FIRE / Early Retirement Calculator
Work out your FIRE number, how many years of saving stand between you and financial independence, the age you would get there, and your Coast FIRE milestone along the way.
Your numbers
How to use this calculator
1. Start with where you stand today
Enter your age and the total that is already invested. Cash you keep as an emergency fund is usually left out, because it is not compounding toward the target and you will want to keep it after you stop working anyway.
2. Separate spending from saving
Annual spending drives the size of the target; annual saving drives how fast you get there. The implied savings rate shown in the results is simply savings divided by savings plus spending, which is the number most FIRE discussions are quoting.
3. Pick a return and a withdrawal rate
Use a real (after-inflation) return so the projection stays in today's money. Then choose a withdrawal rate: 4% for a standard 30-year retirement, closer to 3.25–3.5% if you plan to stop working in your 30s or 40s and need the money to last far longer.
4. Pull the levers before you commit
Drag the savings slider and watch the crossing point on the chart move. Trimming recurring spending is usually the strongest lever of the four, because every dollar cut both lowers the target and raises the amount you save.
About FIRE and the 4% rule
How is the FIRE number calculated?
Your FIRE number is annual spending divided by your safe withdrawal rate. At a 4% withdrawal rate that is 25 times your yearly spending, so $60,000 of spending implies a $1,500,000 portfolio. Lower the withdrawal rate and the target grows quickly: 3.5% means about 28.6 times spending.
What is Coast FIRE?
Coast FIRE is the balance that would compound on its own to your full FIRE number by age 65 with no further contributions. Once you reach it you still need to cover current expenses, but you no longer have to save for retirement, which is why many people treat it as the first real milestone.
Why should I enter a real return instead of a nominal one?
A real return is the return after inflation, and it keeps every figure in today's dollars so the projection stays comparable to the spending you typed in. A 7% nominal return with 3% inflation is roughly a 4% real return. Using a nominal return with today's spending would make financial independence look closer than it is.