Americans Say Good Health Key to Satisfying Retirement; Relationships, Money, Faith and Personal Legacy Take Back Seat.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Good health is the key to a satisfying retirement according to a plurality of Americans (48 percent) in a recent national Thrivent Financial survey of non-retired adults. In fact, about three times as many Americans said good health is the most important contributor to a person's quality of life in retirement as did those who cited religious faith (17 percent), relationships with others (15 percent), or having enough money (15 percent). Leaving a personal legacy (3 percent) greatly lagged as a contributing factor.

Health issues also served as Americans' greatest worries about their retirement years. Twenty-eight percent of Americans said poor health was their greatest retirement fear, and an additional 25 percent cited the cost of health care. Not having enough money was named by 24 percent of respondents as their top retirement concern, while 11 percent feared being bored and 8 percent said dying was their greatest concern.

"Having good health and maintaining it tops Americans' dreams for retirement," said Karl Anderson, Thrivent Financial vice president. "While many factors influence a person's overall health and well-being, proper planning can help Americans ensure they have the resources to access quality healthcare, protect themselves against the costs of disability or long-term care and maintain the retirement lifestyle they desire."

Other survey findings included:

--Pre-retirees (age 50-64) were most inclined to say good health is the most important contributor to the quality of one's life in retirement (55 percent).

--Those having incomes of at least $75,000 were most likely to say poor health was their greatest retirement fear (34 percent).

--Residents of the Midwest (31 percent) and West (29 percent) were more likely to worry about the cost of healthcare in retirement than they were about not having enough money in retirement (26 percent and 24 percent respectively).

--Residents of the Northeast (29 percent) and South (21 percent) were more apt to worry about having enough money in retirement than the cost of healthcare in retirement (23 percent and 20 percent respectively).

Telephone Interviews were conducted for Thrivent Financial by Quinley Research, Claremont, Calif., between November 29 and December 5, 2004, among a nationwide sample of 661 non-retired U.S. adults aged 18 and older. The margin of error for questions posed to all 661 respondents is +/- 4 percent.

About Thrivent Financial for Lutherans 

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans is a not-for-profit Fortune 500 financial services organization helping 2.8 million members achieve their financial goals. Thrivent Financial and its affiliates offer a broad range of financial products and services including life insurance, annuities, mutual funds, disability income insurance, bank products and more. As a not-for-profit organization, Thrivent Financial sponsors national outreach programs and activities that support congregations, schools, charitable organizations and needy individuals. For more information, visit www.thrivent.com.

Securities are offered through Thrivent Investment Management Inc., 625 Fourth Ave. South, Minneapolis, MN 55415-1665, 800-THRIVENT (800-847-4836) a wholly owned subsidiary of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Member NASD. Member SIPC.