In this episode, The Annuity Man and Christine Benz discuss: 

• Why Christine is so passionate about financial education and retirement portfolio planning. 

• Why decumulation is not bad (and when it is a good thing). 

• Retirement blindspots to be aware of. 

• Staying mindful of additional, variable costs in your spending plan.

• Bucket approach investing and portfolios. 

Key Takeaways: 

• Your portfolio doesn't know whether your withdrawals are coming from income or from selling appreciated securities, what matters is that you are not taking out too much. 

• People tend to overestimate our ability and desire to continue working and, often, retire earlier than they originally expected to. 

• There is power in diversification in your income portfolios. 

• The products under the annuity umbrella are incredibly varied. The type of annuity that is best for you depends on what your needs are. 

"If you're looking for something that will zig when your stocks zag, you probably want to ensure that your portfolio includes that cash and treasury bonds." —  Christine Benz

Connect with Christine Benz:

Website: https://www.morningstar.com/ 

Podcast: https://www.morningstar.com/podcasts/the-long-view  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-benz-b83b523/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/christine_benz 

Book: Morningstar’s 30 Minute Money Solutions: https://www.amazon.com/Morningstars-30-Minute-Money-Solutions-Step/dp/0470918136

Book: Morningstar Guide to Mutual Funds

https://www.amazon.com/Morningstar-Guide-Mutual-Funds-Strategies/dp/0470137533 

Christine’s Article Archive: http://www.morningstar.com/articles/author/30-christine-benz.aspx 

Reference: 

Open Social Security: http://opensocialsecurity.com/ 

Connect with The Annuity Man: 

Website: http://theannuityman.com/ 

Email: Stan@TheAnnuityMan.com 

Book: Owner’s Manuals: https://www.stantheannuityman.com/how-do-annuities-work

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCXKKxvVslbeGAlEc5sra2g 

Get a Quote Today: https://www.stantheannuityman.com/annuity-calculator!