Christine Benz

Christine is Morningstar's Director of Personal Finance, a position she has held since early 2008. In that capacity, she writes and edits a monthly newsletter, Practical Finance, which advises do-it-yourself investors on every aspect of the financial-planning process. She also writes a weekly column, "Improving Your Finances," on Morningstar.com, and was the creator of Morningstar's "The Short Answer" column, which is geared toward investors just starting out. She is widely quoted in the media, including the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and MarketWatch, and has been a frequent guest on CNBC, PBS' Nightly Business Report, and Fox Business News. Since joining Morningstar in 1993, Christine has been a central part of Morningstar's effort to deliver quality financial investment information to Morningstar's 6 million-plus clients. As an analyst and editor, she has served as Morningstar's director of mutual fund analysis. Prior to assuming that position, she was editor of Morningstar Mutual Funds and Morningstar FundInvestor. Christine co-authored the company's first book, "The Morningstar® Guide to Mutual Funds: 5-Star Strategies for Success," a national bestseller published by John Wiley & Sons in 2003, and was the lead author of the book's second edition, which was published in 2005. Christine's newest book, "Morningstar's 30-Minute Money Solutions," which provides readers with the necessary guidance in tackling money challenges and building a comprehensive financial plan in easy-to-manage increments, is set to be released by John Wiley & Sons in January 2010. Christine holds a bachelor's degree in political science and Russian/East European studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband, Greg. She is an avid cook, a political junkie, and a long-suffering Chicago Cubs fan.