How is the projected FIRE age calculated?

The calculator projects monthly portfolio growth and contributions. FIRE is reached when the portfolio equals or exceeds the estimated spending-based FIRE requirement.

Coast FIRE is the amount that may need to be invested today so that it could grow to the estimated FIRE number by the selected target age without additional contributions.

What does the FIRE safety margin do?

The safety margin increases the annual spending amount used to calculate the FIRE number.

Financial Independence Projection

FIRE Calculator

Estimate your Financial Independence, Retire Early number, projected FIRE age, savings rate and future investment balance using your income, expenses and investment assumptions.

Automatic FIRE age estimate Coast FIRE calculation Inflation and fee adjustments

Calculate Your FIRE Number

Enter your financial position, annual cash flow and long-term investment assumptions.

Currency

FIRE Timeline

Current age

Your current age in years

Target FIRE age

Age by which you want to become financially independent

Current invested assets

Investments intended to support financial independence

Annual Income and Spending

Annual after-tax income

Income available for spending and saving

Current annual expenses

Total yearly living expenses in today’s money

Other annual investment contributions

Employer contributions or other investment deposits

Annual income growth

Expected annual increase in after-tax income

Annual expense growth

Expected annual increase in living expenses

FIRE spending safety margin

Extra annual spending included in the FIRE target

Investment Assumptions

Expected annual return

Expected investment return before annual fees

Annual investment fees

Estimated annual fund and account costs

Planned withdrawal rate

Percentage of the portfolio withdrawn each year

Advanced projection settings

Expected annual inflation

Used for real return and purchasing-power calculations

Monthly investment timing Beginning deposits receive an additional month of growth

Maximum projection age

Final age checked when estimating the projected FIRE date

Your FIRE Projection

Financial independence estimate calculated

FIRE number today $0.00

Projected FIRE age —

Estimated years to FIRE —

Portfolio at FIRE $0.00

Current annual savings $0.00

Current savings rate 0.00%

Portfolio at target age $0.00

Target-age FIRE requirement $0.00

Additional annual investment needed $0.00

Coast FIRE number today $0.00

Monthly income at FIRE $0.00

Real annual return 0.00%

Progress toward today’s estimated FIRE number 0.0%

Enter your assumptions to calculate your FIRE projection.

Financial Independence Tool

What Is a FIRE Calculator?

A FIRE calculator estimates the invested assets needed to support living expenses without depending entirely on employment income.

FIRE means Financial Independence, Retire Early. The basic objective is to build an investment portfolio that can provide enough sustainable withdrawals to cover annual living expenses.

This calculator estimates a FIRE number by dividing annual retirement spending by the planned withdrawal rate. It then projects your investment portfolio using current assets, annual savings, income growth, expense growth, investment returns and fees.

The calculated FIRE age is the first projected age at which the investment portfolio equals or exceeds the estimated spending-based FIRE requirement at that time.

Basic FIRE Number Formula

A lower planned withdrawal rate produces a larger financial independence target.

FIRE Number = Annual Spending ÷ Withdrawal Rate

Calculation Process

How the FIRE Calculator Works

Enter Current Assets

Add your age, target FIRE age and current invested assets.

Add Income and Expenses

Enter annual after-tax income, living expenses and additional contributions.

Set Investment Assumptions

Add expected returns, fees, inflation and your planned withdrawal rate.

Review Your FIRE Path

Compare your FIRE number, projected FIRE age, Coast FIRE target and required additional savings.

Important FIRE Factors

What Can Affect Your FIRE Date?

Savings Rate

A higher portion of income invested each year can reduce the time required to reach financial independence.

Investment Performance

Long-term returns and investment fees directly affect how quickly a portfolio may compound.

Future Spending

Higher annual expenses create a larger FIRE number, while sustainable spending reductions may lower the required portfolio.

Frequently Asked Questions

FIRE Calculator FAQs

A FIRE number is an estimate of the invested assets required to support annual spending using a selected withdrawal rate. It is calculated by dividing annual spending by the withdrawal rate.

The calculator projects monthly portfolio growth and contributions. FIRE is reached when the projected portfolio equals or exceeds the spending-based FIRE requirement at that time.

Coast FIRE is the amount that may need to be invested today so that, without additional contributions, it could grow to the estimated FIRE number by the selected target age.

The withdrawal rate is a personal planning assumption. A lower rate creates a larger FIRE number and may provide a more conservative projection.

The current savings rate is calculated by subtracting annual expenses from after-tax income and dividing the result by after-tax income. Additional employer contributions are shown in total annual savings but are not included in the income-based savings-rate percentage.

The safety margin increases the spending amount used to calculate the FIRE number. It may help represent unexpected costs or more conservative retirement spending.

No. Investment returns, inflation, income, expenses, taxes and personal circumstances can change. The calculator provides a projection rather than a guaranteed result.

Important: This calculator provides a mathematical projection using constant assumptions. It does not model investment volatility, sequence-of-return risk, taxes, healthcare costs, pension income or personal withdrawal rules.