What is retirement life coaching?

Many people will be familiar with financial planning before retirement. Working with an independent financial advisor or wealth manager can help you ensure you are saving and investing effectively to provide for retirement. 

And for many, that’s job done. But we know from research that there is much more than finances to a successful and fulfilling retirement. And that’s where retirement coaching comes in.

The transition from working to retiring brings many more challenges than having enough to live on. Some can’t wait for the free time to begin; for others the question is ‘What will I do?’ You may have some projects lined up – travel, moving house, a new skill to learn – but what comes after that? Will it give you the sense of purpose and structure that working does?  Many are surprised at how their concept of self – and how others perceive them – changes too; work is a big part of our identity. And then there are the impacts on family and relationships, as well as the loss of the social network work often provides.

This is where retirement coaching comes in. We focus on non-financial factors known to impact psychological wellbeing in retirement. Retirement coaching helps those approaching retirement to reflect on their working lives, actively design how they want their retirement to be, and put plans in place to achieve this. It could be about exploring a new part-time role, having conversations with partners or family about expectations and boundaries, becoming aware of what really motivates you, or even re-imagining a whole new lifestyle. Usually it’s a combination of these.

How is it different from Executive Coaching?

Executive coaching tends to focus on fulfilling the requirements of a current or future role. It is about performance, getting the best out of people, devising strategy and building confidence.

Retirement coaching is about a very different sort of transition, moving from the certainty of work to the uncertainty of a new phase of life. Retirement coaching deals with the psychological and emotional transition, such as feeling a loss of identity and creation of a new identity. It is also about looking to pursuits outside of work to provide the sense of satisfaction and fulfilment that we all long for–feelings that are often fulfilled through work. 

How is it different from Life Coaching?

Retirement coaching is also similar to more general life coaching. The goal is to enable individuals to forge their own path in life, a path that is aligned with their core values and sense of self. What sets retirement coaching apart from life coaching is the focus on retirement-specific changes and adjustments. Retirement involves the separation from something that has formed a large part of one’s life, and sense of self. So while retirement coaching is about the broader picture of life in general, it also focuses more specifically on this shift, what it tends to involve, and what it means for each client, individually. 

A Personalised and Evidence-Based Approach

Every coach, or planning professional, will have their own style and method for working with clients. Because our approach, at Retirement Life Plan, is informed by evidence and research, combined with real life experience, Certified Retirement Life Coaches may guide the coaching conversation more than is usual in life coaching. 

In our programmes for pre-retirees, and professionals who are working with them, we aim to go beyond surface level planning by focusing on elements that are shown to support wellbeing in retirement. Understanding who you are as an individual is key to discovering a fulfilling retirement, and so our approach involves first looking at personal circumstances, characteristics, and preferences. We want to support you in designing a lifestyle that aligns with you, as opposed to following advice that has worked for others.

By Anne Cannings, Retirement Life Plan Affiliate Coach

Our coaches are highly experienced, with corporate backgrounds and qualifications in coaching, as well as retirement life coaching specifically.

Our Retirement Life Coach Certification equips you with tools and knowledge to support retiring clients through a successful transition.