How retirement coaching is redefining the future of advice

When financial advisor and former social worker Robert Laura first sat across from retirees who appeared to have it all — money, time and freedom — he was struck by an unexpected truth.

“I saw people who had enough money, but they were miserable,” he said. “They’d say, ‘Retirement’s not going well,’ and I thought — how can that be? They did everything they were supposed to do.”

That realization changed the course of his career.

In 2017, Laura founded the Retirement Coaches Association (RCA) to explore a radical idea: retirement readiness isn’t just financial — it’s emotional, social and purpose-driven. Today, the RCA’s global network of nearly 400 professionals is reshaping how we help clients design life after work.

“We’re not trying to do therapy,” Laura said. “We’re raising awareness and giving people a process to design what’s next. The goal is to get people off autopilot.”

A new lens on retirement

At the RCA’s ninth annual conference in September, experts from across longevity, psychology and coaching shared one message: retirement is no longer a finish line — it’s a design challenge.

“The old model doesn’t work anymore,” Laura said. “We’re living longer. People are healthier. They don’t want to sit around — they want to keep contributing.”

Speakers, such as Dr. Laura Carstensen, founding director of the Stanford Center on Longevity, reminded advisors that while life expectancy has nearly doubled in the last century, our systems and mindsets haven’t kept pace.

“Longevity is one of the greatest opportunities of our time,” she said. “But only if we intentionally design for it.”

For financial professionals, that means expanding the conversation beyond dollars and dates — helping clients envision how they’ll stay purposeful, connected and fulfilled across 30-plus years of post-career life.

The conference also featured an emotional session on mental health in retirement, led by Mike Drak and Tony Hixon. Both shared deeply personal stories of how identity loss and lack of structure can derail even the best-funded retirements.

“There’s no way you can watch that session and not cry,” Laura said. “It reminds us that behind every financial plan is a real person trying to figure out who they are now.”

Drak, author of Retirement Heaven or Hell, described how leaving his long banking career left him adrift, until he redefined purpose through writing and mentoring.

Hixon spoke about supporting his father’s difficult transition, an experience that shaped his coaching practice.

Their message: money alone doesn’t guarantee a successful retirement. Without purpose, community and emotional preparation, the risk of disengagement and depression rises sharply.

Rethinking aging as a growth stage

David Stewart, founder of The Ageist, challenged advisors to see aging as a time of reinvention, not retreat.

Today’s 60-year-olds, he argued, are healthier, more ambitious and more influential than ever. Many are launching businesses, pursuing encore roles or chasing long-delayed passions.

For advisors, the takeaway is clear: stop treating clients over 55 as if they’re winding down. Instead, help them scale up — aligning financial plans with aspirations, not assumptions.

Laura believes this shift represents both a challenge and an opportunity. Advisors who focus only on portfolios risk missing what clients truly need. Those who blend financial strategy with life design, however, will build deeper trust and longer relationships.

“People hire advisors because of trust, not just performance,” Laura said. “When you talk about their life, not just their money, you earn that trust.”

Three actions

These steps do not replace financial advice — they complement it.

1. Start holistic conversations. Ask simple, powerful questions: What does a great day look like in retirement? How will you stay connected? What gives you purpose beyond work?
2. Integrate longevity literacy. Help clients understand the financial and emotional realities of 100-year lives — shift planning from having enough to living well.
3. Partner with retirement coaches. Explore collaborations with retirement coaches that can add structure and insight to the non-financial side of retirement planning.

The RCA is leading a growing movement to reframe retirement as a life-design process — one that blends financial independence with emotional resilience, social belonging and purpose.

As Laura put it: “We need to stop treating retirement like a finish line. It’s a new beginning, and advisors can be the guides.”

For financial professionals, longevity has changed retirement planning. The most powerful plan is one that secures both financial freedom and personal fulfillment. Learn more at retirementcoachesassociation.org.