Christine Benz — Rethinking Retirement: How to Plan for Wealth, Health, and Purpose

Feb 5, 2025

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Christine Benz is director of personal finance and retirement planning for Morningstar and senior columnist for Morningstar.com. In that role, she focuses on retirement and portfolio planning for individual investors. She also co-hosts a podcast for Morningstar, The Long View, which features in-depth interviews with thought leaders in investing and personal finance. She is a frequent public speaker and is widely quoted in the media, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, CNBC, and PBS. In 2020, Barron’s named her to its inaugural list of the 100 most influential women in finance; she appeared on the 2021 list as well. In 2021, Barron’s named her as one of the 10 most influential women in wealth management.

In this episode, I talk with Christine about some key lessons from her book, How to Retire: 20 Lessons for a Happy, Successful, and Wealthy Retirement. We cover everything from smart withdrawal strategies to healthcare planning and the deeper question of purpose in retirement. Christine shares expert insights on balancing financial security with personal fulfillment, helping you prepare for a meaningful life post-career. Whether you’re planning ahead or already retired, this conversation offers valuable guidance for making the most of your next chapter.

In this episode:

(00:00) - Intro
(01:21) - Meet Christine Benz
(02:53) - Christine's experiences with money and entrepreneurship growing up
(05:06) - Christine's career journey
(10:22) - Writing a book on retirement
(15:24) - Finding your retirement style
(22:10) - Health and retirement
(25:59) - The importance of relationships in retirement
(29:16) - Finding purpose in retirement
(32:55) - The Role of financial advisors in retirement planning
(35:20) - Best advice for a successful retirement
(36:44) - One habit to stop for a happier retirement
(37:42) - Personal reflections and key takeaways

Get full show notes and links at https://mindful.money.

Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MindfulMoney.