There’s no retirement crisis for many Americans. Retirement, at least for most of those who have actually retired or about to do so, is a piece of cake.

That’s what the majority of respondents said in a new MassMutual Retirement Services survey that was unveiled and discussed by a panel of financial professionals in Manhattan on Thursday.

The study, which sampled a cross section of those 15 years away from retirement and those who have just retired as well those retired for over a decade, found that the overwhelming majority of retirees were “quite happy” or “extremely happy.”

The study, entitled Hopes, Fears and Reality---What Workers Expect in Retirement and What Steps Help Them Achieve the Retirement They Want, found “high levels of emotional well being, environment and financial security.” Almost three-quarters of those interviewed said they are very happy. And two-thirds said they are relaxed and financially secure.

“We found that retirement is overwhelmingly a positive experience,” said Elaine Sarsynski, executive vice president at MassMutual Retirement Services.

“Our study found that peoples’ fears about retirement were overblown. People adapt,” she said.

She pointed to her sister Donna, who, in her first year of retirement, was calling her each day and was upset. Today, three years into retirement, she is very happy and adjusted, according to Sarsynski.

However, those who are the furthest from retirement, the poll found, tend to be most anxious about it.

The poll questioned some 1,800 people aged 40 years or older, with a minimum of $50,000 in savings. The poll found 97 percent of respondents either retired on time or earlier than planned.

The poll found common positive surprises in retirement:

- Having the time and freedom to do what one wants.
- Remaining active and busy.
- Having more time with family and friends.

Some of the negatives of retirement, according to the poll, included financial problems, being too busy or dealing with illness or disability of one’s self or a spouse.

Still, Sarsynski said many of the expected problems of retirement tend “to melt away as you get to retirement. You feel more comfortable as long as you have been preparing.”

Jean Setzfand, vice president of financial security at AARP, said the poll is “a prescription for happiness for all of us.”

The common characteristic of almost all happy retirees is that they have “taken the steps necessary in planning for life.”  

Setzfand added that pre-retirees often “had a sense of doom, but later they were quite delighted.”

She also said that working with an advisor is an important part of the process of retiring. Indeed, those who will have problems, added pollster Mathew Greenwald, CEO of Greenwald & Associates, are those “who don’t think through what their retirement will be like.”

However, the study cautioned would-be retirees not to “neglect the social aspects of retirement, such as strengthening the relationship with one’s spouse/significant other, cultivating new friendships and fostering old friendships.”