What is FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early)?

FIRE stands for Financial Independence, Retire Early. It means building a portfolio large enough that the income it generates covers your living expenses indefinitely, so paid work becomes optional. The common target is 25 times your annual spending, based on a 4% safe withdrawal rate.

Coast FIRE is the point where you have enough invested that, even if you never contribute another dollar, compound growth alone will grow your portfolio to your full FIRE number by your target retirement age. After hitting Coast FIRE you still need to cover current expenses, but you no longer need to save for retirement.

FIRE Calculator

Find your financial independence number, the age you'll reach it, and your Coast FIRE milestone.

Free · no sign-up · figures in today's dollars

Progress to financial independence

Editorial note: This tool is for informational and educational purposes only and is not financial advice. Projections are estimates based on the assumptions you enter and assume steady average returns, which real markets never deliver. Consult a qualified financial professional before making decisions.

How the FIRE calculator works

Financial independence means your investments can cover your living costs without a paycheck. This calculator answers three questions: how big your portfolio needs to be, when you'll get there at your current pace, and whether you've already hit Coast FIRE.

Everything is calculated in today's dollars. We convert your expected return into a real (after-inflation) return, so your target and your timeline stay in money you understand today rather than inflated future figures.

Your FIRE number and the 4% rule

Your FIRE number is simply your annual spending divided by your safe withdrawal rate. At the classic 4% rate that's 25× your annual expenses. Spend $50,000 a year and your target is $1.25 million. The 4% rule comes from the Trinity Study, which found that a portfolio withdrawing 4% (adjusted for inflation) historically lasted at least 30 years in almost all cases. Early retirees planning for 40+ years often use a more conservative 3.25–3.75%, which you can set under Advanced assumptions.

What Coast FIRE means

Coast FIRE is the milestone where your current portfolio, left completely alone, will compound up to your full FIRE number by your target retirement age. Once you've reached it, you still need to earn enough to cover today's expenses — but you never have to save for retirement again. It's a powerful psychological and practical marker, because it usually arrives years before full FIRE.

The single biggest lever: your savings rate

How much you earn matters far less than the gap between what you earn and what you spend. A household saving 50% of its income reaches financial independence in roughly 17 years regardless of the actual dollar figures; at a 15% savings rate it takes closer to 43 years. Cutting recurring expenses does double duty: it frees up money to invest and lowers the FIRE number you're aiming at.

Not sure where you stand today? Check our Net Worth Percentile Calculator and the data on average net worth by age.

Frequently asked questions

What is FIRE?

FIRE stands for Financial Independence, Retire Early — building enough invested wealth that its returns cover your expenses, making work optional. The standard target is 25 times annual spending.

How is the FIRE number calculated?

Annual spending divided by your withdrawal rate. At 4%, that's expenses × 25; at 3.5%, about × 28.6.

What is Coast FIRE?

The point where your existing investments will grow to your full FIRE number by your target retirement age with no further contributions. You still cover current costs, but you're done saving for retirement.

Is the 4% rule still safe?

It's a solid planning benchmark drawn from historical data, not a guarantee. Longer retirements or high starting valuations argue for a more conservative rate, which you can adjust above.

Methodology. FIRE number = annual expenses ÷ withdrawal rate. Real return = (1 + expected return) ÷ (1 + inflation) − 1. Years to FI is projected year by year: each year the portfolio grows at the real return and your annual contribution is added, until it reaches the FIRE number. Coast FIRE number = FIRE number ÷ (1 + real return) ^ (target age − current age). All figures are in today's dollars and assume constant average returns.