FIRE Calculator
Financial Independence, Retire Early. Enter what you spend and save to find your FIRE number and the year you could reach it.
What is a FIRE number?
Your FIRE number is the portfolio size that could fund your spending indefinitely. Under the common 4% rule, it's 25 times your annual spending: $50,000 a year needs $1.25 million. The rule comes from the Trinity Study, which found a 4% first-year withdrawal, raised each year for inflation, lasted at least 30 years in most historical periods.
Planning to retire before 50? Many people use 3.25–3.5% instead, since the money may need to last 50 years or more.
Why the calculator uses a real return
Spending is entered in today's dollars, so returns should be after inflation too. If you expect 8% nominal returns and 3% inflation, enter about 5%.
Lean, regular and fat FIRE
- Lean FIRE: covering a minimal budget, often under $40k a year.
- FIRE: covering a typical middle-class lifestyle.
- Fat FIRE: $100k+ a year of spending.
- Coast FIRE: enough invested that it will grow to your number by traditional retirement age with no more contributions.
Common questions
How much do I need to retire early?
Multiply your annual spending by 25 for the 4% rule, or by about 30 for a cautious 3.3% rate. Spending $40,000 a year means roughly $1M–$1.2M.
Is the 4% rule still safe?
Historically it held for 30-year retirements in most US market periods. For longer retirements, or when stocks are richly valued, many researchers suggest 3.3–3.8% or flexible spending that drops after bad years.
What savings rate do I need for FIRE?
Savings rate drives the timeline more than income does. At a 5% real return and starting from zero, saving 50% of take-home pay reaches FI in about 17 years. Saving 25% takes about 32 years.