WEALTHTRACK Must-Do 2026 Financial List with Morningstar’s Christine Benz
Jan 30, 2026
Christine Benz, Morningstar director of personal finance and retirement planning, offers her 2026 must-do financial checklist. She covers de-risking for new retirees and a bucket withdrawal strategy. She recommends rebalancing, adding non-U.S. exposure and small-cap value, diversifying fixed income, auditing fees, and steps to prevent fraud and find fee-only planners.
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Bucket Strategy Protects Against Early Drawdown Risk
- Use a bucket approach dividing cash for 1–2 years, bonds for years 3–10, and equities for the distant horizon.
- This lets you spend from safe buckets and avoid selling equities during market troughs.
Tilt Toward Non-U.S. Stocks
- Rebalance equity allocations and increase non-U.S. exposure because non-U.S. stocks remain cheap and reduce U.S. concentration.
- Aim for global market-cap weights: roughly two-thirds U.S. and one-third non-U.S. within equities.
Make Government Bonds Your Ballast
- Favor high-quality fixed income, especially government bonds, as your portfolio ballast during equity shocks.
- Treat lower-quality corporates as supporting players since they correlate more with equities.
