Research roundupLast updated: November 2026Published by Rarified Life
Published research shows retirement is an emotional transition as much as a financial one: one meta-analysis found 28% of retirees experience depression.
Rarified Life collected these published statistics to show why the non-financial side of retirement deserves a plan of its own, which is the side the Preferment course addresses. Every figure below is quoted from its named source with its full range and conditions. None of them are Rarified Life or Preferment results.
A meta-analysis cited by lifecoachingcertification.net found that 28% of retirees experience depression, with a 40% spike in self-reported depression during the first years after retiring (PMC, 2020/2022). Add that as many as 50% are pushed to retire sooner than planned, according to retirementlifeplan.com, and the early years of retirement look like the moment that most needs attention.
28%
A meta-analysis found 28% of retirees experience depression, with a 40% spike in self-reported depression during the first years after retiring (PMC, 2020/2022).
50%
While many hope to delay retirement, as many as 50% are pushed to retire sooner than planned.
Source: Retirement Life Coach Certification, retirementlifeplan.com
30%
Retirement coaching demand has seen a 30% uptick as baby boomers retire, with coaches addressing identity, purpose, and relationships, not just money.
$150 to $300
Retirement coaches typically charge $150 to $300 per session, with group workshops and encore career programs adding scalable income streams.
80%
Eighty percent of Americans say the nation faces a retirement crisis, up from 67 percent in 2020.
Source: Retirement Insecurity 2026, NIRS
61%
More than six in ten Americans (61 percent) are concerned they will not achieve financial security in retirement.
Source: Retirement Insecurity 2026, NIRS
34%
Thirty-four percent of caregivers had less than $10,000 in savings and investments, compared with 25 percent of non-caregivers. Caregivers are defined as those who provided unpaid care for an adult or child in the last 12 months in a noninstitutional setting.
Source: Findings From the 2026 Retirement Confidence Survey, EBRI
What it means
The NIRS figures show widespread financial concern: 80% say the nation faces a retirement crisis and 61% worry about their own financial security. Those are questions for financial professionals. The depression and early-exit figures point to a second, quieter problem: identity and purpose after work. That second problem is the one Rarified Life built Preferment to address.
Read carefully
Each statistic comes from a different study or publication, with its own method and sample. They should not be added together or compared directly. They describe retirees and the coaching market in general, not people who have taken the Preferment course. Follow the source links for full methods and context.
It can be. A page from retirementlifeplan.com reports that as many as 50% of people are pushed to retire sooner than planned. The early Preferment modules, Introduction and Identity, address where you are right now and how to separate who you are from what you did, which matters most when the exit was not your choice.
More in the FAQ: Is Preferment a good fit if I was pushed into retirement early?Demand shifts over time, but retirement coaching is one growing niche. A published overview from lifecoachingcertification.net reports a 30% uptick in retirement coaching demand as baby boomers retire, with coaches addressing identity, purpose, and relationships, not just money. That is the same transition the Preferment course is designed to help people work through.
More in the FAQ: What type of life coach is most in demand?A published overview from lifecoachingcertification.net reports that retirement coaches typically charge $150 to $300 per session. Preferment is a packaged live course, not per-session coaching. At the stated $3,000 investment, eight sessions plus the book work out to $375 per session; at the listed $6,000.00 price, they work out to $750 per session.
More in the FAQ: How does the Preferment price compare to hiring a retirement coach?No. Preferment focuses on the non-financial side of retirement: identity, motivation, values, daily structure, and purpose. Rarified Life's own materials argue that a meeting with a financial planner alone does not prepare you for how you will actually spend your days. Many people will want Preferment alongside, not instead of, advice from a licensed financial professional.
More in the FAQ: Is Preferment financial planning?A retirement coach helps people plan the non-financial side of leaving work: identity, purpose, relationships, and how to spend their time. A published overview notes that retirement coaches address identity, purpose, and relationships, not just money. Preferment covers similar ground as a structured course, with modules on identity, motivation, alignment, accountability, and launch.
More in the FAQ: What does a retirement coach do?