About
MaxiFi Planner is an advanced personal financial and retirement planning software developed by world-renowned economist Laurence Kotlikoff. While most financial planning tools ask users to guess at future income and spending targets, MaxiFi uses proprietary economics-based algorithms to calculate the highest sustainable living standard a household can achieve — then builds a complete roadmap to maintain and grow it over a lifetime. The platform covers all major pillars of personal finance in one place: optimizing Social Security claiming strategies, reducing tax burdens via a Roth Conversion Optimizer, tailoring life insurance recommendations through contingency planning, and quantifying living standard risk with Monte Carlo simulations. Users can model financial decisions — such as early retirement, a home purchase, or a career change — and immediately see the projected impact on their long-term spending power. MaxiFi serves households, independent financial advisors, and employers. It offers tiered service levels ranging from self-directed planning to expert-guided packages including Flight Check reviews, Co-Pilot sessions with certified financial planners, and full Concierge support. The structured 5-step planning process delivers a complete lifetime roadmap covering income, spending, savings, and insurance. MaxiFi is ideal for anyone who wants a rigorous, data-driven alternative to generic retirement calculators or costly advisor-driven plans.
Key Features
- Lifetime Spending Plan: Calculates exactly how much you can afford to spend each year for the rest of your life, eliminating guesswork from retirement planning.
- Roth Conversion Optimizer: Identifies optimal Roth conversion strategies to minimize lifetime tax burden and maximize after-tax wealth.
- Living Standard Monte Carlo: Runs probabilistic simulations to quantify and manage risk to your living standard under varying market and economic conditions.
- Life Insurance Contingency Planning: Generates personalized life insurance recommendations to protect your household's living standard against unexpected loss of income.
- Social Security Optimization: Models different Social Security claiming scenarios to help you identify the strategy that maximizes lifetime benefits.
Use Cases
- Retirement planning for households who want a rigorous, data-driven picture of how much they can safely spend each year in retirement.
- Social Security optimization for individuals or couples deciding when and how to claim benefits to maximize lifetime income.
- Tax strategy planning using the Roth Conversion Optimizer to reduce lifetime tax liability across working and retirement years.
- Life insurance needs analysis to ensure the right level of coverage protects a household's living standard if a breadwinner passes away.
- Financial decision modeling before major life events such as changing careers, buying a home, or retiring early — to see the long-term impact before committing.
Pros
- Economics-Based Rigor: Built on algorithms developed by a Nobel Prize-winning economist, giving users a level of analytical accuracy far beyond standard retirement calculators.
- All-in-One Financial Roadmap: Covers spending, saving, investing, taxes, insurance, and Social Security in a single integrated platform.
- Decision Modeling: Lets users test major financial decisions and instantly see their projected impact on long-term living standards before committing.
- Flexible Service Tiers: Supports self-directed users and those who want expert guidance through tiered support options including certified financial planners.
Cons
- Steep Learning Curve: The economics-based methodology and detailed inputs required may feel complex for users unfamiliar with financial planning concepts.
- Expert Support Costs Extra: Access to certified financial planners and concierge services requires additional paid upgrades beyond the base plan.
- US-Focused: The platform is built around US tax law, Social Security rules, and retirement accounts, limiting usefulness for international users.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes MaxiFi different from other financial planning tools?
MaxiFi is built on economics-based algorithms developed by Laurence Kotlikoff, a world-renowned economist. Instead of asking users to guess at retirement spending targets, it calculates the highest sustainable living standard you can achieve and builds a lifetime plan around that figure — something no conventional planning tool does.
Who is MaxiFi designed for?
MaxiFi is designed for households who want to take control of their financial future, financial advisors seeking rigorous planning tools for clients, and employers looking to provide financial planning benefits. It suits anyone who wants a data-driven alternative to generic retirement calculators.
What is economics-based planning?
Economics-based planning applies principles from lifetime utility economics — the same framework behind Nobel Prize-winning research — to personal finance. It models your entire financial life holistically, optimizing spending and saving decisions across all years rather than targeting an arbitrary retirement savings number.
Does MaxiFi replace a financial advisor?
MaxiFi can function as a standalone self-directed tool, but it also offers service tiers (Flight Check, Co-Pilot, Concierge) that pair you with MaxiFi-certified financial planners for expert guidance. It can complement or reduce reliance on traditional advisors depending on your needs.
What service plans does MaxiFi offer?
MaxiFi offers several tiers: a self-service software plan, a Flight Check service for one-time expert review, a Co-Pilot option pairing you with a certified financial planner, and a full Concierge service for ongoing personalized support. Pricing details are available on the MaxiFi website.
