The Preferment courseLast updated:
The Preferment course for a purposeful life after 50
The Preferment course is an 8-week live program from Rarified Life that helps high achievers turn retirement into an active, purpose-driven next chapter. Led by founder Anne van Leynseele, it works through her book Preferment across six modules, from Identity to Launch, so you finish with a named mission and a routine that supports it.
Explore the Preferment platform- Introduction
- Identity
- Motivation
- Alignment
- Accountability
- Launch
Eight weekly live sessions, one book, homework between each session.
What is the Preferment course?
Preferment is a structured, live course for driven people who are done treating retirement as an ending. It suits people planning life after 50 whose identity has been tied to their work, whether their last day is next month or years away. You do not need a five-year plan to begin.
The Preferment course at a glance
Preferment, defined
In Rarified Life's usage, Preferment is the alternative to retirement: a deliberate redesign of the years after a career around your identity, motivation, values, and mission. The Preferment course is the 8-week live program that teaches it. The Preferment platform is the wider home for the course, with books and 1:1 coaching listed as coming soon.
Rarified Life describes the framework as research-backed, with an emphasis on aligning future plans with personal values, meaningful pursuits, and continuous learning.
Preferment course by the numbers
- weeks from first session to launch
- 8
- weekly live sessions with Anne van Leynseele
- 8
- modules, from Introduction to Launch
- 6
- book included as your text and workbook
- 1
Listed investment: $3,000, as of November 2026. The shop listing for the same course shows $6000.00, so confirm the current figure on the course page at rarifiedlife.com. See Preferment pricing.
How the Preferment course works, step by step
- Step 1
Read the chapter
Each week centers on a chapter of the Preferment book, your companion text for the course.
- Step 2
Meet live with Anne
One live session per week works through that chapter together, eight sessions in total.
- Step 3
Do the built-in homework
Real exercises in the book turn reading into decisions about your own next chapter.
- Step 4
Build week on week
Identity leads to motivation, motivation to alignment, alignment to accountability.
- Step 5
Launch your mission
The final module has you name your mission for this chapter and step into it.
The six Preferment course modules
Introduction
Where you are right now, and why the old model of retirement was never built for someone like you.
Identity
Separating who you are from what you did for a living.
Motivation
Finding what actually moves you, now that a paycheck is not the reason.
Alignment
Matching your values and strengths to how you will actually spend your days.
Accountability
Building the structure that turns intention into a lived routine.
Launch
Naming your mission for this next chapter, and stepping into it.
Inside the Preferment platform
Today the Preferment platform centers on the 8-week live course. Rarified Life also lists books and 1:1 coaching on the platform as coming soon, and runs a free presentation for accomplished women in their 50s and 60s who are nearing or in retirement. The platform exists for one job: helping people who built demanding careers design what comes next with the same seriousness they brought to their work.
The approach is deliberately different from a financial checklist. Instead of starting with accounts, it starts with identity: who you are when the job title is gone. From there it moves to motivation, alignment, accountability, and a named mission. Read the full guide to the Preferment platform.
How does the Preferment course compare with a coach or planner?
| Criterion | Preferment course (Rarified Life) | 1:1 retirement coaching | Financial planning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main focus | Identity, motivation, values, daily routine, and a named mission | Personal goals you set with your coach | Income, savings, investments, and taxes |
| Format | Eight weekly live sessions with Anne van Leynseele | Individual sessions with one coach | Meetings with a planner |
| Length | 8 weeks | Varies by provider | Varies by provider; often ongoing |
| Materials | The Preferment book, with homework built in | Varies by provider | Financial plan documents; varies by provider |
| Structure | Six set modules, each building on the last | Tailored to the individual | Built around your finances |
| Published price | $3,000 listed investment; shop listing shows $6000.00 | Varies by provider | Varies by provider |
| Offered by Rarified Life | Yes, available now | 1:1 coaching listed as coming soon | No |
Who leads the Preferment course?
Anne van Leynseele created Preferment and leads every live session. She is not teaching a theory: she has lived four reinventions and wrote the book the course is built on.
- Built and sold a production company in Los Angeles film and television
- Advised Fortune 100 companies on digital strategy across three continents
- Served as an Attorney Advisor in the Obama Administration
- Helped write the legal framework for recreational cannabis in Washington State
- Co-owns an award-winning chocolate farm on the Big Island of Hawaii
- Wrote the book Preferment, which the course is built on
“I spent a few years wandering around like a goldfish in a bowl. Preferment changed all that! I thought work defined me, but I discovered I am so much more. I learned to ‘be’ rather than just ‘do’ on autopilot.”
A Preferment participant, as quoted on rarifiedlife.com
Common questions about Preferment
What is the Preferment course?
Preferment is Anne van Leynseele’s live, 8-week course for driven people who want to treat retirement as a beginning rather than an ending. Offered by Rarified Life, it works through her book Preferment chapter by chapter, with eight weekly live sessions, homework built into the book, and six modules that run from Identity to Launch.
How much does the Preferment course cost?
The course description on rarifiedlife.com lists the investment as $3,000 for eight weekly live sessions with Anne, the book, and the guided homework, as of November 2026. The same product listing displays a shop price of $6000.00, so confirm the current price on the course page at rarifiedlife.com before you enroll.
How long is the Preferment course?
The Preferment course runs for 8 weeks, with one live session each week for a total of eight sessions. Rarified Life’s free presentation frames the same timeline, promising a real answer to “So, what do you do?” in just 8 weeks, even if your last day at work is still years away.
Who is the Preferment course for?
Preferment is for driven people, particularly high achievers planning life after 50, who are done treating retirement like an ending. It fits people whose identity has been closely tied to their careers and who want a structured way to design an active, purpose-driven next chapter around their values.
Can I take Preferment while I am still working?
Yes. Rarified Life’s materials say you can start even if your last day at work is still years away, without slowing down and without waiting for retirement day. Starting early gives you time to separate your identity from your job title before the transition arrives, instead of scrambling afterward.
How is Preferment different from hiring a retirement coach?
A retirement coach typically works with you one to one on a schedule you agree together. Preferment is a fixed 8-week live course with a book, homework, and six set modules. Choose a coach for fully individual attention, or Preferment for a structured path. Rarified Life lists its own 1:1 coaching as coming soon.
Keep exploring the Preferment platform
- The Preferment platformWhat the platform includes today and what is listed as coming soon.
- The six modulesIntroduction through Launch, and what each week of the course covers.
- Price and inclusionsThe listed investment, what it covers, and what to confirm first.
- Purpose after 50 and 60How the course approaches identity, direction, and life after 50.
- Course vs coach vs plannerA fair side-by-side on the same criteria, and who should choose what.