Do I Need a Retirement Coach?

Published in AARP Oct 22, 2024

​Written by Jaclyn Greenberg

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https://www.aarp.org/benefits-discounts/members-only-access/info-2024/retirement-coach.html

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Do I need a retirement coach?

“Because you're a certain age and because you have a certain asset level, you can't tell anyone retirement's not going well,” he says. “There’s some social stigmas that we have to break.”

That's where retirement coaches come in, Laura says. “That’s really what it's about for us. It's about the psychology.”

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What is a retirement coach?

Retirement coaches are professionals who help you plan for “the mental, social, physical and spiritual aspects of retirement,” according to the Retirement Project, which awards the Certified Professional Retirement Coach (CPRC) credential and is the parent company of the RCA. Coaches work with you to figure out the most fulfilling parts of your life and to ensure those things remain part of your life in retirement.

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“I think the big question we help answer that a lot of people can’t answer is, how will you know if you're winning at retirement?” Laura says. “When I say win at retirement, I mean replace your work identity, fill your time, stay relevant and connected, stay mentally and physically active [and] live according to your values and core beliefs.”

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For example, he says people who've been Type A personalities all their life might envision a relaxing retirement, assuming they’ll chill out once they leave work. But typically, if you're Type A when you're younger, you’ll be Type A when you’re older.

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“A big part of what we try to do is wake people up to what you found out, and you found out the hard way — that if you leave work, you're going to miss things,” Laura says. “If you commit yourself to just your kids or to hobbies, there is still a part of you that you’re missing. We want to identify what you have, what you like, and then help you find it or replace it.”

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What does a retirement coach do?

A retirement coach typically focuses on the nonfinancial aspects of retirement. While many are also financial planners, others had long careers as human resource professionals or educators. Other coaches may work with someone on the financial side and then segue into the mental health component of retirement.​