FIRE Calculator

FIRE stands for Financial Independence, Retire Early. It is a personal finance movement focused on aggressive saving and investing to reach a portfolio large enough to live off indefinitely, without needing a traditional job. The goal is not necessarily to stop working, but to make work optional by reaching financial independence years or decades ahead of the standard retirement age.

Your FIRE number equals your annual expenses divided by your safe withdrawal rate. At the standard 4% rule, this is your annual expenses multiplied by 25. If you spend $50,000 per year, your FIRE number is $1,250,000. If you spend $80,000 per year, your FIRE number is $2,000,000. Reducing your annual expenses is the fastest way to lower the target.

The 4% rule comes from the 1994 Trinity Study, which analyzed US market history and found that withdrawing 4% of your portfolio in year one, then adjusting for inflation each year, sustained portfolios across nearly all 30-year historical periods. For early retirees targeting 40 to 50+ year retirements, a 3% to 3.5% withdrawal rate provides a wider margin of safety. This calculator lets you adjust the rate in the advanced options.

Coast FIRE is a milestone where your portfolio is large enough that compound growth alone will carry it to your full FIRE number by your chosen retirement age, with no additional contributions needed. Once you reach your Coast FIRE number, you only need to earn enough to cover current living expenses. Many people find this milestone motivating because it removes the pressure of aggressive saving while still locking in early retirement.

Lean FIRE targets a frugal retirement lifestyle with annual expenses typically below $40,000. It requires a smaller portfolio and can be reached faster, but demands strict spending discipline. Fat FIRE targets a comfortable lifestyle with $100,000 or more in annual spending. The portfolio requirement is much larger, but the resulting lifestyle is closer to a high earner's current standard of living. Both use the same math: just change the annual expenses input.

Monthly contributions are one of the most powerful levers in FIRE planning. Every additional dollar saved reduces the gap to your FIRE number and compounds over time. Increasing your monthly contribution by $500 can shave years off your retirement date, while a $1,000 increase can sometimes cut the timeline by a decade. Try adjusting the monthly contribution slider above to see the direct effect on your retirement age.

Most FIRE planners use 7% as a conservative real-world baseline for a diversified portfolio of index funds. This reflects the S&P 500's historical average of around 10% per year, minus approximately 3% for inflation. For a more conservative estimate, 5% to 6% is appropriate. Avoid using rates above 10%, which exceed even the most optimistic historical benchmarks for diversified portfolios.

No. This calculator runs entirely in your browser. Your financial numbers are never sent to our servers, stored in a database, or shared with any third party. You can use it freely without creating an account.