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Enter your current age, annual expenses, current savings, annual contribution, and expected return rate. The calculator finds your FIRE number (25× annual expenses), models portfolio growth year by year, and shows you exactly how many years until you reach financial independence. Toggle the inflation adjustment to see real vs. nominal projections.
FIRE is a movement built on aggressively saving and investing — typically 40–70% of income — to accumulate enough wealth that portfolio returns can fund your lifestyle indefinitely, freeing you from the need to work. The two pillars are the 25x rule (your FI number = annual expenses × 25) and the 4% safe withdrawal rate, which research shows can sustain a portfolio through most 30-year periods. FIRE isn't just for the ultra-wealthy — it's achievable by anyone who dramatically increases their savings rate, regardless of income.
Your FIRE number = annual expenses × 25. If you spend $40,000/year, your FI number is $1,000,000. If you spend $60,000/year, it's $1,500,000. This is derived from the 4% rule: 4% of $1,000,000 = $40,000/year. The key insight is that reducing expenses does double duty — it both lowers your FIRE number and frees up more money to invest. Someone spending $30,000/year needs only $750,000 and can invest far more aggressively than someone spending $80,000/year chasing $2,000,000.
The 4% rule comes from the 1998 Trinity Study, which found that a portfolio of 50–75% stocks and 25–50% bonds could sustain 4% annual withdrawals (inflation-adjusted) through any historical 30-year period. For early retirees with 40–50-year horizons, a more conservative 3–3.5% withdrawal rate reduces sequence-of-returns risk. Many FIRE practitioners build in flexibility: reduce spending in down markets, maintain some part-time income, or keep a cash buffer to avoid selling equities at a loss.
Savings rate is the most powerful lever in your FIRE equation. At 10% savings rate, FI takes ~40 years. At 25%, ~32 years. At 50%, ~17 years. At 70%, ~8.5 years. This compresses dramatically because higher savings simultaneously grows your portfolio faster and lowers the target (lower expenses = smaller FIRE number). Increasing your savings rate by even 5–10 percentage points typically shaves 3–5 years off your timeline.
Lean FIRE: retiring on a minimal budget ($25,000–$40,000/year), requiring a smaller portfolio but less lifestyle flexibility. Fat FIRE: retiring with a generous budget ($100,000+/year) for travel, family, and comfort. Barista FIRE: semi-retirement with part-time work covering basic costs while investments compound. Coast FIRE: saving enough early so compound growth reaches your FI number by traditional retirement age — no more contributions needed. Use the Coast FIRE Calculator to find that milestone.
Inflation erodes purchasing power over time — $60,000 today will feel like significantly less in 20 years. This calculator lets you toggle real (inflation-adjusted) returns to see your timeline in today's dollars. Most practitioners use a real return of 5–7% (nominal ~8–10% minus ~3% inflation). Planning with real returns gives a more conservative and honest picture of when you can actually retire.
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