Courses

 

Why do I need a pre-retirement course?

Although we're gradually getting the message that, financially, we need to plan and make provision for the end of our working lives, most people don’t tend to give the emotional, spiritual, domestic, relationship and leisure implications of retirement a moment’s thought. 

In fact, most of us spend more time planning our annual holiday than we do planning the non-financial aspects of our retirement.  Consequently, many retired people report that they ‘wasted’ the first 18 months to 2 years of their retirement – ironically, the time when they were at their youngest.

The best time to attend a pre-retirement course is 2 to 3 years before your actual retirement date.  In this way, you can give yourself plenty of time to prepare properly and ensure that you have the best possible chance of making the most of your retirement.  

However, if your retirement date is much closer than that, don’t panic – there’s plenty that we can still do to get you ready and the majority of people who attend my courses are only a month or two away from their expected retirement date.

What will I learn on my pre-retirement course?

On Contemporary Retirement courses you won't be subjected to a series of 'experts' who give talks on a range of retirement-related subjects that are just thinly-disguised attempts to sell you their own financial products and services.

Instead, you'll have access to me, a Retirement Options-trained coach and 'Too Young To Retire' facilitator, for the whole of the 2-day course.  You'll learn all about retirement and, more importantly, you'll learn how to make retirement work for YOU from the inside out.

First of all you'll learn about the different stages of retirement that you'll progress through (there are 6 of them).  You'll discover the potential pitfalls of each stage and make plans to help you avoid them - after all, forewarned is forearmed!

Then I'll take you through the Retirement Success Pyramid - my unique system for helping you get the retirement you deserve. The Retirement Success Pyramid will help you to:

• explore the opportunities and options that are available to you in this next stage of your life and choose the ones that are right for you
  
  
• determine the style of retirement that you're naturally drawn to by discovering your ‘retirement type’ and identifying some good role models for your particular type
  
  
• work out what a successful retirement would look and feel like for you
  
  
• examine strategies which will increase the probability of you getting the retirement you want and deserve to have
  
  
• work out what the component parts of your ideal retirement would be and then compare your version of your ideal retirement with that of your partner (if you have one) to see how you can blend the two together
  
  
• identify goals that will help you attain your ideal retirement (or, if your chances of getting your ideal retirement seem constrained by your current reality, help you identify the elements of your ideal retirement that you CAN incorporate into your life.)
  
  
• consider the expectations that other people (such as your grown-up children and your elderly parents) hold about your retirement and make sure that there is no mismatch of expectations that could lead to conflict later
  
  
• make sure that you stay connected to other people and continue to make new friends once you're no longer working  
  
  
• look at ways to help you disengage from work and replace the 5 main benefits that we all receive from our work
  
  
• determine if you're the sort of person who should continue to work, in some capacity, after retirement and, if you are, work out what your perfect post-retirement work would be
  
  
• make a new commitment to your mental and physical health and wellbeing so that you're fit and healthy enough to be able to enjoy your retirement and, as you get older, to remain as independent as possible and living in your own home
  
  
• explore ways you can develop a satisfying portfolio of hobbies, interests and activities and increase the amount of time you spend on activities that bring you satisfaction and fulfilment (rather than just fill your time)
  
  
• investigate how you can plan to meet your future needs, conserve and protect your existing resources and build the support systems that will underpin your life as you get older
  
  
• examine how your home environment will need to support you as you get older
  
  
• explore your potential for becoming a lifelong learner (and discover the advantages associated with continuing to learn)
  
  
• determine what you want your (non-financial) legacy to be
  
  
• prevent yourself becoming one of the 20% of people who get stuck in the 'disenchantment' stage of retirement (which can lead to depression and dissatisfaction if it's not managed correctly)
  
  
• learn how to balance your wants and needs with your partner's wants and needs and discover how to avoid getting under each other's feet once you retire
  
  
• explore how you will use the extra time available to you once you retire
  
  
• figure out if you have enough hobbies, interests and activities to keep you interested and connected and discover if there's a balance in your range of leisure activities
  
  
• find at least one form of exercise that you enjoy and are able to sustain and find out what actions you can take to increase the chances of you taking daily exercise
  
  
• discover (or rediscover) your passions in life and how you can actively pursue those passions every day
  
  
• find out your aging style and learn how that can help or hinder you in this next phase of your life
  
  
• discover how your retirement doesn't have to be a gradual decline into old age, infirmity and dependency but how, instead, it can be a time of renewal, growth, exploration and purpose
  
  
• draw up your ‘bucket list’ of things you still want to be, do and have in life and learn how to break your bucket list goals down into baby steps you can take daily action on
  
  
• become aware of any limiting beliefs you hold about retirement and the aging process and learn how you can overcome them
  
  

And don’t worry – you won’t be just sitting and listening all the time.  Our courses are very interactive, with lots of discussion, activities, quizzes and opportunities to ask questions.  However, nobody will be embarrassed or asked to do anything that they feel uncomfortable with.

In addition, I'm not interested in filling the room to make more money  - we never accept more than 10 people onto a course to allow for plenty of conversation and interaction within the group.

Course fees are £397 per individual and £697 per couple.

You'll receive your own copy of my 224 page 'Get the Retirement You Deserve' study pack and lunch and mid-morning/mid-afternoon refreshments are included.  

The cost of overnight accommodation IS NOT included in the course fee.

 

  2019 Course Dates

(Click on the Eventbrite link to book, safely and securely)

Course Dates	Location
26/27 June SOLD OUT!	Central Manchester
More course dates coming soon!  Please call back.

 

 The cost of overnight accommodation IS NOT included in the course fee.

Why should I choose a Contemporary Retirement course or coaching package?

Good question!  

Well... first of all, I’m passionate about helping people like you to get the happiest,
healthiest, most vital, most productive, most energetic, most prosperous and most fulfilling retirement you could possibly have, whilst, at the same time, helping you to balance having the kind of retirement you want and deserve to have, with planning to meet your future needs.

Secondly, unlike other companies who offer the standard, pre-retirement, financial/estate planning fare, I prefer to adopt a much more holistic approach to retirement.  My courses, which combine proven life coaching and self development principles and practices with current thinking in retirement life-stage planning, help you to excavate your dreams, desires and wishes for this next stage of your life and then use them to design your ideal retirement.

Thirdly, my certification as a Retirement Options™ trained retirement coach and Too Young To Retire™ facilitator, combined with my life coach training from CoachU and the Graduate School of Coaching, and the fact that, for over 20 years, I have worked with individuals and groups as a Life Coach, Manager, Lecturer and Trainer have helped me develop a fun, compassionate, practical, down-to-earth coaching and teaching style.  (And the fact that I took my first retirement at the ripe old age of 43 means that I know what I’m talking about when discussing both the expected and unforeseen challenges which you may encounter once you retire.)

In addition, at various stages of my life I have either been or still am:

• married
  
• divorced
• a long-term singleton
• a co-habitee
• a step-parent, complete with KIPPERS (Kids In Parent’s Pocket Eroding Retirement Savings
• an employee
• a manager
• a small-business owner and
• a landlord

- which all means that I have a wide range of life experience, which, in turn, makes me aware of and sensitive to the many and varied needs of my clients and course attendees.

Finally, I'll provide you with free, ongoing access to my 'Retirement for Beginners Club' - which means that you can continue to receive retirement support during those first few months of your retirement when everything feels strange  and new...

How much does it cost, again?

Course fees for all courses are £397 per individual and £697 per couple.  Lunch and mid-morning/mid-afternoon refreshments are included.  The cost of overnight accommodation IS NOT included in the course fee.  You will be provided with a file full of materials and you don't even need to bring a pen or paper - they're supplied for you.  
 
How do I book my course?

Just choose your preferred course date and click on the Eventbrite booking link - which allows you to make a secure and safe booking.  Once I receive notification of your booking, I'll be in touch to give you all the details you need to join your course.