This strategy runs on the same optimization engine as Maximize Spending. It finds the highest sustainable surplus spending within your chosen window, using the same discounted objective. The key difference is one additional binding constraint: your after-tax estate at the end of the plan must be at or above the target you set.

Think of it as placing a floor under Maximize Spending. The optimizer cannot accept any plan that misses your estate goal - that target is a hard requirement, not a preference. Within that constraint, it finds the maximum amount you can spend during retirement. If both are achievable, you get exactly that: the legacy you planned for, and the highest possible surplus spending on top of it.

Your estate target is defined in after-tax dollars and covers your liquid investment accounts by default. You also have the option to include the value of physical assets such as real estate. Including assets raises the apparent estate value and can free up more spending room - but asset values are subject to market conditions, sale costs, and timing uncertainty. Keeping physical assets separate and treating them as a bonus above your liquid target is generally the more conservative approach.

The result is a precise, year-by-year plan: your estate target is locked in, your surplus spending is maximized above it, and every account-level withdrawal is sequenced for the lowest possible tax cost along the way.