Identity and purpose focus
How directly the option works on who you are and what moves you beyond your career.
Our approach
How this site forms its recommendations
Rarified Life writes every comparison on this site using the same four criteria for every option and only facts from named, linked sources.
Last updated: November 2026 · Published by Rarified Life
How does this site decide what to recommend?
This site recommends options for one specific reader, an accomplished woman in her 50s or 60s leaving a career who wants to rebuild identity and purpose, and judges each option on identity focus, structure, live guidance, and published cost. Rarified Life, which publishes the site and sells Preferment, writes every comparison.
The four criteria
Structure
Whether there is a defined sequence or curriculum, or whether you set the agenda yourself.
Live guidance
Whether a person guides you in real time, privately or in a group.
Published cost
The price as published by the provider or a named source. Where none is published, we say so.
Where the facts come from
- Course details, modules, price, and faculty background: the Preferment course page on rarifiedlife.com.
- Retirement coaching rates and wellbeing research: lifecoachingcertification.net.
- Public attitudes on retirement: National Institute on Retirement Security.
- Caregiving and retirement: Employee Benefit Research Institute.
What we do not claim
This site is not independent and did not commission an audit or outside review. It does not publish ratings or invented testimonials; the one participant quote comes from rarifiedlife.com. Outside statistics are always labeled with their source and never presented as Preferment results. Coaching is not medical, financial, or legal advice.
See the method applied in the retirement coaching options guide or return to retirement transition coaching.
Common questions
- Who should choose something other than Preferment?
- Choose a financial advisor first if your main question is whether you can afford to retire. Choose 1:1 coaching if you need a tailored schedule now, since Rarified Life lists its 1:1 coaching as coming soon. And if you are struggling with depression or health concerns, start with a licensed clinician.
- Is a group course better than 1:1 retirement coaching?
- It depends on what you need. A group course like Preferment gives you a fixed curriculum, a book, homework, and live sessions with others on the same path. 1:1 coaching gives a fully tailored agenda and flexible pacing, typically at $150 to $300 per session according to lifecoachingcertification.net. Rarified Life lists 1:1 coaching as coming soon.
- What questions should I ask a retirement coach before hiring?
- Ask what the program covers, how many sessions there are, whether they are live, group, or 1:1, who leads them, what the price includes, how missed sessions and refunds work, and what you will leave with. For Preferment, the course page answers several of these; ask Rarified Life about the rest.
- Is retirement coaching the same as therapy?
- No. Retirement coaching is forward-looking planning and accountability around identity, purpose, and routine; it is not mental health treatment. A meta-analysis cited by lifecoachingcertification.net found 28% of retirees experience depression. If you are dealing with depression or another health concern, speak with a licensed clinician. Coaching can sit alongside that care but does not replace it.
- How is Preferment different from other retirement coaching?
- Preferment is a named framework taught live by its author over eight weeks, using her book as the workbook, in six modules from Identity to Launch. Anne van Leynseele has lived several career reinventions herself. Other retirement coaching may be 1:1, workshop-based, or self-paced; compare formats in this site’s retirement coaching guide.
Start with the free presentation
Watch Rarified Life’s free presentation for accomplished women in their 50s and 60s. If it resonates, the 8-week Preferment course is the next step.