Did You Know? A Later-Life Planning Quiz
Updated: 1 day ago
Most families know there are big decisions ahead. What catches them off guard is what they didn't know to ask.
Those questions tend to surface in a hurry: in a hospital hallway, at the kitchen table, or during a late-night call with a sibling.
The 10 questions below offer a quick look at a few of those surprises in later-life planning.
Whether you are planning for yourself or helping someone you love, take a few minutes and see what comes up.
1. How old do adults over 50 usually say they feel?
A. Ten or more years younger
B. A few years younger
C. A few years older
D. Ten or more years older
2. Which activity is most often linked to a stronger sense of purpose later in life?
A. Volunteering for a cause you care about
B. Traveling somewhere new
C. Keeping up with current events
D. Taking up a new solo hobby
3. A friend or relative is caring for a parent at home. Which offer gives a family caregiver something they rarely get?
A. Bringing over a meal
B. Calling to check in and listen
C. Staying with their loved one so they can rest or run errands
D. Sending a gift card for groceries
4. After a doctor's visit, which step is most likely to show whether someone understands their new medication or care instructions?
A. Giving them the printed visit summary
B. Asking them to repeat the plan back in their own words
C. Explaining the medical reasons behind each change
D. Telling them to call if they have questions
5. Most homes are built to last, not to adapt. What share of U.S. homes have all three basic features that can make aging in place easier: a no-step entry, single-floor living, and wide hallways and doorways?
A. About half
B. About a quarter
C. About 10%
D. Fewer than 5%
6. Your father lives in another state, and you are worried about how he is managing day to day. Who can assess his situation in person and help arrange the right support?
A. His local senior center
B. An Aging Life Care Professional, also called a geriatric care manager
C. A home health agency
D. His primary care doctor
7. Your spouse or parent is rushed to the hospital and cannot speak for themselves. The doctors need someone to make medical decisions. Which document generally gives the person you choose authority to act?
A. A will
B. A financial power of attorney
C. A health care power of attorney
D. A Medicare card
8. Which of these assets usually goes through probate?
A. Belongings and accounts in the person's name alone, passed on through the will
B. A retirement account with a named beneficiary
C. Assets held in a living trust
D. A home owned jointly with right of survivorship
9. Who is most often responsible for financial exploitation of older adults?
A. Strangers running phone and email scams
B. Financial professionals
C. Contractors and home-repair services
D. Family members, friends, and others they trust
10. Most adults over 40 say it is very important to tell their family their funeral and burial wishes. What share have actually done it?
A. About 80%
B. About 60%
C. About 40%
D. About 20%
Answer Key
1. A. Ten or more years younger
In a Pew Research Center survey, nearly half of adults age 50 and older said they felt at least 10 years younger than their actual age, and the gap often grows wider with each decade. A 2018 study of more than 500,000 people found the same pattern.
Planning ahead is not about feeling old. It is about protecting the life you still feel you have ahead of you.
2. A. Volunteering for a cause you care about
Volunteering can build connection and a sense of being needed. In a large study of adults over age 50, people who volunteered at least 100 hours a year reported a greater sense of purpose and less loneliness over the following four years.
Travel, hobbies, and staying engaged with the world can enrich life, too. Volunteering adds the element of giving back.
3. C. Staying with their loved one so they can rest or run errands
All are helpful, but respite, time when someone else takes over caregiving, is something many family caregivers rarely receive.
In AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving's Caregiving in the US 2025 study, 40% of caregivers of adults age 50 and older said respite would be helpful, while only 13% reported using it.
Make the offer specific: "I can sit with your mom Tuesday afternoon" is much easier to accept than "Let me know if you need anything."
4. B. Asking them to repeat the plan back in their own words
This approach is called "teach-back". It is not a test of the patient. It is a way to make sure the explanation was clear and that the person knows what to do next. Printed instructions are still useful, and they work best alongside a brief conversation that confirms the plan.
5. D. Fewer than 5%
At the last comprehensive national measure, fewer than 4% of U.S. homes had all three features: single-floor living, a no-step entry, and wide halls and doorways.
Most homes were designed for years when stairs and narrow doorways were not a concern. Planning ahead means understanding what your home can support, what changes might cost, and what you’d do if it no longer fits your needs.
And if the home holds decades of memories, that emotional connection is an important part of deciding what comes next.
6. B. An Aging Life Care Professional
Aging Life Care Professionals, also called geriatric care managers, can assess an older adult's situation, coordinate services, and keep long-distance family members informed.
7. C. A health care power of attorney
A will takes effect after death, while a financial power of attorney covers financial matters rather than medical decisions. A health care power of attorney generally lets you name someone to make decisions if you are unable to make or communicate them yourself.
The right document also only helps if people can find it in an emergency, so make sure your agent, doctors, and close family members know where it is kept.
8. A. Belongings and accounts in the person's name alone, passed on through the will
Probate is the court process used to settle assets owned solely in a person's name. A will does not avoid probate; it tells the probate process where those assets should go.
Assets with a named beneficiary, joint ownership with survivorship rights, or a properly funded trust often pass outside probate. Rules depend on state law and how property is titled, so an estate-planning attorney can help apply them to your family's situation.
9. D. Family members, friends, and others they trust
Scams by strangers get attention, but research finds that trusted people, especially family members, are the most common perpetrators of financial exploitation of older adults.
This is not a reason to distrust everyone you love. It is a reason to choose carefully who holds important roles, such as power of attorney, and to make sure more than one trusted person understands what is happening.
If a caller asks for personal or financial information, even for a good cause, hang up and look up the organization yourself.
10. D. About 20%
In a National Funeral Directors Association consumer survey, 62.5% of respondents said it was very important to communicate funeral wishes to family members, but only 21.4% said they had done so.
Putting your wishes in writing, sharing them with the people who will carry them out, and revisiting them over time can spare your family a great deal of guesswork during a difficult time.
What Comes Next?
Whatever your score, you now know a few things that many families only learn in the middle of a crisis.
The next step is not to tackle everything at once. It is to understand where you are today, see which areas need attention first, and choose one or two practical actions to begin.
That is exactly what Your Silver Path Plan is built to do. It looks across all six areas of later-life planning, shows where you stand in each, and puts your next steps in order, so you know what to focus on now and what can wait.
In about 20–30 minutes, you will answer 56 multiple-choice questions online. Within three business days, you will receive your personalized readiness scores, best practices, tailored recommendations, and a prioritized roadmap.
Planning ahead offers you and the people you love more clarity, more choices, and less guesswork when it matters most.
You don't have to figure it all out on your own. We're here to help you understand what matters, see what's ahead, and take the next step.
Not sure where to begin? Schedule a free 15-minute introductory meeting.
As Certified Senior Advisors (CSAs), we’re grateful to the Society of Certified Senior Advisors (SCSA). Its Working with Older Adults curriculum covers the health, social, psychological, legal, and financial dimensions of aging with real breadth and depth, and it has shaped how we think about the older adults and families we serve. Many of the topics in this quiz were inspired by that training.
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