Retirement transition coaching

Retirement transition coaching for high achievers

Last updated: November 2026. Published by Rarified Life.

Retirement transition coaching helps you rebuild identity, purpose, and daily structure when a career ends, and Rarified Life delivers it through the 8-week Preferment course.

Retirement coaches work on the parts of retirement a spreadsheet cannot answer. Rarified Life's Preferment course packages that work into eight weekly live sessions with Anne van Leynseele, a book that doubles as a workbook, and a clear finish: naming your mission for the next chapter.

What does a retirement coach actually do?

A retirement coach helps you plan the non-financial side of retiring: who you are without your role, what will fill your days, and how your relationships will change. According to lifecoachingcertification.net, coaches address identity, purpose, and relationships, not just money.

What retirement coaching typically costs

Per-session coaching

Retirement coaches typically charge $150 to $300 per session, with group workshops and encore career programs also offered, according to lifecoachingcertification.net.

The Preferment course

The course page describes a $3,000 investment for eight weekly live sessions, the book, and guided homework. The store listing shows $6,000.00, so confirm the price at checkout.

Breakthrough Session

Rarified Life offers a 40-minute Breakthrough Session you can book through its calendar before deciding on the course.

Book a Breakthrough Session

Life coaching for retirement, not financial planning

Rarified Life's free webinar goes further, calling a meeting with a financial planner the worst way to prepare for the rest of your life and presenting a different approach. Money still matters, but a financial planner and a retirement coach do different jobs.

The webinar also describes a pattern it sees in smart, capable women: getting eight months into retirement and no longer answering the phone. Preferment's Identity, Motivation, and Alignment modules are built to address that drift before it starts.

How Preferment delivers retirement transition coaching

Introduction: where you are now, and why the old retirement model does not fit you.
Identity: separating who you are from what you did for a living.
Motivation: finding what moves you now that a paycheck is not the reason.
Alignment: matching your values and strengths to your days.
Accountability: building the structure that turns intention into routine.
Launch: naming your mission and stepping into it.

See the full Preferment curriculum or the life after career course overview.

Watch the free webinar

Retirement coaching questions

What does a retirement transition coach actually do?: A retirement transition coach helps you rebuild identity, purpose, relationships, and routine as you leave full-time work. In Preferment, Anne van Leynseele does this through structured weekly sessions, moving from Identity and Motivation to Alignment, Accountability, and a final Launch.; 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
What is the difference between a retirement coach and a financial planner?: A financial planner focuses on money: savings, income, and investments. A retirement coach focuses on identity, purpose, and relationships, according to lifecoachingcertification.net. Many people need both. Preferment covers the coaching side and does not give financial advice.; See this answer in the full FAQ
Why do some people struggle after retiring?: Losing work can mean losing identity, structure, and social contact at once. A meta-analysis found 28% of retirees experience depression, with a 40% spike in self-reported depression during the first years after retiring, as cited by lifecoachingcertification.net from PMC (2020/2022). If you are struggling, talk to a medical professional as well.; 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
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

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.

Watch the free webinar Contact Rarified Life