Why I became a Certified Professional Retirement Coach
The delighted, relieved runner in the photo above is me. I've just finished a half marathon in my hometown of Chicago on a delightful spring day.
All of my effort, planning and preparation have culminated in this moment. The hard work is over. Now I get to hydrate, stretch, shower... and rest.
For years, I thought of retirement the same way. Decades of hard work. Finish line. Relax.
But I realized this is the wrong mental model.
I've been a student of "financial independence, retire early," or FIRE, for many years. There's a coveted destination: no longer needing to work for the money one needs to sustain oneself, or one's part of a household. And now that I'm personally closer to that milestone than I've ever been, I understand what's wrong with how I was thinking.
I was going to arrive at that coveted destination, and to look around at the vast emptiness around me. And then, with a shrug, I would ask myself, "So now what?"
When we think about retirement, we put too much emphasis on the finances, and not enough on the "now what?"
Please don't misunderstand me. The best time to consult a well-vetted, fee-only, Certified Financial Planner is yesterday. But here's what I've also learned from my in-laws, from a favorite former boss and from re-thinking my own approach to retiring someday:
Retirement is not a finish line. It's the start of a new chapter.
Retirement is not just for those in their 60s or beyond.
In retirement, work is not the enemy.
I became a Certified Professional Retirement Coach because I've been helping clients with their career transitions for years, and I realized retirement is just a career transition with a slightly different shape. In fact, I'm writing these words in an historic bed and breakfast, whose 72-year-old innkeeper told me this is his "retirement job."
People who retire often miss the same set of things from their full-time working days. And these are things that can absolutely be present, if not better, in retirement:
Structure
Purpose
A sense of accomplishment
Identity
Social connections
Self-worth
As a Certified Professional Retirement Coach, I can help you map out these elements of retirement life. I can help you explore what's always been important to you. And I can help you explore those groups, activities and destinations that have always made you just a little... curious.
Do you know someone who is preparing to retire in 2026, or who did so recently? Here's how to explore my new retirement coaching offering:
Retirement coaching details, including my Designing Your Retirement coaching package