How Well Did the Bucket Portfolios Perform in 2021?
Strong equity gains provide bucketers with an ample source of cash flow for the years ahead.
Christine Benz
Christine Benz is Morningstar's director of personal finance and author of 30-Minute Money Solutions: A Step-by-Step Guide to Managing Your Finances and the Morningstar Guide to Mutual Funds: 5-Star Strategies for Success. Follow Christine on Twitter: @christine_benz.
Featured
Latest
Your 2022 Tax Fact Sheet and Calendar
Bookmark this guide to stay abreast of the tax-related dates and data that should be on your radar this year.
Your Financial To-Do List for January 2022
Start the new year off right by tackling some important financial tasks.
Best of the Long View: Financial Planning and Retirement
From financial-life planning to the latest retirement research, these are some of the most memorable moments from our podcast in 2020.
The Best Inflation-Fighting Investments for Retirees
In-retirement portfolios should include a blend of inflation hedges and inflation beaters.
Your 2022 Financial To-Do List
As the new year dawns, here's your plan to get financially fit, one job at a time.
Best of The Long View: Investing
Some of the top moments in our conversations with investment managers, writers, and thinkers.
Morningstar's Top Fund Picks for Taxable Portfolios
Traditional mutual funds and ETFs for tax-efficient exposure to domestic and international stocks as well as bonds.
Christine Benz and John Rekenthaler: How Much Can You Safely Spend in Retirement?
Christine, John, and Jeff Ptak discuss their recent research on safe withdrawal rates, which found retirees will have to dial back spending in the years ahead.
3 Tricky Decisions for Every Retirement Plan
Not even experts agree about the 'right' withdrawal rate, long-term-care insurance, and annuities.
A Year-End Bucket To-Do List
These seven steps tackle a lot of jobs: refilling cash, rebalancing, tax planning, and charitable giving.
Bill Bengen: Revisiting Safe Withdrawal Rates
The creator of the 4% guideline discusses the implications of higher inflation and elevated equity valuations for new retirees.
Retiree Pitfalls to Avoid in a Lofty Market
Here are some tips for navigating withdrawal rates, risk capacity, and charitable giving.
Does the 4% Guideline Rest on a Flawed Assumption?
In-retirement spending is often incredibly variable rather than static.
A Year-End Portfolio Review in 7 Easy Steps
Check up on your portfolio's health--and that of your whole plan--as the year winds down.
Dan Egan: Noisy Successes and Silent Failures
The behavioral finance expert discusses the current investing landscape, his thoughts on what works in financial education, and the benefits of having dedicated accounts.
Portfolio Lessons From 2021
Key takeaways about inflation, asset allocation, and more.
Contemplating Retirement Income? Start Here
Nonportfolio strategies can deliver a big payoff for retirees' plans.
Your Financial To-Do List for December
The end of the year is a great time to review your portfolio.
A Checklist for Volatile Markets: Retirement Saver Edition
Running through our six-step checklist can provide peace of mind with your portfolio and plan if volatility persists.
Ramit Sethi: How Can Couples Make Peace Over Money?
The personal finance expert and author on how early money experiences shape people's lives and relationships.
3 Great Charitable-Giving Strategies for Retirees in 2021
Tax-friendly ideas for small, medium, and supersize givers.
Should Your Retirement Portfolio Withdrawals Vary With the Market?
We delve into the trade-offs associated with flexible withdrawal systems versus those that deliver steady cash flows.
Giving in 2021
Whether you can give a little, or a lot, to charity, you can maximize both your donation and your tax write-off.
Phil Huber: Finding an Edge in Alternative Investments
The blogger and CIO of Savant Wealth Management discusses his new book on alternative investments amid a sobering outlook for the traditional 60% stock/40% bond portfolio.
Is 3.3% the New 4.0%?
Recent Morningstar research shows that the 4% standard for in-retirement withdrawals may be a bit too aggressive.
These Charitable Investment Strategies Deliver a 'Three-fer'
These three maneuvers will tend to deliver a higher tax benefit than writing a check and deducting it, and may even improve your portfolio.
Which Charities Deserve Your Dollars?
Charitable giving offers valuable tax breaks, but it's also worth checking up on a charity's effectiveness.
Robin Wigglesworth: The Rise of Index Investing and the 'Renegades' Who Ushered It In
The Financial Times’ correspondent discusses his new book on the history of index funds and the remarkable people who brought indexing into the mainstream.
5 Tips for Getting the Most Out of a Health Savings Account
Maximize the benefits of these accounts.
5 Lessons From Portfolio Makeover Week
Here are some key takeaways from this year's series of portfolio checkups.
Retirees Seek Direction on a 'Mishmash'
A self-taught individual investor reaches out for a second set of eyes on a portfolio that she fears has become unwieldy.
What's a Safe Retirement Spending Rate for the Decades Ahead?
Simple tweaks can have an appreciable impact on your withdrawal rate.
New(ish) Investor Tries to Beat Back 'Fear of Missing Out'
A 20-something investor finds it hard to focus given her multiple competing goals.
Charles Rotblut: 'It's the Dot-Com Bubble All Over Again'
The author and AAII Journal editor discusses the concept of 'dumb money' and how small investors can gain an edge.
How Should Retirees Invest a Lump Sum in a Lofty Market?
A windfall will save their retirement, but elevated stock and bond prices give this couple pause.
These Pre-Retirees Look Forward to the Next Chapter
But they worry that their sizable portfolio is more complicated than it needs to be.
Tips for RMD Season
First-Time Parents Balance College, Retirement Savings
With a lot in flux in their lives, how much cash is too much?
Bob Seawright: 'There Is No Such Thing as a Passive Investor'
The blogger and chief investment officer for Madison Avenue Securities discusses the importance of purpose and humility in financial decision-making.
Your November Financial To-Do List
While you're thinking about open enrollment, take some time to review your insurance coverage and tax situation.
Key Steps to Take Before Retirement
Fritz Gilbert, a successful early retiree, shares how he set an in-retirement budget and withdrawal rate.
How to Conduct Your Own Portfolio Makeover
Follow these eight steps to an improved, streamlined, and more tax-efficient portfolio.
The Good News About Retirement Income
A lower starting withdrawal rate doesn't guarantee you'll have to live on less.
Fritz Gilbert: Early Retirement Made Simple
The author and blogger shares tips for finding balance, purpose, and friendship in retirement.
Financial and Tax Planning To-Do's Before Year-End
Tips for both pre-retirees and retirees.
What Risks Remain in the Financial System?
Author Zachary Karabell on risk-taking in the financial-services sector and the folly of trying to predict the next crisis.
Should Spouses Obtain Separate Healthcare Insurance?
With more employers levying spousal surcharges, obtaining coverage on a single plan isn't necessarily the most cost-effective for dual-earning couples.
Zachary Karabell: Brown Brothers Harriman Is the Story of American Capitalism
Author Zachary Karabell discusses the firm's evolution and what made it different from many of its Wall Street counterparts.
Are Supply Chain Woes Abating?
Dhananjay Phadnis, a Fidelity portfolio manager who focuses on Asian equities, discusses what he's seeing on the ground.