In Part 6 of our How to Retire series, we unpack Christine Benz's popular "bucket strategy" for retirement income planning. Drawing from her book How to Retire, we explore how cash, bonds, and stocks can be organized into purpose-driven "buckets" to help retirees weather market volatility without sacrificing peace of mind.

We break down:

• Why relying solely on portfolio income can be risky
• How the total return approach offers flexibility in sourcing retirement cash flow
• The behavioral benefits of having a dedicated cash bucket
• Structuring a 3-bucket portfolio to match assets with short-, medium-, and long-term income needs
• The role of rebalancing, tax efficiency, and account type allocation (traditional IRA, Roth IRA, taxable)

Whether you're approaching retirement or advising clients, this episode delivers practical, real-world insights for building resilient retirement portfolios that balance growth, income, and emotional security.