Enough

Honest Comparison · 2026

EnoughMoney vs MaxiFi Planner

MaxiFi Planner (by Laurence Kotlikoff, Boston University economist) is an economics-first retirement planner built around 'consumption smoothing' — computing the sustainable living standard your resources support over your lifetime.

Bottom Line

MaxiFi is the most academically rigorous retirement planner available to consumers — and it's genuinely different from FIRE calculators in philosophy. EnoughMoney takes the FIRE approach and adds international tax plus geo-arbitrage. They're answering different questions.

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

FeatureEnoughMoneyMaxiFi Planner
Retirement Math
Safe Withdrawal Rate Calculator✓YesConsumption-smoothing instead
Monte Carlo simulation✓YesPremium tier only
Historical returns backtest✓Yes✗No
Dynamic / variable withdrawal (Guyton-Klinger, VPW)✓YesConsumption-smoothing
Sequence-of-returns risk modeling✓YesPremium Monte Carlo
Tax Planning
US federal tax engine✓YesBest-in-class
US state tax (all 50 states)✓Yes✓Yes
International tax (86 countries)✓Yes✗No
Roth conversion modeling✓Yes✓Yes
Tax-optimized withdrawal sequencing✓Yes✓Yes
Geographic Intelligence
City cost-of-living comparison✓Yes✗No
Cities covered307US only
Geo-arbitrage FIRE modeling✓Yes✗No
Lifestyle-tier simulator✓Yes✗No
Planning & Experience
Multi-account portfolio tracking✓Yes✓Yes
What-if scenarios✓Yes✓Yes
AI-powered coaching✓Yes✗No
Public calculators (no login)✓Yes✗No
Mobile accessWeb-responsiveWeb-responsive

Based on publicly available feature documentation as of 2026-04-17. Corrections and updates welcome.

Pricing: MaxiFi Planner vs EnoughMoney

MaxiFi Planner

  • MaxiFi Basic: $149 per year
  • MaxiFi Premium: $249 per year — adds Monte Carlo

EnoughMoney

Free: All public calculators (FIRE, SWR, Roth, tax, city comparison) — no signup.

  • Navigator: $19/mo or $15/mo annual ($179/yr)the money dimension — personal CFO: FIRE planning, tax, withdrawal, lifestyle simulator
  • Architect: $29/mo or $23/mo annual ($279/yr)all 10 dimensions of a wealthy life — adds Studio, Thread, life-events planning, emotional resilience

What MaxiFi Planner Does Well

  • ✓Rigorous economic foundation: consumption-smoothing approach (Kotlikoff) is academically respected and produces genuinely different insights than simple SWR math
  • ✓Deep US tax modeling including FICA, Medicare, Social Security, and federal/state interactions
  • ✓Life-insurance optimization and Social Security claiming strategy are best-in-class
  • ✓Used by financial-planning academics and high-end CFPs
  • ✓Handles non-standard situations (special-needs dependents, divorced retirees, survivor benefits) in more detail than most tools

Where EnoughMoney Goes Further

  • →Steep learning curve: the UI is dated, the concepts are academic, and the onboarding is not for casual FIRE users
  • →Expensive: $149/year (Basic) or $249/year (Premium) — one of the priciest consumer tools
  • →US-only: no international tax, no foreign cost-of-living data, no non-US retirement systems
  • →Consumption-smoothing framing can feel counter to FIRE's 'spend less / retire earlier' ethos — the two philosophies produce different recommendations

Which Should You Pick?

Pick MaxiFi Planner if…

Pick MaxiFi if you want rigorous economic consumption-smoothing analysis (not SWR math), your planning problem is primarily US tax and Social Security optimization with complex family situations, and you're comfortable with academic-style software in exchange for analytical depth.

Visit MaxiFi Planner →

Pick EnoughMoney if…

Pick EnoughMoney if you want FIRE-friendly math (25x rule, 4% SWR, Trinity Study), need international tax modeling, or want geographic cost-of-living integration. Consumption smoothing is a legitimate alternative framing; it's just a different worldview than FIRE.

Try our FIRE Calculator →

FAQs

What is consumption smoothing?

Consumption smoothing is an economic approach to retirement planning that computes the sustainable living standard your lifetime resources support, then spreads it evenly across your remaining years. It produces different answers than the 4% rule — often higher early spending and lower late spending.

Is MaxiFi better than FIRE calculators?

Different philosophies. FIRE calculators (including ours) ask 'what portfolio gives you this annual spend?' MaxiFi asks 'what's the maximum spend your lifetime resources support?' Both are mathematically valid. Most FIRE retirees prefer the former.

Is MaxiFi worth $149/year?

For retirees with complex US tax / Social Security / family situations and a desire for deep analysis, yes. For typical FIRE planners, it's overkill — the interface friction exceeds the analytical benefit.

Try EnoughMoney — free, no credit card

Run our FIRE calculator, compare cities, model your tax drag across 86 countries, or explore the lifestyle simulator. All core planning is free; Navigator ($19/mo) unlocks AI coaching and the full personal plan.

Create Free AccountTry calculator first

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This comparison is an independent editorial analysis. EnoughMoney has no affiliate or financial relationship with MaxiFi Planner. Feature descriptions reflect publicly-available documentation as of April 2026 — things change; verify current features before subscribing.