retrieving mean return, variance and covariance data for multiple of classes of prospective investments;

retrieving pay and likelihood of unemployment estimates for human capital and covariance estimates between the human capital and the prospective investments;

retrieving house price return and variance data for housing resources and covariance estimates between the housing resources and the prospective investments;

electronically calculating, from the retrieved data and estimates, returns on alternative diversified portfolios that include the prospective investments, the human capital and the housing resources;

filtering among the alternative diversified portfolios so that the human capital and the housing resource components of the diversified portfolios conform to resources of an investor and goals set by the investor for retirement age and for holding or selling the housing resources;

receiving data into computer memory and processing the data to generate a search grid spanning and subdividing at least

a time horizon,

potential resource values for the investor's portfolio,

a range of spending levels that satisfy essential goals of the investor and are then applied to satisfying the investor's non-essential goals, and

the range of risk taking levels; and

working backwards through the time horizon,

using a computer to evaluate potential control actions for particular times and resource values within the search grid,

selecting recommended control actions for the particular times and resource values, the control actions setting spending and risk taking levels for the particular times, and

combining the control actions into a control action policy that includes the recommended spending and risk taking levels for combinations of the particular times and resource values;

wherein using the computer to evaluate the potential control actions for the particular times and resource values includes calculating a utility of potential spending and risk taking levels,

such that the utility at a specific time and resource value for the potential spending and risk taking levels combines at least

a utility in the specific time of the spending and

a future expected utility through the end of the time horizon of future spending and risk taking levels; and

such that the utility calculation recognizes a greater utility of satisfying the essential goals than of satisfying the non-essential goals; and

outputting at least part of the control action policy for the time horizon and the potential resource values, including recommendations for the spending and the risk taking levels.