What is FIRE?
FIRE stands for Financial Independence, Retire Early. The idea is simple: save a large share of your income, invest it in low-cost diversified funds, and stop needing a paycheck once your investments can cover your spending indefinitely. "Retire early" is optional — many people reach financial independence and keep working on their own terms.
The math rests on two numbers you control: how much you spend and how much you save. Spending sets the size of the portfolio you need (your FIRE number), and your savings rate sets how fast you get there. Investment returns matter too, but you cannot control them, which is why these calculators let you test pessimistic assumptions.
Which FIRE calculator should I use?
Start with the FIRE calculator to see the age you could reach financial independence. Use the FIRE number calculator if you only need the target, and the years-to-FI calculator to see how your savings rate changes the timeline.
If you would rather slow down than stop, Coast FIRE shows when you can stop saving and let compounding finish the job, and Barista FIRE shows how much portfolio you need if part-time work covers some of your spending. Lean FIRE and Fat FIRE help you plan around a minimalist or a generous budget.
Before you quit, stress-test the plan with the safe withdrawal rate calculator, which runs thousands of simulated markets, and the how-long-will-my-money-last calculator. If much of your pay comes as RSUs, the RSU FIRE calculator shows how stock vests change your date.
The types of FIRE at a glance
Lean FIRE: retiring on a modest budget, often under about $40,000 a year for a household. Smaller target, less margin for surprises.
Regular FIRE: covering a typical middle-class lifestyle from investments, usually 25–30 times annual spending.
Fat FIRE: a comfortable, high-spending retirement, commonly $100,000 a year or more, which usually means a multi-million-dollar portfolio and careful tax planning.
Coast FIRE: you have saved enough that growth alone will reach your full target by a traditional retirement age, so you only need to earn your current spending.
Barista FIRE: your portfolio covers part of your spending and part-time or lower-stress work covers the rest — often chosen for the health insurance a job provides.
Frequently asked questions
- How much do I need to retire early?
- A common starting point is 25 times your yearly spending, which corresponds to a 4% withdrawal rate. Because early retirees may need their money for 40–60 years, many plan on 28–33 times spending (a 3–3.5% rate) for extra safety.
- Is the 4% rule safe for early retirement?
- The 4% rule was designed for 30-year retirements. Over 40–50 years, historical and simulated success rates fall, so early retirees often use 3.25–3.75% or plan to cut spending in bad markets. The safe withdrawal rate calculator lets you test this directly.
- Are these calculators in today's dollars?
- Yes. Every FIRE calculator here works in today's dollars by converting your return into a real (after-inflation) return, so your FIRE number keeps meaning the same lifestyle no matter how far away it is.
- Do these calculators include taxes?
- Enter after-tax spending and savings for the simplest result. The Fat FIRE calculator adds an effective tax rate on withdrawals, and the RSU FIRE calculator accounts for tax on vesting shares. For detailed tax planning, consult a tax professional.