‘Retirement is not a math problem,’ says one of retirement’s top math experts

If you want to debate whether one investment yielding 4.5% is better than a less risky investment yielding 4.2%, you can usually count on an answer from Christine Benz, who writes a regular column as director of personal finance and retirement planning for Morningstar.

But if you are expecting that approach from Benz’s new book, “ How to Retire: 20 Lessons for a Happy, Successful and Wealthy Retirement ,” you’re in for a shock. The book is a departure from the nitty-gritty of investing strategy and toward the emotional side of retirement. In the book, Benz has 20 podcast-like conversations with an array of other retirement experts like Mary Beth Franklin on Social Security, Ramit Sethi on optimizing happiness and Jean Chatzky on what women need to do differently.