Join us for a special episode as we welcome Christine Benz to discuss her new book, "How to Retire." In a captivating conversation at the Rock Retirement Club, we dive into topics like long-term care, the 4% rule, investing strategies, and simplification. Featuring insights from Fritz Gilbert, a member of the club and contributor to Christine's book, this episode offers a holistic view of retirement planning. Discover how to balance financial and non-financial aspects for a fulfilling retirement journey.

INTERVIEW WITH CHRISTINE BENZ

(01:26) Rock Retirement Club welcomes Christine Benz to chat about her new book, How to Retire

(02:40) Roger asks about the goal for the readers of this book.

(04:00) Christine: The goal was to cover retirement in a really holistic way and include as much non-financial as financial information on retirement planning.

(05:09) Roger: I was surprised that you did the book in the interview style, I think it helped make the book more approachable.

(07:24) Roger: Did you have any big insights that were unexpected?

(10:18) Fritz: I give Christine serious kudos for the approach she took and the amount of homework she did.

(11:47) Christine to Fritz: I love your methodical approach to dealing with the years leading up to retirement

(13:19) Marla asks Christine if she would change anything if she was writing this book today to accommodate the 2024 election results and also asks about managing portfolios on Morningstar.

(17:28) Roger: When it comes to portfolio construction, it's easy to overcomplicate things

(20:30) Larry asks Christine what challenges her or confounds her most about her own retirement planning.

(22:53) Larry asks “Are you concerned that we may not find people to provide long term care?”

(30:11) Kevin Lyles asks about asset allocation when you retire

(30:47) Christine: My chapter on asset allocation addresses the bucket approach, which I do find very customizable.

(36:56) Laura asks: When you talk about high quality bond portfolios, do bond funds work?

(41:06) One question I have when we're talking about indexes is about broad diversification. 

(43:42) Roger: Now someone had a comment related to some of the research on small cap value. Do you have any view on that research on having a more diversified small cap value tilt?

(47:19) Eric asks “what is the argument for using tips for retirees?” 

(50:24) Roger asks Fritz if he has been simplifying his portfolio or working more on optimization since retiring in 2018.

(52:50) Roger: The optimization part sometimes dominates the conversation.

(53:38) Roger asks Christine: Have you found, even in your own life, a balance between making sure you don’t get too complicated in investments?

(56:45) Biranna asks after 20 interviews, what question now rests in your mind?

(57:40) Christine: I've been thinking more about whether the concept of retirement is flawed

(58:59) We're going to share a link with members offering a discount to Morningstar.

(59:55) Next week on the show, we're going to chat about with Michael Easter about Gear vs Stuff

BONUS

(01:00:30) Roger reads an excerpt from his grandfather's WWII journal

REFERENCES

Wade Pfau

Morningstar 

The Retirement Manifest- Fritz Gilbert

Daughterhood.org

Christine Benz

Six Shot Saturday

BOOKS

How to Retire: 20 lessons for a happy, successful, and wealthy retirement- Christine Benz

Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End- Atul Gawande

Keys to a Successful Retirement: Staying Happy, Active, and Productive in Your Retired Years- Fritz Gilbert

Rock Retirement: A Simple Guide to Help You Take Control and Be More Optimistic About the Future- Roger Whitney

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