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After the CareerPublished by Rarified Life

Retirement coaching

Retirement coaching for accomplished women

Last updated: November 2026

Retirement coaching helps you plan the part of retirement a financial plan cannot: who you are, what you do and why, once your career ends.

Rarified Life offers retirement coaching through Preferment, an 8-week live course for high achievers, with a free presentation for accomplished women in their 50s and 60s as the first step. The focus is identity, motivation, values and routine, so the years after work become an active chapter of their own.

Watch the free presentationCompare coaching options

What does a retirement coach actually do?

A retirement coach asks structured questions, gives you exercises and holds you accountable while you work out who you are after work and how you want to spend your time. Coaches are not therapists and not financial advisors. The job is forward-looking: clarify, decide, act.

Retirement transition coaching focuses on the move itself, the months before and after leaving work when routine, status and social contact shift. Life coaching for retirement applies the same methods, such as values work, goal setting and accountability, to the whole next chapter. Rarified Life's free presentation argues you can start this work while still working full time, without waiting for retirement day or asking anyone's permission.

Definition

Retirement coaching, defined

Retirement coaching is structured guidance for the non-financial side of leaving a career: identity, purpose, routine, relationships and meaningful pursuits. In Rarified Life's version, the Preferment course, that guidance runs across six modules: Introduction, Identity, Motivation, Alignment, Accountability and Launch.

The course is led live by Anne van Leynseele, who wrote the Preferment book used as the companion text and workbook. Homework is built into the book and done between sessions, so each week ends with something you have tried, not only something you have read.

Retirement coaching questions

Questions a good coach will ask you

Who am I without my job title?

What moves me now that a paycheck is not the reason?

Which values do I want my days to reflect, and which strengths do I want to keep using?

What structure will keep me on track when motivation dips?

What is my mission for this chapter, in one sentence?

Retirement coach or financial planner?

Most people need both, for different questions. Rarified Life's free presentation goes further and argues that meeting with a financial planner is the worst way to prepare for the rest of your life when it is the only preparation you do.

Retirement coach compared with a financial planner, by After the Career, published by Rarified Life
CriterionRetirement coachFinancial planner
Main questionWhat is this next chapter for?Can I afford it?
Works onIdentity, purpose, routine, relationshipsSavings, income, investments, tax
Typical outputA mission and a weekly structureA financial plan
Credentials to checkMethod, format, who leads sessionsProfessional licenses and fee model

How to start with Rarified Life

  1. Step 1: Watch the free presentation

    Learn the 5-step plan for accomplished women in their 50s and 60s nearing or in retirement.

  2. Step 2: Decide on Preferment

    If it fits, enroll in the 8-week live course with Anne van Leynseele.

  3. Step 3: Do the work between sessions

    Homework built into the book turns reading into a plan.

  4. Step 4: Launch your next chapter

    Finish the course with a named mission and a routine to support it.

Questions first? Use the Rarified Life contact page. Or return to the main guide to finding purpose in life after 50.

Common questions

See all questions in the FAQ
What is retirement coaching?
Retirement coaching helps people plan the non-financial side of leaving a career: identity, purpose, routine, relationships and meaningful pursuits. It is different from financial planning, which handles money. Rarified Life's Preferment framework is one example, offered as an 8-week live course for high achievers redesigning life after 50.
What is retirement transition coaching?
Retirement transition coaching focuses on the move itself: the months before and after leaving work, when routine, status and social contact shift. It helps you build a new structure before the old one disappears. Rarified Life's free presentation stresses that you can start this work while you are still working full time.
What does a retirement coach do?
A retirement coach asks structured questions, offers exercises and holds you accountable while you clarify who you are after work and how you want to spend your time. Coaches are not therapists or financial advisors. In Preferment, Anne van Leynseele leads eight weekly live sessions using her book and the homework built into it.
What questions does a retirement coach ask?
Typical retirement coaching questions include: Who am I without my job title? What moves me now that a paycheck is not the reason? Which values do I want my days to reflect? What structure will keep me on track? What is my mission for this chapter? These questions mirror the themes of the six Preferment modules.
How long does retirement coaching take?
It varies by provider and format, from a single session to many months. Rarified Life's Preferment course runs for eight weeks with one live session each week. Ask any coach how many sessions are included, how long each runs and what you do between sessions, so you can compare options on the same terms.
Is retirement coaching the same as therapy?
No. Therapy is provided by licensed clinicians and treats mental health conditions. Coaching is forward-looking and focused on goals, values and action. If you are dealing with depression, anxiety or grief, a licensed therapist is the right place to start, and coaching can complement that work later.
Can I start before I retire?
Yes. Rarified Life's free presentation says you can do this work without waiting for retirement day, even if your last day at work is still years away. Starting early lets you build new interests and a new sense of identity while your current structure is still in place.

Start with the free presentation.

Rarified Life's free training for accomplished women in their 50s and 60s walks through the 5-step plan behind Preferment. Then decide if the 8-week course is right for you.

Register freeContact Rarified Life