The Preferment course

The Preferment book and guided homework

Last updated: November 2026

The Preferment book by Anne van Leynseele is both the course text and the workbook, with homework exercises built in to complete between the weekly sessions.

The book is included in the Preferment course from Rarified Life. Each weekly live session works through it chapter by chapter, and the exercises inside turn what you read into decisions about your own life.

Front and back covers of Preferment by Anne van Leynseele, with the back cover asking What are you doing post-career? — The back cover asks the question the whole course answers: what are you doing post-career?

What is the Preferment book about?

Stories, research, and practical lessons

The back cover describes Preferment as stories, research, and practical lessons defining a modern post-career life platform. It teaches the difference between filling hours and fulfilling hours. It notes that throughout history most people worked until death, that in 1935 the United States adopted the Social Security Act setting 65 as the standard retirement age, and that people can now be active and healthy for longer. Preferment, it argues, answers the dilemma millions now face.

From the author

Anne van Leynseele calls the book the capstone of her experience beyond a near-death epiphany: surmounting life obstacles with optimism and refusing to accept the status quo. It chronicles her leap of faith in buying her first house in a place she had never lived and committing to something she had never done. Its invitation to readers: do not settle for a typical retirement, and make your last years the most expansive and fulfilling part of your story.

How does the guided homework work?

The homework is built into the book and done between sessions, and Rarified Life describes it as real exercises, not busywork.

Its job is to turn reading into a plan. A chapter on Identity is followed by exercises that help you describe yourself without your former title. A chapter on Alignment asks you to compare your values and strengths with how your days are actually spent. You then bring that work into the next live session, which is why the course listing says each week builds on the last. By the Launch module, the homework has produced the raw material for naming your mission for the next chapter.

See how this fits into each week on the weekly sessions page.

Other guides by Anne van Leynseele

Rarified Life also shows these guides by Anne. They are separate from the course; the Rarified Life shop lists books as coming soon, so check rarifiedlife.com for availability.

Cover of Your Vibrant Years by Anne Van Leynseele, showing a smiling woman holding a blue surfboard on a beach — Your Vibrant Years: A simple wellness blueprint for healthy, active living after 60.

Cover of Brain Boost Blueprint by Anne Van Leynseele, showing two older women driving go-karts side by side — Brain Boost Blueprint: Stay sharp, engaged, and energized after retirement.

Cover of the Preferment Living Legacy Project Planner by Anne Van Leynseele, showing a person with arms raised beneath hot air balloons — Preferment Living Legacy Project Planner: A framework for lifetime achievers to design, create, and share their enduring impact.

Back to the full guide to the Preferment retirement life course

Common questions

Is the book included or sold separately?: The book is included with the course, and the course listing calls it your companion text and workbook. The Rarified Life site currently lists books as coming soon in its shop, so enrolling in the course is the confirmed way to work with the Preferment book today.
What is the homework like?: The homework is built into the book. Rarified Life describes it as real exercises, not busywork, done between sessions. Its purpose is to turn reading into a plan, so by the end of eight weeks you have worked material about your identity, motivation, values, routines, and mission for the next chapter.
Is the Preferment framework research-informed?: Rarified Life describes Preferment as a research-informed framework. The back cover of the book describes it as stories, research, and practical lessons defining a modern post-career life platform. The specific studies behind it are not listed on the course listing, so review the book itself if you want to see its sources.
What is included in the course price?: The course listing names four things: eight weekly live sessions with Anne van Leynseele, the Preferment book as your companion text and workbook, the homework built into the book, and a structured path in which each week builds on the last. No other inclusions are described on the listing.
What do I have at the end of the 8 weeks?: The final module, Launch, focuses on naming your mission for the next chapter and stepping into it. Together with the Accountability module, which builds structure that turns intention into a lived routine, the aim is a daily life shaped by your own values and strengths rather than a list of good intentions.

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