By now, a number of people understand what life coaching is all about. However retirement coaching is a subset of life coaching that not familiar to many people. What precisely is it, and how might it be advantageous to you?

There is an abundance of material on financial planning for retirement so a lot people have come to believe this is the only planning required before retiring. However, a number of unsuccessful retirees can tell you that, there are many other issues to think about and plan for. That is where retirement coaching helps out - preparing for the non-financial aspects of retirement. So what are the non financial issues to consider?

Several people thinking about retirement now question if they have saved enough to retire in complete leisure. They anticipate a healthy life and many have seen their retirement savings dwindle in the recent economic downturn. They worry whether they have sufficient money to carry on for the rest of a long life. They may also wonder about all the spare time that they will have after retirement. So some sort of work or activities that replace work are an important issue as one considers retirement. People planning to work in some way must then make a decision whether to simply continue in their current job or in a similar line of work, start a new business or advisory practice, work part-time, or switch occupation completely. Retirement coaching includes elements of career coaching to assist clients figure out their many alternatives when it comes to working in retirement.

Since social networks and assistance are so critical to our well-being (death rates actually correlate with social support), we pose many questions about this as well. How will your work-related friends contact you when you leave your work? Are there relatives you would want to spend more time with? Would you like to contact your old friends, or is it time to find a way to make some new friends?

When people plan to retire, they inevitably think of leisure. How will you use your increased leisure time after you retire? Do you have any hobbies you may want to start?

When you are planning to retire and relax, committing some of it to maintaining your fitness is a very wise investment. Are you able to catch enough sleep and get enough exercise? How do you plan to improve the quality of your life?

Family and marriage can become a basis of tension after retirement if you do not think about it carefully in advance. How will your main relationship, if you are married or partnered, be influenced by retirement? If both of you are retiring at the same time or you are joining a spouse who is already retired, how will it be to spend appreciably more time with each other? How much time together or apart will each of you require and want? What expectations do your family members have about what you will do with any extra time you may have, and do those expectations jive with yours?

Those considering retirement often plan based on their existing situation. Will you continue to live in the same area or move to another community? If you plan to shift, what are the main criteria for the new place? What type of housing is most attractive to you for the next phase of your life?

Individual growth and development is predominantly important at this phase of life. Unlike Webster's description of retirement, most retirees do not look forward to it as a time to "retreat or withdraw". Rather, they see it as a time when they can further advance themselves, create the ideal lifestyle, and maybe give back to others. What are your values and what do you do to state them in your life? How do you want to make a difference in the lives of people around you? Are there any causes to which you would contribute some time and energy? What gives your life meaning now?

As you can see, planning for retirement may be far more complex than you thought. The support, structure, and objectivity of a retirement coach may be just what you need to make the transition to retirement go more efficiently.