Do I Need a Retirement Coach?

Question: Is it true that I can hire a retirement coach to help me transition from work to the next stage of my life? I didn’t know retirement coaches even existed.

Answer: Yes Virginia there is a retirement coach. In fact, there are hundreds or thousands of them (me included). I didn’t know this was even a career option until just a couple of years ago; however, with the millions of baby boomers approaching retirement and wondering what’s next some genius developed a program (and others followed).

Make no mistake. Retiring from a successful career into your first "retirement" is unlike any transition you've experienced before. It's filled with challenges and pitfalls you'll need special skills to handle. Especially, if you don't want to end up with more of the same old same old you've gotten from previous transitions.

Retirement coaching is not for everyone. As one of my retirement coach colleagues has said, "This work is not for sissies." It requires learning new skills, letting go of old ways of doing things, and facing your fears about aging and change. It demands flying in the face of what society says about how you "should" live this next stage of life.

So, is retirement coaching right for you? If you’re eager to retire the part(s) of your life that no longer fit (including your work), and reinvent them; if you’re looking for a guide who clearly sees who you are, who you're capable of becoming, and all the amazing options that are open to you; if you’re ready to have someone listen to your ideas and ask questions that push you into a higher level of thinking and acting; and if you’re willing to be accountable for what you say you'll do to get where you want to go...then you’re a good candidate.

Bill’s Bottom-line: Retirement coaching can be done over the telephone. To find a coach, visit two friends and esteemed colleagues of mine (Lin Schreiber and Ann Fry) at www.revolutionizeretirement.com or www.itsboomertime.com.