowing your numbers.
Clarity is knowing your reality.
It means being able to answer questions like:
What do I own?
What do I owe?
What is my credit situation?
What am I spending monthly?
Do I have emergency savings?
Am I investing consistently?
Do I have retirement accounts?
Do I have protection in place?
Do I have a plan?
Most women avoid these questions because they feel overwhelming.
But avoiding doesn’t make the problem go away.
Avoiding keeps you stuck.
Clarity is powerful because it creates a sense of control.
And control is what builds confidence. Learn more about Financial Clarity without shame.
The Retirement Readiness Movement: It’s Bigger Than Retirement Accounts
Let’s redefine retirement readiness for women over 40.
Retirement readiness is not just:
❌ “Do I have enough money saved?”
It’s also:
✅ “Do I have enough energy, health, and lifestyle alignment to enjoy the life I want?”
Because what’s the point of retirement if you’re too stressed, sick, or burnt out to enjoy it?
That’s why this movement is designed to help women become retirement ready through three major pillars:
Health
Your body is your greatest asset. You need energy, mobility, mental health, and daily wellness habits.
Wealth
You need income, savings, investments, debt reduction, and financial systems.
Connections
You need strong relationships, community, emotional support, spiritual grounding, and purpose.
This is the Serenity Wellness Journey approach.
Not fear-based retirement planning.
Not guilt-based money talk.
Not “you should have started earlier.”
Instead, we focus on:
✨ starting now✨ creating progress✨ building confidence✨ and designing a retirement that feels exciting
Because retirement should not feel like an ending.
It should feel like a reward.
What Your Retirement Readiness Score Measures
Your Retirement Readiness Score helps you assess your readiness across key categories.
Here are the most important areas it typically evaluates:
1. Your Financial Foundation
This includes:
budgeting habits
tracking expenses
cash flow awareness
ability to consistently save
Many women don’t have a budgeting problem.
They have a clarity problem.
Once you see where your money is going, you can start directing it intentionally.
2. Your Emergency Savings
Emergency savings is your safety net.
It’s what keeps a job loss, car repair, or medical issue from becoming a crisis.
A retirement-ready woman has at least:
1 month saved (starting point)
3 months saved (strong foundation)
6 months saved (power zone)
This isn’t about perfection—it’s about protection.
3. Your Debt Load
Debt is one of the biggest barriers to retirement readiness.
Not because debt means you’ve failed…
But because debt reduces your ability to build wealth.
Debt steals your future dollars.
The score evaluates:
high-interest credit cards
personal loans
student loans
car payments
debt-to-income ratio
The goal isn’t shame.
The goal is strategy.
4. Retirement Savings & Investing
This includes:
401(k)
IRA
Roth IRA
brokerage investments
employer match contributions
Many women are working hard but still not maximizing retirement options because they don’t fully understand them.
Your score highlights whether you are actively building retirement wealth or simply hoping it works out.
5. Income Strength & Stability
Retirement readiness is not only about what you save.
It’s about what you earn and how stable your income is.
Your score looks at:
income consistency
career growth potential
side income opportunities
skills that create future earning power
This is a big part of the SWJ philosophy:
✨ Your income is your greatest wealth-building tool.
6. Protection & Risk Planning
This includes:
life insurance
health insurance
disability coverage
estate planning basics
beneficiary updates
will/trust documents
Most women don’t think about protection until something happens.
But the retirement-ready woman plans before life forces her to.
7. Lifestyle & Wellness Readiness
This is where SWJ stands apart.
Your retirement readiness score should also reflect:
stress levels
health habits
sleep quality
physical activity
nutrition
emotional wellness
Because you can’t build wealth while constantly burnt out.
Your body is part of your retirement plan. Check out our post on Budgeting For Wellness
8. Community & Support Systems
Isolation is one of the biggest threats to women over 40.
Support matters.
Your score should reflect whether you have:
healthy friendships
a strong family foundation
emotional support
spiritual grounding
accountability systems
This is why we are building a community, because women should not have to build their future alone.
Why Your Retirement Readiness Score Is NOT About Judging You
Let’s be clear:
Your Retirement Readiness Score is not here to label you.
It’s here to guide you.
It’s not about being “behind.”
It’s about being informed.
Because once you know your score, you can create a plan that fits your life.
And that is where transformation begins.
There is power in knowing.
Even if the number isn’t where you want it to be.
Actually… especially if it isn’t.
Because now you have direction.
The Most Important Truth: You Still Have Time
If you’re over 40 and feeling nervous, I want you to breathe for a second.
You are not too late.
You are not broken.
You are not behind or beyond repair.
You are simply at a turning point.
And turning points are powerful.
Many women don’t start seriously planning until their 40s and 50s.
And guess what?
They still build beautiful retirements.
They still create financial independence.
They still buy homes, invest, grow businesses, and build stability.
But the women who succeed have one thing in common:
✨ They stop guessing and start tracking.
And your Retirement Readiness Score helps you do exactly that.
What Happens After You Know Your Score?
Here’s the exciting part.
Once you know your Retirement Readiness Score, you can start creating your personal CORE plan.
You’ll know:
what to fix first
what to improve second
what you’re already doing well
what habits to build
what financial moves matter most
Because retirement planning is not a one-size-fits-all journey.
Your plan should reflect your lifestyle, your priorities, and your season of life.
The SWJ Approach: Small Steps That Create Big Results
At SWJ, we don’t believe in overwhelming women with complex spreadsheets and financial jargon.
We believe in progress that feels empowering.
That means:
simple steps
consistent habits
weekly accountability
supportive community
realistic financial strategies
wellness-centered planning
Because retirement readiness isn’t built in one weekend.
It’s built in small daily decisions.
And those decisions get easier when you’re supported.
Ready to Discover Your Retirement Readiness Score?
Here’s your challenge:
Don’t wait until next year. Don’t wait until your birthday. Don’t wait until a life crisis forces you to.
Start now.
Because your future deserves a plan.
And your peace deserves preparation.
Your Retirement Readiness Score is the first step in your CORE journey—and the first step into the retirement-ready version of you.
A woman who knows where she stands.
A woman who has a plan.
A woman who feels confident about her future.
A woman who is building health, wealth, and connections with intention.
And most importantly…
A woman who is no longer afraid to look at her future.
This Is Your Season of Becoming
If no one has told you this yet, let me be the one:
✨ You are allowed to start over.✨ You are allowed to change your financial story.✨ You are allowed to create a future that feels safe.✨ You are allowed to build a retirement that feels joyful.✨ You are allowed to become the woman who finishes strong.
This is the Retirement Readiness Movement.
And it’s for you.
Welcome to Serenity Wellness Journey.
Welcome to CORE.
And welcome to the beginning of your retirement-ready life.
Ready for Your Next Step?
If this message spoke to you, here’s what to do next:
💛 Step 1: Take your Retirement Readiness Score assessment💛 Step 2: Identify your biggest opportunity area💛 Step 3: Start your CORE plan and begin building your retirement-ready lifestyle
Because clarity is power.
And you deserve to feel powerful again.
Start today. Your future will thank you.
What You’ll Get Inside the CORE Scorecard
score quiz
CORE breakdown
next steps plan
mini tracker
$50
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