Is It Time For A Retirement Coach?
BOSTON (CBS) - There's little doubt retirement is one of life's major transitions.
To get help making that adjustment, many people are now turning to retirement coaches to bring focus to the next stage of their life.
Denise Costabile has worked with her husband for years building a successful home decorating business.
She felt like she needed to develop a plan for retirement.
"I was afraid. I thought it was going to be boring and dull," she said.
WBZ-TV's Paula Ebben reports.
Within two weeks of hiring a retirement coach, she felt like she had a way to map out a plan for the future.
A retirement coach spends time with a client to get a sense of their interests and goals, and then develops a strategy to fulfill them.
Dr. Cynthia Barnett is now a retirement coach.
She said she has many clients who have put their dreams on the back burner and now want to figure out a way to get them to the front burner.
The coaching industry has exploded, tripling over the last three years. Ken Budd from the AARP believes this generation of retirees isn't ready to sick back in a rocking chair.
"I think baby boomers are going to re-define retirement," he said. "This is not a rocking chair generation."
Denise has decided to work on a book of her photography. She is also blogging about living with diabetes. She feels both of these accomplishments were possible because of the gentle prodding of her retirement coach.
"I just felt like I had my own little cheering section," she said.
A personal retirement coach can be pricey, costing up to $100 an hour.
Budd said there are a number of free alternatives, however.
"AARP.org has a ton of resources. Go to a library. Get a book," he said.
Barnett believes the key to a rewarding retirement is planning ahead.
