FIRE Calculator
Calculate your Financial Independence number and see when you can retire early. Visualize your path to FIRE.
About This Calculator
FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) is the amount you need invested so that your annual withdrawal covers your living expenses. The standard rule of thumb is the 4% rule (25× annual spending), derived from the Trinity Study which analyzed historical 30-year portfolio survival rates.
This calculator compounds your net worth annually, adding your monthly savings and applying your expected return rate. When your portfolio reaches your FIRE number, you've reached financial independence.
FIRE Number by Annual Spending
How much you need invested to retire at different spending levels and withdrawal rates.
| Annual Spending | 3% WR (Conservative) | 3.5% WR | 4% WR (Standard) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $30,000 | $1,000,000 | $857,143 | $750,000 |
| $40,000 | $1,333,333 | $1,142,857 | $1,000,000 |
| $50,000 | $1,666,667 | $1,428,571 | $1,250,000 |
| $60,000 | $2,000,000 | $1,714,286 | $1,500,000 |
| $80,000 | $2,666,667 | $2,285,714 | $2,000,000 |
| $100,000 | $3,333,333 | $2,857,143 | $2,500,000 |
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is FIRE?
- FIRE stands for Financial Independence, Retire Early. It's a movement centered on aggressive saving and investing to accumulate enough wealth to live off investment returns — often decades before traditional retirement age.
- What is the 4% rule?
- The 4% rule (or safe withdrawal rate) comes from the Trinity Study (1998), which found that a portfolio of 50-75% stocks could sustain 30 years of inflation-adjusted withdrawals at 4% of the initial balance. Your FIRE number is therefore 25× your expected annual spending (since 1/0.04 = 25).
- What is a FIRE number?
- Your FIRE number is the amount of invested assets you need to retire. It's calculated as: Annual Spending ÷ Safe Withdrawal Rate. For example, if you spend $50,000/year and use a 4% withdrawal rate, your FIRE number is $1,250,000.
- What are the different types of FIRE?
- Lean FIRE means retiring on a very frugal budget (typically under $40,000/year). Fat FIRE means retiring with a high spending level ($100,000+/year). Barista FIRE means accumulating most of your number but doing part-time work to cover the gap. Coast FIRE means having enough saved that compound growth alone will hit your number by traditional retirement age.
- What return rate should I assume?
- The S&P 500 has averaged approximately 10% nominal returns and 7% real (inflation-adjusted) returns annually over the past century. Most FIRE planners use 6-7% to be conservative. This calculator uses nominal returns — remember that inflation will erode purchasing power, so a 4% withdrawal rate with a 7% assumed return leaves a real return of ~3% as buffer.
- Does the 4% rule work for early retirement?
- The original Trinity Study examined 30-year retirements. Many FIRE practitioners with 40-50 year retirements use a more conservative 3-3.5% withdrawal rate. You can adjust the withdrawal rate in this calculator to model longer retirement horizons.