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FIRE Calculator

Explore your path to financial independence and early retirement

Your FIRE Number
$1,250,000
25x your gross retirement withdrawal of $50,000/yr in today's dollars
Progress to FIRE 8.0%
$100,000 $1,250,000
Years to FIRE 16.0 years
FIRE Age 46
Annual Savings $50,000
Monthly Savings $4,167
Net Annual Spend $60,000
Gross Annual Withdrawal $50,000
Monthly in Retirement $4,167

Path to Financial Independence

Understanding FIRE

FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) means building resources to support chosen spending goals. Results depend on assumptions and uncertainty.

Why Use This Tool?

This calculator helps you see how changes in savings, spending, and investment-return assumptions affect its projections.

Withdrawal Rate & Net Expenses

Your estimated portfolio target is based on the amount your investments need to cover. If you have other income sources in retirement, the portfolio-funded spending amount decreases.

  • Estimated portfolio target = (Retirement Expenses - Retirement Income) ÷ selected withdrawal-rate assumption.
  • At a 4% assumption, the target equals 25 times annual portfolio-funded spending.
  • Retirement income can include Social Security, pensions, or real estate. Verify eligibility and amounts separately.
  • Treat this as an illustrative estimate, not a guarantee or personal recommendation. Horizon, withdrawal pattern, portfolio mix and return sequence, inflation, taxes, fees, spending changes, longevity, account rules, and jurisdiction can change outcomes.
  • All values shown are in today's dollars (inflation-adjusted).

Inflation & Real Returns

This calculator uses a simplified real-return approximation to show results in today's purchasing power.

  • Real-return approximation = Nominal Return - Inflation Rate.
  • 7% nominal return minus 3% inflation = 4% by this subtraction approximation, not exact compounding or a historical expectation.
  • Your FIRE Number represents today's purchasing power.
  • Exact compounding, taxes, fees, and changing inflation can produce different results.

Types of FIRE

Lean, Regular, Fat, Coast, and Barista FIRE are informal practitioner conventions, not official categories or universal thresholds. Actual spending should drive your inputs, with currency, household, location, and time affecting examples.

  • Lean FIRE may describe a minimalist spending approach; no universal dollar cutoff applies.
  • Regular FIRE is an informal label for a chosen spending level, not a fixed range.
  • Fat FIRE may describe a higher-spending approach; examples vary by currency, household, location, and time.
  • Coast FIRE still requires current expenses to be funded while growth toward a later target remains uncertain.
  • Barista FIRE may involve part-time work or employer benefits; eligibility and healthcare coverage are not assured.

Savings Rate and Other Inputs

Savings rate is one input among spending, current assets, returns, taxes, fees, and other assumptions.

  • Enter your inputs above to receive an input-dependent calculator projection.
  • The result is an illustrative scenario, not a forecast or personal retirement date.
  • Changing spending, assets, return assumptions, taxes, fees, or other inputs changes the projection.

Key Terms Defined

FIRE Financial Independence, Retire Early. A movement focused on saving and investing enough to support financial independence and early retirement.
SWR Withdrawal Rate. The percentage assumption used to estimate annual portfolio-funded spending; it is not a guarantee.
FIRE Number An estimated portfolio target based on annual portfolio-funded spending divided by the selected withdrawal-rate assumption.
Savings Rate The percentage of your income that you save and invest each month.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the 4% Rule in FIRE?

The 4% rule is a commonly discussed rule of thumb for an illustrative withdrawal scenario, not a guarantee or universal rate. In this calculator, the estimated portfolio target is annual portfolio-funded spending divided by the selected withdrawal-rate assumption. At 4%, that equals 25 times annual portfolio-funded spending. Results depend on the horizon, withdrawal pattern, portfolio mix and return sequence, inflation, taxes, fees, spending changes, longevity, account rules, and jurisdiction.

What are the different types of FIRE?

Lean, Regular, Fat, Coast, and Barista FIRE are informal practitioner conventions, not official categories or universal thresholds. Use actual spending and your own inputs. Examples vary by currency, household, location, and time. Coast FIRE still requires current expenses to be funded while growth remains uncertain, and Barista FIRE may involve part-time work or employer benefits, but benefit eligibility and coverage are not assured.

How does savings rate affect time to FIRE?

Savings rate is one important input among spending, current assets, returns, taxes, fees, and other assumptions. Enter your inputs above. The calculator returns an input-dependent illustrative result, not a static timeline, forecast, or personal retirement date.

What is a FIRE Number?

In this calculator, the estimated portfolio target is annual portfolio-funded spending divided by the selected withdrawal-rate assumption. At 4%, the target is 25 times annual portfolio-funded spending; at 3.5%, about 28.6 times; and at 4.5%, about 22.2 times. This is an illustrative estimate, not a guarantee or personal forecast, and outcomes depend on the horizon, withdrawal pattern, portfolio mix and return sequence, inflation, taxes, fees, spending changes, longevity, account rules, and jurisdiction.