FIRE Calculator

Calculate your Financial Independence, Retire Early target and see how many years until you can stop working.

FIRE target

$1,000,000

Portfolio needed to cover $40,000/yr at 4% withdrawal.

Years to FIRE

13

You could reach financial independence in 13 years.

Savings rate

50%

You save $40,000 per year from your income.

Progress to FIRE

Current: $100,000

Remaining: $900,000

Start: Today

Latest: Year 13

Final value: $1,092,212

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How it works

The FIRE calculator answers a question that traditional retirement planning often ignores: what if you want to stop working decades before the standard retirement age? FIRE — Financial Independence, Retire Early — reframes retirement as a function of savings rate rather than age. The higher the percentage of income you save and invest, the fewer years you need to work. This calculator turns those inputs into a concrete number and timeline.

The math starts with your annual expenses and a safe withdrawal rate to determine your FIRE target — the portfolio size that can sustain your spending indefinitely. Then it projects your current savings forward with monthly contributions and compound growth to find when you cross that threshold. The savings rate is the single most powerful lever: moving from 20% to 50% can cut decades off the timeline. The chart makes that compounding trajectory tangible and helps you calibrate how aggressive to be.

Frequently asked questions

What is the FIRE movement?

FIRE stands for Financial Independence, Retire Early. The idea is to save and invest aggressively so your portfolio can sustain your living expenses indefinitely, freeing you from mandatory employment.

What savings rate do I need for FIRE?

The higher your savings rate, the faster you reach FIRE. At 50% savings rate, FIRE is roughly 17 years away. At 75%, it is about 7 years. The math depends on your return assumptions and spending level.

Is the 4% withdrawal rate safe?

The 4% rule is based on historical data showing a 4% initial withdrawal rate, adjusted for inflation, survived most 30-year periods. Some prefer 3.5% for extra safety, especially for early retirees with longer time horizons.

Compare investment platforms for FIRE

Low-cost brokerages popular with the FIRE community.

ProviderTypeHighlight
VanguardBrokeragePioneer of low-cost index investingOpen account
FidelityBrokerageZero-fee index funds, no minimumsOpen account
M1 FinanceBrokerageAutomated investing with custom portfoliosGet started

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