FIRE calculator

This divides annual spending by a withdrawal rate you choose, then counts years of saving toward that balance. A coast figure is the amount today that grows to the target with nothing added. A 4% rate is a common illustration, not a promise that the rate will last. The FIRE guide uses the same example.

FI number = annual spending the portfolio must replace ÷ withdrawal rate. Coast number = FI number ÷ (1 + annual return)^{years until that date}

FI number

Enter spending, a withdrawal rate, the portfolio, annual savings, a return, and coast years.

How to estimate a FIRE number

Enter annual spending and a withdrawal rate. 4 means a 4% withdrawal. Optional tax grosses the spending up, because the portfolio has to fund the tax as well as the spending. Optional part-time income is used only for a separate, smaller number.
Enter the portfolio, annual savings, and return. Each year the balance grows at that return, then the annual savings is added, until the balance reaches the FI number or 80 years pass.
Read the coast balance. Coast years are how long the balance would compound with nothing added. A lower return or a shorter wait raises the coast balance.

Frequently asked questions

How do you calculate a FIRE number?: Divide the annual spending the portfolio must replace by the withdrawal rate you type. Spending of $40,000 at a 4% withdrawal rate is a $1,000,000 FI number, because 1 ÷ 0.04 = 25. A 4% rate is a common illustration from historical studies of about 30-year retirements. A longer retirement can need a lower rate. This calculator does not estimate the odds that a rate will last.
What is the coast number?: It is the balance today that grows to the FI number with no further contributions, at the return and the years you type. At 7% for 20 years, a $1,000,000 FI number implies a coast balance near $258,419. If your portfolio is already there, later contributions are optional under those assumptions.
Is this investment advice?: No. The calculator is for general informational and educational purposes only. Spending, return, tax, and withdrawal rate are assumptions you type. They are not a retirement plan.

Related guides

How to estimate a FIRE number

Enter annual spending and a withdrawal rate. 4 means a 4% withdrawal. Optional tax grosses the spending up, because the portfolio has to fund the tax as well as the spending. Optional part-time income is used only for a separate, smaller number.

Enter the portfolio, annual savings, and return. Each year the balance grows at that return, then the annual savings is added, until the balance reaches the FI number or 80 years pass.

Read the coast balance. Coast years are how long the balance would compound with nothing added. A lower return or a shorter wait raises the coast balance.

Frequently asked questions

How do you calculate a FIRE number?

Divide the annual spending the portfolio must replace by the withdrawal rate you type. Spending of $40,000 at a 4% withdrawal rate is a $1,000,000 FI number, because 1 ÷ 0.04 = 25. A 4% rate is a common illustration from historical studies of about 30-year retirements. A longer retirement can need a lower rate. This calculator does not estimate the odds that a rate will last.

What is the coast number?

It is the balance today that grows to the FI number with no further contributions, at the return and the years you type. At 7% for 20 years, a $1,000,000 FI number implies a coast balance near $258,419. If your portfolio is already there, later contributions are optional under those assumptions.

Is this investment advice?

No. The calculator is for general informational and educational purposes only. Spending, return, tax, and withdrawal rate are assumptions you type. They are not a retirement plan.

FI number

How to estimate a FIRE number

Frequently asked questions

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FI number

How to estimate a FIRE number

Frequently asked questions

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