Controlled depletion of a stochastically varying resource pool

1. A computer-readable medium having encoded thereon software for controlling depletion of a resource pool, the software including instructions for causing a data-processing system to:

at a first time,

determine a first remainder of a depletion interval;

at least in part on the basis of the first remainder, determine a first depletion rate for urging the resource pool to reach a selected state at the end of the depletion interval;

on the basis of the first depletion rate, partially deplete the resource pool; at a second time following the first time,

determine a second remainder of the depletion interval;

receive state information indicative of a difference between a state of the resource pool at the first time and a state of the resource pool at the second time;

at least in part on the basis of the second remainder and the state information, determine a second depletion rate for urging the resource pool to reach a selected state at the end of the depletion interval; and

on the basis of the second depletion rate, partially deplete the resource pool.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the software further comprises instructions for defining the selected state to be a fully-depleted state.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the software further comprises instructions for causing the data-processing system to select a depletion probability representative of the probability that the resource pool will reach the designated state at the end of the depletion interval, and

the instructions for determining a first depletion rate comprises instructions for causing the data processing system to determine the first depletion rate such that the probability that the resource pool will reach the designated state at the end of the depletion interval is at least equal to the depletion probability.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the software further comprises instructions for causing a data processing system to urge the resource pool to reach a selected state at the end of the depletion interval by altering the composition of resources within the resource pool.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the software comprises instructions for causing the data-processing system to receive information indicative of financial instruments that comprise the resource pool.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 5 , wherein the software further comprises instructions for causing the data-processing system to receive status information that includes information indicative of a change in value of the financial instruments that comprise the resource pool.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 5 , wherein the software further comprises instructions for causing the data-processing system to enforce a constraint on receiving a distribution from the resource pool.

8. A method for controlling depletion of a resource pool, the method comprising:

at a first time,

determining a first remainder of a depletion interval;

at least in part on the basis of the first remainder, determining, by a computer, a first depletion rate for urging the resource pool to reach a selected state at the end of the depletion interval;

on the basis of the first depletion rate, partially depleting the resource pool;

at a second time following the first time,

determining a second remainder of the depletion interval;

receiving state information indicative of a difference between a state of the resource pool at the first time and a state of the resource pool at the second time;

at least in part on the basis of the second remainder and the state information, determining, by a computer, a second depletion rate for urging the resource pool to reach a selected state at the end of the depletion interval; and

on the basis of the second depletion rate, partially depleting the resource pool.