Retirement coaching course

Retirement coaching course: one for you, or one for coaches?

Last updated: November 2026. Published by Rarified Life.

A retirement coaching course is either a program that coaches you through your own retirement or a certification that trains coaches; Preferment is the first kind.

The Preferment course from Rarified Life is an 8-week live program for high achievers planning life after their career. It is not a coach certification. If you want to become a retirement coach, a certification program is the better fit. If you want help with your own transition, read on.

Published by Rarified Life.

Which retirement coaching course is right for me?

Choose Preferment if you are the one retiring and want a structured, live, eight-week path focused on identity, motivation, and a new mission. Choose a coach certification such as the Retirement Life Coach Certification if your goal is to coach retirees professionally.

Two kinds of retirement coaching course

Preferment (for people retiring)

Eight weekly live sessions with Anne van Leynseele, the book Preferment, and homework built into the book. Six modules: Introduction, Identity, Motivation, Alignment, Accountability, and Launch.

Published investment: $3,000 on the course page; the store listing shows $6,000.00.

Retirement Life Coach Certification (for coaches)

According to retirementlifeplan.com, the certification is approved by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) for 15 hours of Continuing Coach Education (CCE).

Published total investment: $1,250.

Retirement coaching course comparison

Every option is described with the same criteria: who it is for, format, length, published cost, and main focus. This comparison is written by Rarified Life, which offers Preferment. The order is not a ranking.

Retirement coaching course options, published by Rarified Life
Option	Who it is for	Format	Length	Published cost	Main focus
Preferment course (Rarified Life)	High achievers leaving or past a demanding career	Live sessions with Anne van Leynseele, plus the Preferment book and homework	8 weeks, one live session per week	$3,000 described on the course page; store listing shows $6,000.00	Identity, motivation, values alignment, accountability, launching a personal mission
Individual retirement coaching sessions	People in a retirement transition	One-on-one sessions with a coach	Open-ended, priced per session	$150 to $300 per session typically (lifecoachingcertification.net)	Identity, purpose, and relationships, not just money (lifecoachingcertification.net)
Retirement Life Coach Certification	Coaches who want to work with retirees	Coach certification training	Approved by ICF for 15 hours of Continuing Coach Education	$1,250 total investment (retirementlifeplan.com)	Training coaches to serve retirement clients
Career-break or job-training course	People returning to paid work	Varies by program	Varies by program	Varies by program; not reviewed here	Job-ready skills for a new or returning role

How we chose

We included the options a person searching for a retirement coaching course is most likely to meet: Rarified Life's own course, individual retirement coaching, a published coach certification, and general career-break courses. Each is described only with facts from its own public page or a published source, using the same five criteria.

This page was written by Rarified Life, the publisher of this site and the company that offers Preferment. Read more on our sources and approach page or return to the life after career course overview.

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Questions about retirement coaching courses

Is Preferment a retirement coaching course?: Yes, for people going through the transition themselves. Preferment is a live, guided course led by Anne van Leynseele for high achievers leaving their careers. It is not a certification for coaches. If your goal is to become a retirement coach, a coach certification program is the better fit, and our comparison page explains the difference.; See this answer in the full FAQ
How is Preferment different from a retirement coach certification?: Preferment is for your own transition. A certification trains coaches to serve retirees. For example, the Retirement Life Coach Certification lists a total investment of $1,250 and is approved by the International Coaching Federation for 15 hours of Continuing Coach Education, according to retirementlifeplan.com.; See this answer in the full FAQ
How does the course price compare with hiring a retirement coach?: Retirement coaches typically charge $150 to $300 per session, according to lifecoachingcertification.net. At those rates, eight one-on-one sessions would cost $1,200 to $2,400. Preferment is a structured course with a book and fixed curriculum, so it is a different format rather than a like-for-like substitute.; See this answer in the full FAQ
Is a course better than one-on-one retirement coaching?: It depends on what you need. A course like Preferment gives you a fixed eight-week structure, a book, and a defined end point. One-on-one coaching is open-ended and tailored session by session. Rarified Life lists one-on-one coaching as coming soon, so the course is its current coaching offer.; See this answer in the full FAQ
Is retirement coaching becoming more common?: Yes. Retirement coaching demand has seen a 30% uptick as baby boomers retire, according to lifecoachingcertification.net, with coaches addressing identity, purpose, and relationships rather than just money. Group workshops and encore career programs are part of that growth.; See this answer in the full FAQ
What questions should I ask a retirement coach before hiring one?: Ask what they focus on, what format and length they use, what it costs, what homework is involved, and what you will have at the end. For Preferment the answers are: identity and purpose, eight weekly live sessions, a $3,000 published investment, homework from the book, and a named mission.; See this answer in the full FAQ

Read all 44 questions in the Preferment FAQ

Start with the free webinar

See the 5-step plan behind Preferment first. Then book a 40-minute Breakthrough Session or enroll in the 8-week course when you are ready.

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