FIRE

Financial independence: how much you need to stop working, and when your savings get there.

You could stop working at age 50

In 20 years. You need $1,000,000 in today’s money: 25× the $40,000 you spend a year. With 6% inflation that’s about $3.21M by then.

Shown in future amounts. Turn on Today’s money to adjust for 6% inflation.

Your age today

yrs

Yearly spending (today’s money)

Savings so far

Monthly investment

Yearly increase in investment

Expected return

Inflation

Safe withdrawal rate

You'd draw 4% of the pot each year, so you need 25.0× a year of spending.

Savings vs the target

Your savingsFIRE targetFuture amounts

Your savings cross the target at 50. The target keeps rising with inflation.

Your age

Show the numbers as a table

Savings vs the target: data
Age	Savings	Target
30	$100,000	$1,000,000
31	$141,601	$1,060,000
32	$188,943	$1,123,600
33	$242,678	$1,191,016
34	$303,528	$1,262,477
35	$372,292	$1,338,226
36	$449,854	$1,418,519
37	$537,188	$1,503,630
38	$635,373	$1,593,848
39	$745,600	$1,689,479
40	$869,184	$1,790,848
41	$1,007,578	$1,898,299
42	$1,162,384	$2,012,196
43	$1,335,374	$2,132,928
44	$1,528,501	$2,260,904
45	$1,743,919	$2,396,558
46	$1,984,008	$2,540,352
47	$2,251,391	$2,692,773
48	$2,548,961	$2,854,339
49	$2,879,909	$3,025,600
50	$3,247,755	$3,207,135

Your FIRE number

$3.21M

$3,207,135

What you need at 50: 25× your yearly spending then.

Lean FIRE

$2.57M

Fat FIRE

$6.41M

Coast FIRE

$477K

You have $100K

Expense today

$40K

a year

Expense at 50

$128K

a year

Year-by-year table20 years

Year-by-year table
Age	Savings	Target
31	$141,601	$1,060,000
32	$188,943	$1,123,600
33	$242,678	$1,191,016
34	$303,528	$1,262,477
35	$372,292	$1,338,226
36	$449,854	$1,418,519
37	$537,188	$1,503,630
38	$635,373	$1,593,848
39	$745,600	$1,689,479
40	$869,184	$1,790,848
41	$1,007,578	$1,898,299
42	$1,162,384	$2,012,196
43	$1,335,374	$2,132,928
44	$1,528,501	$2,260,904
45	$1,743,919	$2,396,558
46	$1,984,008	$2,540,352
47	$2,251,391	$2,692,773
48	$2,548,961	$2,854,339
49	$2,879,909	$3,025,600
50	$3,247,755	$3,207,135

How this is calculated

Your FIRE number is the pot that can pay your yearly spending at a safe withdrawal rate. At 4%, that’s 25.0× your spending.

target = $40,000 ÷ 4% = $1,000,000
target in year n = target × (1 + 6%)ⁿ

Savings grow monthly: you invest $2,500 at the start of each month, raised 5% every year, at the monthly version of a 10% return.

The 4% rule comes from US market history over 30-year retirements. Retiring earlier, or in a market with lower returns, argues for a lower rate.

Lean FIRE is 0.8× the FIRE number and fat FIRE 2×. Coast FIRE is the FIRE number at 50 divided by (1 + 10%) to the power 20: what you’d need invested today to get there with no more saving.

Tax, pensions and changes in spending after you stop aren’t modelled. Returns are assumed steady.

Frequently asked questions

What is FIRE?

Financial Independence, Retire Early: saving and investing enough that your investments can pay your living costs, so paid work becomes optional.

How is the FIRE number calculated?

Your yearly spending divided by your safe withdrawal rate. At 4% that is 25 times a year of spending; at 3.5% it is about 29 times.

What are lean, fat and coast FIRE?

Lean FIRE covers a frugal lifestyle and fat FIRE a comfortable one with room to spare. Coast FIRE is the amount that, invested today with nothing more added, grows to your FIRE number by your target age.

Is the 4% rule safe for early retirement?

It comes from US market history over 30-year retirements. Retiring in your 30s or 40s means a much longer horizon, so many people plan with 3–3.5% instead.