Financial Fitness Test

A 10-minute test to help you discover how well you understand your own finances.

About the Financial Fitness Test

We have devised this unique Financial Fitness Test to help you uncover how well you really understand your own finances and to see what kind of financial shape you’re in. It’s a great place to start when thinking about how you can make the most of your money in the future by understanding where you stand today.

It is important that you answer each question as honestly as possible and select the answer that best represents how you feel on each particular topic. Remember that the results are for your own benefit only.

The test consists of 24 simple multiple-choice questions and should take less than 10 minutes to complete.

The test is completely free and you won’t have to enter any personal details to get your Financial Fitness grade if you don’t want to.

Once complete, you will receive your unique Financial Fitness grade and see how you rank in relation to your peers. You will also see some hints and tips on how you can improve your grade and really get in control of your finances.

Got it? Get started below.

Financial Fitness Test

Q1: Investment performance

I know exactly how all my investments are performing. I have a great system to monitor this.

I have a reasonable idea how my investments are performing. I check them fairly regularly.

I have little idea how my investments are performing. I hardly ever look at their value

I have no idea how my investments are performing. I never check this.

Q2: Investment charges

I know exactly what charges I'm paying on all my investments. The charges I pay are all fully transparent.

I have a pretty good idea what charges I'm paying on my investments. The charges I pay are fairly clear.

I have a vague grasp of the charges I'm paying on my investments. The charges I pay are all somewhat difficult to understand

I have no idea how what charges I'm paying on my investments. The charges are confusing or not clear to me.

Q3: Investment risk

I understand the investment risk I am taking with my investments and the risk is perfectly aligned to my needs.

I have a rough idea of the investment risk I am taking and think it is about right for what I need.

I don’t have a good understanding of the investment risk I'm taking, but my investments might be OK.

I have no idea how much investment risk I am taking and how much I should take to get my investments growing well.

Q4: Investment monitoring

All my investments are regularly monitored and reviewed to ensure they remain right for me.

My investments are reviewed sometimes but not a regularly or thoroughly as they could be.

I sometimes check on my investments but this is often little more than a glance at the paperwork I am sent.

I never really look at my investments and just hope I’ll have enough when I need it.

Q5: Inheritance tax

I have carefully structured by finances to pay as little inheritance tax as possible when I die.

I have thought about inheritance tax and have a rough idea and plan in place to reduce the tax on my estate.

I don’t think inheritance tax will be a big issue for me, but I really don't know.

I haven’t done anything about inheritance tax planning and am worried that my beneficiaries may pay unnecessary tax when I die.

Q6: Pension value

I know exactly how much my pensions are worth and have a good idea what income I could get in retirement.

I have a rough idea how much is in my pension and think I know how much this might provide me in retirement.

I have a very little idea what pensions I have and what income I might have to live on when I retire.

I have no idea what pensions I have and no idea what they could provide me in retirement.

Q7: Pension performance

My pensions are performing consistently well and I keep a close eye on their performance.

I think my pensions are growing OK. I check them sometimes to see how they are doing.

I don’t really know how my pensions are performing and what returns I'm getting.

I feel in the dark when it comes to the performance of my pensions.

Q8: Pension charges

My pensions are invested in good value companies that provide a great service to me.

I think my pensions are pretty good value. I have checked how much I am paying fairly recently.

I have a vague idea of how much I pay in pension charges, but I’m really not too sure.

I don’t know how much I pay in charges for my pensions. This is not something I have ever really looked at.

Q9: Emergency fund

I have an emergency cash fund with plenty of money in should I get into difficulties.

I have a little money set aside for emergencies but it might not be enough.

I could probably get some money together if I had a financial emergency but it would be tricky.

I wouldn't have ready access to any money in an emergency.

Q10: Tax-efficient investments

I know that all my investments are invested in the most tax-efficient way and I use all the tax allowances I am entitled to.

I think I have some tax-efficient investments and try to use these where I can.

I have the odd tax free investment and a bit of money in a pension but nothing more than this.

I don’t know what tax I could save and don’t really pay any attention to reducing the tax on my investments.

Q11: Life cover

If I die, my family will be financially secure and will not have to worry about anything.

If I die, I have some life cover that will pay out to my family but I’m not sure whether it will be enough.

I don’t have any life cover in place but I don’t think this will leave my family in major financial difficulty.

If I die, my family will be left in a difficult financial position as I don’t have anything in place.

Q12: Income protection

If I’m ill or injured and can’t work, I have plenty of cover in place to mean my lifestyle will be unaffected.

If I’m unable to work, I might have to watch my money a bit more, but the cover I have in place should be enough.

I don’t have any cover in place if I’m unable to work but don’t think this will be too much of an issue for me.

I don’t have anything in place to help me cope financially if I’m unable to work and this is a real concern to me.

Q13: Critical illness

If I develop a serious long-term illness, my family will get a lump sum payment that will allow us to be financially secure.

If I become seriously ill, I have some policies in place that will play out and should help us financially.

I don’t have any specific policies in place to help if I become seriously ill, but I think my family would cope via other means.

I really worry that if I became seriously ill, my family might be faced with some serious financial difficulties.

Q14: Long-term care

I have a detailed plan and financing in place to pay for any long-term care should I need it in older age.

I have some rough plans on how to pay for any long care I may need in older age.

I have thought about needing long-term care but not really put any plans in place.

I have never really considered needing or how I might fund my long-term care needs in my old age.

Q15: Wills

I have an up-to-date will in place to ensure my assets are passed on precisely as I wish.

I have a will that is reasonably up-to-date but I can't be certain that it is exactly as I want it to be.

I have a will but it was drawn up a long time ago and I probably need to have it amended to bring it in line with my wishes.

I don't have a will in place yet.

Q16: Debts

I have very little or no debt to pay back and it's well in hand. I never worry about my borrowing.

I have some debts (mortgage, personal loans, etc.) but they are pretty much under control - I can always make my payments and never worry about them.

I have borrowed a fair amount and still owe a lot. I do worry about it sometimes, but I think it's pretty much under control.

I really struggle without borrowing money to pay for day-to-day expenses and am worried about paying back my debts.

Q17: Regular reviews & monitoring

I have regular (at least once a year) reviews of my complete financial situation either by myself or with a financial planner.

I have ad-hoc reviews of my finances when I feel they need addressing where I look at my overall financial situation.

I never really review my finances other than dealing with financial emergencies.

Q18: Consolidated investments view

I can view and manage all my investments in one place whenever I need to and see my complete financial position.

I have got my investments well organised and can quickly work out my overall financial situation.

I have my finances fairly well organised by they are investigated with different companies so it's hard to see everything as a whole.

My financial affairs are pretty disorganised. I'm never really clear what I have invested where.

Q19: Financial control

I feel completely in control of my financial affairs and never worry about my money.

I rarely worry about money and know that my finances are in good shape.

I do sometime worry about my money and whether I am in a good financial position.

Money is a real worry for me. I often don't feel in control of my finances.

Q20: Financial goals

I have clearly documented financial goals and targets. I know what I want to achieve with my money.

I have some financial goals and a rough idea of what I want to achieve in the future.

I have a vague idea of what I want to do with my money in the long term and what I can achieve.

I have no real financial goals. I'm unsure hat I should be working towards.

Q21: Making time for your finances

I never worry about making time to organise my finances. I have plenty of time to get the most out of my money.

Like a lot of people, I should invest more time and effort in managing my money, but I do a pretty good job.

I have very little time to manage my money as I have too much else on. I do a bit now and again, but I know it is too little really.

I never really have any time for my finances except when I absolutely have to do something.

Q22: Enjoying managing your money

I really enjoy managing my finances. I love making my money work harder and get a kick from knowing I am totally in control of my financial affairs.

I get some satisfaction when I sit down and organise my financial affairs, but wouldn't go as far as saying I 'enjoy' the process.

I don't really like managing my money but I get on and do it. I don't hate the process of keeping everything ticking over.

I hate managing my money. It really is a chore.

Q23: Financial organisation

My financial affairs and paperwork are organised 'efficiently' - I'm really on top of it.

My financial affairs are organised fairly 'tidily' - I pretty much know where everything is.

I would say that my financial affairs are organised 'satisfactory', but I don't know where everything is all the time.

My financial affairs not at all organised - I would describe them as being in a mess.

Q24: Money and lifestyle

I have enough money to lead the lifestyle I want and am confident I will have enough to have a great lifestyle in older age.

I pretty much have enough money to have a good quality of life right now and think I should be OK in my older age.

I have to make a lot of compromises in my life because I don't have as much money as I would like and am unsure what the future holds.

My lifestyle is severely limited by my financial circumstances. I don't have enough money to be able to do the things I want to.

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NorthStar is proud to be a member of the leading financial planning trade associations. Through a continued commitment to adhere to the highest professional standards and deliver exceptional service, NorthStar has received a number of awards and professional accreditations.

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