AstuteWheel vs MaxiFi
AstuteWheel
astutewheel.com.au
MaxiFi
maxifi.comSide by side
| Figure | AstuteWheel | MaxiFi |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | A$25/mo | $12.42/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 9 | 2 |
| Spec score · Financial Planning Software | 8.5 (#12) | 8.9 (#4) |
| Founded | 2012 | 1993 |
| Headquarters | St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia | Providence, Rhode Island, United States |
| Purpose | AstuteWheel provides financial planning software for client engagement, advice delivery, practice management and business improvement. | MaxiFi creates a lifetime financial plan and calculates sustainable annual spending based on income, assets, taxes, Social Security, and other inputs. |
| Security | The privacy policy says digital records are protected with password protection, firewalls, network security, and restricted and monitored access, while warning that internet transmissions and server data cannot be guaranteed fully secure. | The company says customer data is encrypted at rest with AES-256 and web traffic uses TLS 1.2 or 1.3; it also requires two-factor authentication for customer logins. |
| Support | The site invites prospective customers to contact the company or book a live demonstration webinar and lists the phone number 0455 02 77 22. | Support is provided through online tickets, with listed contact hours Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern; phone support is not included in the purchase price. |
Plans
AstuteWheel
- ENGAGE — AdminFree
- ADVISE — AdminA$25 a month
- ADVISE — ParaplannerA$25 a month
- MANAGE — AdminA$50 a month
- MANAGE — ParaplannerA$50 a month
- IMPROVE — PracticeA$100 a month
- ENGAGE — AdviserA$300 a month
- ADVISE — AdviserA$400 a month
- MANAGE — AdviserA$500 a month
In their own words
AstuteWheel
AstuteWheel is web-based financial planning software for client engagement, advice delivery, practice management and business improvement. Its client portal collects personal and financial information, supports messaging and shares documents. Firms get more than 10 online questionnaires and can create their own surveys. Planning tools cover goals, values and advice scoping, while ADVISE includes more than 20 visual modelling calculators and comparisons of cash-flow scenarios. MANAGE provides CRM dashboards, client management and compliance management; its workflows and tasks are in beta. IMPROVE covers workflow design, business and marketing plans, client segmentation, risk management, diagnostics and succession planning. The software does not produce SOA or ROA documents, although calculator visuals can be copied into users’ templates. Xplan/Iress integration is in beta for some IFA users and is rolling out to dealer groups. Plans are billed monthly per user or practice, from 0.00 AUD plus GST to 500.00 AUD plus GST, with subscription requirements on some plans.
MaxiFi
MaxiFi builds a lifetime financial plan and estimates sustainable annual spending using income, assets, taxes, Social Security and other inputs. You can revise the plan to compare choices such as changing jobs, buying a home or retiring early. It models federal, state, FICA and IRMAA taxes, Social Security benefits and Medicare Part B premiums. Paid optimizers cover Roth conversions, Social Security filing and retirement withdrawals. Living Standard Monte Carlo compares how investment strategies and spending behavior affect discretionary spending; the software also estimates life insurance needs using contingency plans. Annual reports can be exported as PDF or Excel files, and plans can be shared with an advisor who has a MaxiFi PRO subscription. MaxiFi is available on Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, web and Windows. It offers a 14-day trial with limited features and comparison of three alternate scenarios. The Unlocked plan is listed at $149 a year. Support is through online tickets; phone support is not included.