Retirement can be difficult, and experiences vary greatly. Although health, financial status, and family responsibilities have been associated with retirement adjustment, individual psychosocial characteristics may also play a role. Moreover, relatively little is known about the impact of perceived ‘job lock’—the belief that retirement is impossible due to financial or health constraints—and its relationship with later retirement adjustment. The current study addresses these limitations in the literature by examining the retirement transition over four years in a large sample of U.S. adults, with a particular focus on the ways in which personality may affect this transition. Data collected at baseline (2008/2010) and again four years later (2012/2014) included the Big Five personality traits, pre-retirement job lock, self-rated health, and multiple indicators of post-retirement well-being, such as global and experienced well-being (anchored within activities in a single day). Participants were drawn from the Health and Retirement Study (N = 716; Mage = 61.9 at baseline). Results indicated that experienced positive affect was the only post-retirement well-being outcome with a significant association with job lock, although only for those with low conscientiousness. Findings also suggest that pre-retirement personality and subjective health play an important role for post-retirement well-being. Thus, the current study highlights the importance for researchers and practitioners to consider both pre-retirement personality and health when evaluating individuals’ management of the retirement transition. Word Count: 224
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