The more you know about your and your spouse’s financial situation, the better off you are. Period. There is no reason to not educate yourself in this area. With that in mind, I commend Jenny McKinney‘s article 5 Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Retirement Plan from About.com for your review:
Do you know the answers to these questions?
No matter what your age, sex, or marital status, you need to know a few things about your and/or your spouse’s retirement plan. When setting your retirement goals, you shouldn’t leave anything to chance and getting the answers to these questions can eliminate future surprises.
1. Do you have a pension or retirement plan at your place of employment and are you eligible?Some companies do not offer retirement or pension plans and some jobs within companies are not eligible for these plans even if they are offered.
2. How much will your pension or retirement plan be worth when you retire?
This information is necessary so you can decide if you need additional savings such as an IRA to supplement your retirement benefits when you decide to retire.
3. If your employer provides a retirement plan, what happens to it if you change jobs?
Your employer can tell you if your retirement plan can be rolled over into an IRA, cashed in, or left with the company if you should leave the company. You will need to decide which is best for you to do.
4. If you retire early, what happens to your retirement plan with your employer?
Your employer can tell you when you are vested with the company and what you can expect to receive in the way of retirement benefits when you decide to retire.
5. Will pension benefits be reduced by Social Security?
In some instances, your benefits could be reduced by the amount of Social Security you draw. Discuss this with your employer to see if this happens with your pension.