This calculator is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Results are estimates based on inputs you provide. Consult a qualified financial advisor before making financial decisions.
FIRE Calculator
Calculate your Financial Independence, Retire Early date.
Your Details
Money In & Out
Post-tax (Take home pay)
Assumptions
Standard FIRE rule is 4.0%
Financial Freedom Date
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FIRE (Real Value)
$0
Buying power in today's dollars
The Crossover Point
Why "Real Value" Matters?
Inflation eats away purchasing power. A million dollars in 30 years won't buy what it does today. Use Real Value to plan purchasing power, and Nominal Value to see the actual bank account number you'll see on screen.
Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE) is the practice of saving aggressively until your investments produce enough income to cover expenses indefinitely. The math is simpler than the discipline — but the math gives you the target.
The FIRE number formula
FIRE Number = Annual Expenses × 25. This comes from the inverse of the 4% safe withdrawal rate (1 / 0.04 = 25). If you spend $50,000/year, you need $1.25 million invested. Time-to-FIRE is determined almost entirely by your savings rate, not your absolute income. At a 50% savings rate you can FIRE in roughly 17 years from $0; at 25% it takes about 32; at 70% it's about 9.
When to use this calculator
Use it to set your target. Use it again to compare Lean FIRE (bare-bones expenses, ~$30-40K/year), regular FIRE (typical expenses), and Fat FIRE (comfortable retirement, $100K+/year). Coast FIRE is a useful intermediate concept: the savings level at which compound growth alone covers your retirement, even if you stop adding new contributions.
Worked example
A household spending $60,000/year needs a FIRE number of $1.5 million. If they save $30,000/year (50% savings rate at $60K spending = $120K income) and earn a 7% real return, they hit $1.5M in roughly 16 years. Cut spending to $40,000 and the FIRE target drops to $1M while savings rises to $50,000/year — they reach it in about 12 years.