Press and Reviews

Especially helpful for those eyeing retirement and wondering when to claim Social Security benefits, what order to draw from retirement accounts (Roth versus traditional), figuring out how much is safe to spend each year, and the impact of moving to a different state, paying off a mortgage, funding a family’s education and more.

MaxiFi is an extensive paid retirement calculator with many forecasting tools that can make personalized suggestions and extensive forecasts. It can help evaluate your present and future finances.

MaxiFi is "Best for: True DIYers who want a realistic assessment of how much they can spend in retirement."

MaxiFi Planner uses economic principles rather than financial planning rules of thumb to help clients make decisions on Roth conversions, when to claim Social Security, how much life insurance to carry and other questions with big financial ramifications.

Differences in wealth and differences in income are the wrong ways to measure economic inequality, and going by either of them “dramatically overstates” the degree of inequality in the United States, a working paper argues.

For centuries, economists have worked toward solving personal financial problems of households. But how exactly can the concepts of economics be applied to financial planning?

An enormous gulf separates conventional and economics-based financial planning. I am going to briefly lay out the differences.

Would you send the government a big check this year – in return for a potentially far larger future tax break? That's the simple and essential premise of Roth Conversions – paying taxes now on regular IRAs, 401(k)s, and other tax-deferred retirement accounts (except those from your current job) in exchange for tax-free withdrawals of those balances, plus all their growth, down the road.

Retirement calculators can help us plan and prepare to retire. When we are years away, these online tools can help us determine how much we should be saving.

... many researchers say reversing the order - living on retirement savings in the early years and holding off on collecting benefits - is likely to increase monthly income over a lifetime.

'Money Magic' author Laurence Kotlikoff shares his provocative views about retirement, Social Security, mortgages and more

“Advisors are systematically telling clients the wrong thing about retirement planning because they're trying to maximize their profits,” he argues in an interview with ThinkAdvisor.

For most people, Kotlikoff argues, the ideal path for allocation to stocks is high when they're young, low in the years just before and after retirement and then higher again in the last stage of retirement.

This article discussing whether eliminating mortgage debt makes sense.

Economist Laurence Kotlikoff thinks that most financial planners go about it wrong. Rather than helping clients amass wealth for a retirement-income target, the Boston University professor says the emphasis should be on smoothing and protecting spending throughout a person's life and then saving toward that goal.

This article reviews MaxiFi, focusing on its ability to compare an unlimited number of alternative financial plans.

If you demand the deepest and most powerful financial planning engine, look no further.

In his new book, Money Magic: An Economist's Secrets to More Money, Less Risk, and a Better Life, Laurence Kotlikoff says everything financial planners tell you is wrong

MaxiFi Planner is a fee-based Social Security tool developed by economist Laurence Kotlikoff. The software focuses on helping retirees smooth consumption over time. In other words, it creates a plan for retirees that allows them to have a standard of living that stays constant once they're done working.

If you're going to read just one financial book this year, read Money Magic by well-known economist Laurence Kotlikoff, who also co-authored the definitive book on Social Security, “Get What's Yours.” Kotlikoff has the extraordinary ability to make complicated money matters understandable – and to debunk the lures of Wall Street and the financial planning community.

Lots of readers responded to my Jan. 5 newsletter discussing a new book, “Money Magic: An Economist's Secrets to More Money."

More importantly, the Preston case study serves to motivate how to better think about the education decision in the spirit of Personal Finance Economics.

In this episode, Stephen Stricklin continues his conversation with Laurence Kotlikoff, a Professor of Economics at Boston University and best-selling author. They cover several more details about Laurence's new book, “Money Magic: An Economist's Secrets to More Money, Less Risk, and a Better Life”.

A variety of online tools can guide retirees looking to make the most of this benefit - which many older Americans depend on.

In part one of this two-part interview, Stephen Stricklin is joined by Laurence Kotlikoff, a Professor of Economics at Boston University and a best-selling author. They discuss Kotlikoff's brand-new book, “Money Magic: An Economist's Secrets to More Money, Less Risk, and a Better Life”.

A NBER study finds postponing Social Security benefits can substantially increase retirement income, yet only 10.2% delay

Deciding when to file for Social Security benefits can be daunting. Some choose to file early, while others believe it is a better bet to wait.

One of the toughest things to do when you're self-employed or running your own business is to save for retirement.

There are some important decisions that you'll have to make with respect to Social Security along the way. Some of them have big consequences. There's one Social Security mistake that could even cost you $182,000.