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How much do I need to retire early?

Calculate your FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) number — the portfolio size needed to cover your expenses indefinitely.

What This Calculator Is

A FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) number calculator determines how much you need saved to retire and live off investment returns indefinitely. Based on the concept that you can safely withdraw about 4% of your portfolio annually, it shows your target number and how long it will take to reach at your current savings rate.

Who This Calculator Is For

Anyone pursuing early retirement or financial independence, workers feeling burned out who want to know when they can escape the corporate world, and traditional retirement planners wanting a concrete savings target. The FIRE community uses this as a fundamental planning tool.

When to Use This Calculator

Use this calculator when setting long-term financial goals, evaluating career changes that might affect your timeline, deciding whether to increase savings rate, or determining if side income could accelerate your path to financial independence. Recalculate whenever your annual expenses or investment returns change.

Inputs

$50,000.00
4.000%
$100,000.00
$2,000.00
7.000%

Results

FIRE Number

$1,250,000.00

Years to FIRE18.417
Monthly Passive Income$4,166.67
Progress8.000%

This calculator provides estimates for informational purposes only.

Insights

Your FIRE target

You need $1,250,000.00 to achieve financial independence. At your current savings rate, you'll reach this in approximately 18.4 years.

How FIRE Number Is Calculated

FIRE Number = Annual Expenses ÷ Safe Withdrawal Rate. If you spend $50,000/year and use a 4% withdrawal rate, your FIRE number is $1,250,000. The calculator also projects how long until you reach this target.

fireNumber = annualExpenses / (safeWithdrawalRate/100).
monthlyPassiveIncome = annualExpenses/12; percentComplete = currentSavings/fireNumber*100.
yearsToFire: month-by-month simulation, balance = balance*(1+monthlyRate) + monthlyContribution each month (monthlyRate=expectedReturn/100/12) until balance >= fireNumber or 600-month (50-year) cap; yearsToFire = months/12.
Where: annualExpenses, safeWithdrawalRate (%), currentSavings, monthlyContribution, expectedReturn (%).
Assumptions: classic 4%-rule-style FIRE number (25x expenses at 4% SWR by default, but user-adjustable); monthly compounding; contributions added at end of month; if currentSavings already >= fireNumber, yearsToFire=0 and percentComplete capped at 100; no tax or inflation adjustment during accumulation.

Key Takeaways

  • •Reducing expenses lowers your FIRE number faster than increasing income
  • •The 4% rule comes from the Trinity Study — some prefer 3.5% for extra safety
  • •Consider Lean FIRE (minimal lifestyle) vs Fat FIRE (comfortable lifestyle)
  • •Healthcare is often the biggest expense for early retirees — plan for it
  • •Coast FIRE means saving enough that compound growth will reach your target without more contributions

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