Leadership transitions often bring uncertainty, but with the right mindset, they can create opportunity and growth.

How do you step into bigger roles with confidence? How do mentorship, values, and community shape the journey of a leader?

In this episode of The Planning Perspectives Podcast, hosts Jamie Hopkins and Kate Duffy welcome Rodger Levenson, Chairman, President, and CEO of WSFS Financial Corporation. Rodger shares his career journey, the importance of mentorship, the challenges of saying no, and why community connection is central to WSFS’s culture.

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About Our Guest: 

Rodger Levenson is Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of WSFS Financial Corporation and its primary subsidiary, WSFS Bank.

Rodger has been a member of the WSFS Executive Management team since joining the Company in 2006. He has held several leadership roles at WSFS, including Executive Vice President (EVP) and Chief Operating Officer from July 2017 to December 2018, EVP and Chief Corporate Development Officer from June 2016 to July 2017, interim EVP and Chief Financial Officer from April 2015 to June 2016, and EVP and Chief Commercial Banking Officer from November 2006 to April 2015.

He began his banking career in 1986 in Philadelphia at CoreStates Financial (now part of Wells Fargo), where he led several business units over 17 years.

An active member of the Greater Philadelphia and Delaware communities, Rodger lends his experience and expertise to several local not-for-profits while continuing to champion economic growth throughout the region. His community and civic service includes memberships on the U.S. Federal Reserve Board’s Federal Advisory Council (FAC), Delaware Prosperity Partnership Board of Directors, as well as the Board of Directors, Executive Committee, and CEO Council for Growth of The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia. He also serves as a member of the Delaware Business Roundtable, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Corporate Council, and on the Executive Committee of the Satell Institute for Corporate Social Responsibility. Rodger previously served as Chairman of the Delaware Bankers Association as well as the United Way of Delaware Board of Directors.

In 2021, Rodger was the recipient of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey’s Community Leadership Award. In 2022, Rodger was named Drexel University Business Leader of the Year.

A native of Broomall, Pa., Rodger earned a Master of Business Administration from Drexel University and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Temple University. He reinforced his leadership experiences with certifications from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, the Center for Creative Leadership, and Harvard Business School.

In this episode, Jamie Hopkins and Kate Duffy sit down with Chris Buccini, Co-founder of the Buccini Pollin Group (BPG), to explore how a local dream grew into a $6 billion enterprise. 

Chris shares lessons from three decades in real estate, the power of teamwork, and how hospitality drives business success. His story blends family, community, and bold decisions that have helped shape the city of Wilmington, Delaware and beyond.

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Chris Buccini is Founder of Buccini Pollin Group, Inc. (“BPG”), a privately-held, real estate investment, development, and management company.  BPG develops and acquires hotel, office, residential, retail, and parking properties, and sports and entertainment venues throughout the United States. Chris leads the firm’s investment management platform, Corten Capital, and its commercial management affiliate, BPG Real Estate Services, LLC, and is a director of PM Hotel Group, Inc., a hotel management company with over 3,500 rooms under management. In addition, Chris is co-founder and co-owner of Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union.

Chris is the Chairman of the YPO Intercontinental Chapter, a member of the Board of Trustees of Wilmington Friends School, a member of the University of Delaware President’s Leadership Council, the Delaware Business Roundtable, and Hagley Museum and Library Council of Advisors.

Retirement isn’t just about money; it’s about how you spend your time, maintain relationships, and create a meaningful life.

In this episode, Jamie Hopkins and Kate Duffy welcome Christine Benz, Morningstar’s Director of Personal Finance, to explore how retirement planning is shifting from purely financial to a more holistic approach.

Christine shares insights from her book How to Retire, highlighting why delaying retirement can be powerful, why relationships matter most, and how small lifestyle choices shape longevity.

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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. 

Benz is the author of How to Retire: 20 Lessons for a Happy, Successful, and Wealthy Retirement (Harriman House, September 2024). She also wrote 30-Minute Money Solutions: A Step-by-Step Guide to Managing Your Finances (Wiley, 2010) and Morningstar® Guide to Mutual Funds: 5-Star Strategies for Success, published in 2005. 

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. 

Before assuming her current role in 2008, she served as Morningstar’s director of mutual fund analysis and was editor of Morningstar Mutual Funds and Morningstar FundInvestor.

Benz holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and Russian from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is president of the board for the John C. Bogle Center for Financial Literacy. Benz is also a member of The Alpha Group, a group of thought leaders from the wealth management industry from across the country. In her free time, she works with underprivileged women to improve their understanding of personal finance concepts.

Hosts Jamie Hopkins and Kate Duffy share their journeys, first money memories, and the life lessons behind financial planning.

From gravel shovels to fog machines, ballroom dancing to estate planning, they reveal how personal experiences shape the way we view money and life choices. Their candid reflections highlight the emotional and behavioral aspects of financial planning, underscoring why conversations about money are always deeply personal.

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Welcome to The Planning Perspectives Podcast with Jamie Hopkins and Kate Duffy from Bryn Mawr Trust, a WSFS company. In this podcast, we bring you real, relatable conversations on being strategic with your money, thriving as a business leader, and powering through life’s transitions—all through the lens of intentional planning. With over a century of experience and insights from industry-leading guests, we go beyond day-to-day finances to explore the decisions that shape your life’s direction. Because when it comes to planning for the future, you don’t know what you don’t know—and that’s where we come in.