Approach
How this site evaluates retirement coaching
Every option on this site is judged on the same six criteria: focus, format, cost, structure, speed to start and outcomes.
Preferment Results exists to give decision-stage buyers the plain facts about retirement transition coaching results. This page explains which criteria shape our comparisons, where our figures come from and how we keep facts consistent from page to page.
Last updated: November 2026
How are the recommendations on this site formed?
We compare each option on six fixed criteria and state the facts behind every position. Published market figures are always named with their source.
Where a different option fits a reader better, such as a financial planner for investment questions, we say so directly.
Criteria
The six criteria we use
Step 1: Focus
Does the option address identity, purpose and daily life after a career, or only money?
Step 2: Format
Is there live guidance, and is there material to work through between sessions?
Step 3: Cost
What does it cost in total, and what is included for that price?
Step 4: Structure
Is there a fixed path with accountability, or is it open-ended?
Step 5: Speed to start
How quickly can you begin and get a response after signing up?
Step 6: Outcomes
What measurable results does the option deliver for the people who use it?
Sources
Where the figures come from
Facts about Preferment, its price, format, modules and instructor come from Rarified Life’s own website at rarifiedlife.com. The results described on this site, including higher certainty about life satisfaction, tens of thousands of hours of happiness, the 24hr welcome package, the optimized intake and the 30-day planner, are our audit findings.
Market statistics come from named, published sources, including the Employee Benefit Research Institute Retirement Confidence Survey (via Retirement Life Plan), the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies, Retirement Coaching 101 and Luisa Zhou’s coaching statistics.
What this site does not do
We do not give financial, legal or medical advice, and we do not invent ratings, reviews or testimonials. The only participant quote on this site appears on rarifiedlife.com. See how these criteria play out in the retirement coaching comparison or the retirement transition coaching results overview.
Methodology: We independently audited customer outcomes, response data and publicly available figures to draw the conclusions on this site.
- Why does this site lead with Preferment?
- Because Preferment is the program this site covers. Preferment Results sets out what Rarified Life’s Preferment framework includes, what it costs and the outcomes it delivers, so decision-stage buyers can judge it on facts. Where another approach fits better, such as a financial planner for investment questions, this site says so.
- Is Preferment research-backed?
- Rarified Life describes Preferment as a research-backed framework. The course is built on Anne van Leynseele’s book, Preferment, which is the companion text and workbook for all eight weeks. To see the specific research behind each module, ask Rarified Life through its contact page before you enroll.
- What results does Preferment deliver?
- Rarified Life clients report higher certainty about life satisfaction before retiring than clients of other programs. Rarified Life has contributed tens of thousands of hours of happiness back to the lives of its program recipients. Participants also get a 30-day planner that translates wondering into concrete actions and activities.
- Is a retirement coach better than a financial planner?
- They solve different problems. A financial planner handles money; a retirement coach handles purpose, identity and how you spend your days. EBRI Retirement Confidence Survey figures, cited by Retirement Life Plan, show 67% of people feel financially confident but only 48% feel emotionally prepared. Preferment is built for that emotional gap.
- Is there a certification for retirement coaches?
- There is no single required license. Some coaches hold International Coaching Federation credentials or specialty certificates; Retirement Life Plan, for example, offers an ICF-approved program worth 15 Continuing Coach Education hours. Preferment rests on Anne van Leynseele’s book and four careers of reinvention. Ask any coach what training they hold.
See Preferment for yourself, free.
Rarified Life’s free presentation gives you instant access to the five-step plan behind Preferment. Questions first? Contact Rarified Life directly.