MaxiFi

Economics-Based Lifetime Planning

MaxiFi is a self-serve retirement planning software built by economist Laurence Kotlikoff, a Boston University professor and New York Times bestselling author. The web-based platform runs on any device and creates detailed lifetime financial plans from your own numbers. Rather than offering generic rules of thumb or a guessing game about retirement adequacy, MaxiFi calculates the maximum amount you can sustainably spend each year to maintain your living standard through the rest of your life. Unlike robo-advisor platforms or portfolio management services, MaxiFi never holds, trades, or manages your money; it is purely a planning calculator you control yourself. The software is designed for do-it-yourselfers who want to understand their retirement readiness and maintain control over their financial decisions. The underlying approach is grounded in economic theory rather than industry convention; the algorithms are built to optimize your lifetime consumption pattern across changing income, taxes, and investment returns.

Income Projection and Planning Data Entry

MaxiFi operates on a fundamentally different model than bank-syncing budgeting apps. Instead of tracking daily transactions and connecting to your bank accounts, it asks you to input a snapshot of your complete financial picture: your current assets by account type (checking, savings, IRAs, taxable brokerage, real estate), income sources (employment, Social Security, pensions, annuities, rental income, investment returns), and family structure. The planning engine then calculates how much you can safely withdraw each year to maintain your living standard for life, taking into account federal taxes, state taxes, different account types, required minimum distributions at older ages, and Social Security benefit rules. You do not need to sync bank accounts or update transaction history weekly; instead, you periodically update your account balances and let the software recalculate your plan. This is ideal if you already know your income and spending patterns and want to focus on long-term sustainability rather than day-to-day transaction tracking. The software finds safe ways to improve your sustainable discretionary spending by automatically evaluating multiple strategies: it identifies optimal Social Security filing dates, determines the most tax-efficient times to withdraw from different account types, and analyzes whether Roth versus traditional conversions make financial sense given your circumstances. These recommendations can sometimes mean tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional lifetime spending or legacy wealth according to the site.

Scenario Testing and Planning Workflows

MaxiFi structures retirement planning around three specialized planning modules. The Roth Conversion Optimizer analyzes whether converting traditional IRA balances to Roth accounts would improve your after-tax lifetime spending by reducing future tax bills. Life Insurance Contingency Planning recommends coverage amounts based on your specific family situation, income replacement needs, and estate goals. The Living Standard Monte Carlo tool stress-tests your plan by simulating thousands of possible investment return scenarios, showing you the probability that different strategies will sustain your desired spending level through retirement. You can run unlimited what-if scenarios to test how major life decisions impact your plan: retiring early, relocating to a lower-cost state, changing your investment allocation, delaying or accelerating Social Security claiming, or supporting adult children financially. Once you settle on a plan, the Budget Tracker feature lets you create an annual spending budget from it and monitor your actual spending throughout the year; results can be exported to Excel for further analysis. The reporting is detailed and covers annual income, fixed and discretionary spending, taxes, and Social Security benefits.

Pricing, Discounts, and Support Services

The site does not publicly display pricing for the core MaxiFi software on the homepage. However, it advertises a promotional discount: coupon code JULY2026 provides 20 percent off the first year subscription price for new customers purchasing MaxiFi Standard, MaxiFi Premium, or MaxiFi PRO, valid through August 3rd. The three software tiers suggest different feature sets, though specifics are not explained on the homepage. Beyond the software itself, MaxiFi offers tiered paid advisory services for those who want expert guidance layered on top of the self-serve platform. Flight Check is a one-time comprehensive review of your plan by a certified MaxiFi expert who helps get your analysis off the ground. Co-Pilot provides ongoing access to certified financial planners for questions, plan adjustments, and periodic reviews as your circumstances change. Concierge Service offers the most intensive personal support from MaxiFi experts, providing hands-on guidance to help you maximize the software. The site also includes free email support from human experts for software questions, so you have at least one support option without paying extra. Because the homepage does not specify which features come with each software tier, what each advisor service actually includes, their duration, or pricing, you should visit the Pricing page to confirm plan features and costs before subscribing.

Who Benefits and Who Should Look Elsewhere

MaxiFi is built for financially engaged individuals who want to understand the mechanics of their retirement plan and maintain control over key assumptions and decisions. It works well for people with moderately complex finances (multiple income sources, significant assets, questions about tax optimization or insurance needs) who prefer not to hand their money to an advisor. The software excels at showing you the long-term impact of big decisions through Monte Carlo scenarios and sensitivity analysis. However, it requires manual data entry; there is no automatic syncing with your bank or brokerage accounts, so you need to update balances periodically. You also need to be comfortable making educated guesses about inflation, investment returns, and future tax rates to set up a meaningful plan. If you prefer an advisor to make those decisions for you, or if you want real-time transaction tracking and spending categories like a personal finance app, MaxiFi is not the right tool. The software has been leading in economics-based planning for 30 years and explicitly does not sell your data, offer financial products, or manage your assets, using bank-level security that does not require your Social Security number or personal ID. The site includes a disclaimer that the software's suggestions do not constitute financial or investment advice, that the creators are not licensed financial planners or investment advisors registered with the SEC, and that software outputs should be treated as educational inputs into your own financial decision-making rather than authoritative recommendations. This positioning protects both the user and the company but means the responsibility for interpreting and acting on the software's output rests entirely with you. Some users view this as liberating; others prefer to have an advisor make these decisions.