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Investing & Retirement

FIRE Calculator

Find your FIRE number and how many years until financial independence, based on your spending, what you’ve invested, and how much you add each month.

Your numbers

FIRE = financial independence, retire early. The target is a portfolio that funds your spending indefinitely.

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4% is the classic rule

Your path to financial independence

You could reach FIRE in

16.1 years

around age 51 · target $1,250,000

Your FIRE number

$1,250,000

Multiple of spending

25×

Target age

51

The 4% rule suggests a portfolio of 25× annual spending can sustain withdrawals through a long retirement. It's a guideline built on historical returns, not a guarantee — build in a margin of safety.

Financial independence, in one number

FIRE stands for Financial Independence, Retire Early. The core idea is simple: once your investments are large enough that a safe withdrawal covers your spending, work becomes optional. This calculator finds that number and projects how long it takes to get there.

Spending is the master lever

Lower spending does double duty — it shrinks your FIRE number and frees more to invest, raising your savings rate. That's why two people with the same income can have wildly different timelines.

Example

If you spend $50,000 a year, your FIRE number at a 4% withdrawal rate is $1.25 million. Starting with $120,000 invested and adding $2,500 a month at a 7% return, you could reach it in roughly 17 years.

Build the plan

Project the growth in detail with the investment calculator, check your traditional timeline with the retirement calculator, and make sure high-interest debt is cleared first — it's a guaranteed return that beats most investments.

Related calculators

Retirement CalculatorAre you on track? Project your nest egg to retirement age.Savings Rate CalculatorThe share of income you keep — the number that drives everything.Investment CalculatorProject the future value of an investment with regular contributions.Compound Interest CalculatorWatch a lump sum and monthly deposits snowball over the years.

Frequently asked questions

What is a FIRE number?
The portfolio size that lets you live off investment withdrawals indefinitely. Using the 4% rule, it’s 25 times your annual spending — so $50,000 a year of expenses means a FIRE number of about $1.25 million.
What is the 4% rule?
A guideline from retirement research suggesting you can withdraw about 4% of your portfolio in the first year, then adjust for inflation, with a high chance the money lasts 30+ years. A lower withdrawal rate is safer for very long retirements.
How can I reach FIRE faster?
Two levers dominate: spend less (which lowers your FIRE number and raises your savings rate) and invest more each month. Your savings rate is the single biggest factor in the timeline.
Is FIRE realistic?
Full early retirement is ambitious, but the same math builds a strong retirement at any pace. Even reaching “Coast FIRE” — enough invested to grow into a full nest egg without new contributions — is a meaningful milestone.