FIRE Calculator
Financial Independence, Retire Early — calculate your target portfolio and timeline to freedom.
Financial Independence, Retire Early — calculate your target portfolio and timeline to freedom.
FIRE Number
$1,250,000
Years to FIRE
26 years
FIRE Age
Age 56
Savings Rate
50.0%
Annual Savings
$50,000
Monthly Savings Needed
$2,711
The FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) calculator helps you determine when you can retire by calculating how long it takes for your investment portfolio to reach a level that can sustain your annual expenses indefinitely. It uses the safe withdrawal rate (typically 4%) to determine your FIRE number — the portfolio size needed so that annual withdrawals cover your expenses without depleting the principal over a 30+ year retirement.
Formula
FIRE Number = Annual Expenses ÷ Safe Withdrawal Rate
For example, if you spend $50,000/year and use a 4% withdrawal rate, your FIRE number is $50,000 ÷ 0.04 = $1,250,000. The calculator then projects how long it takes to reach this number given your savings rate and expected investment returns.
The total portfolio value you need to retire. It's calculated by dividing your annual expenses by your safe withdrawal rate. This is the amount that, when invested, can generate enough returns to cover your living costs indefinitely.
The percentage of your portfolio you can withdraw annually without running out of money. The famous "4% rule" comes from the Trinity Study, which found that a 4% initial withdrawal rate (adjusted for inflation) survived most 30-year historical periods.
The percentage of your income that you save and invest. This is the single most important factor in reaching FIRE. A 50% savings rate means you can retire in roughly 17 years; a 75% savings rate cuts that to about 7 years.
A milestone where you've saved enough that, even without additional contributions, your portfolio will grow to your FIRE number by traditional retirement age. Once you reach Coast FIRE, you only need to earn enough to cover current expenses.
Alex is 30, earns $100,000/year, spends $50,000/year, has $50,000 saved, and expects 8% investment returns.
Result: At an 8% return with $50,000/year in contributions, Alex can reach the $1,250,000 FIRE number in approximately 14 years — retiring at age 44. If Alex reduces expenses to $40,000/year, the FIRE number drops to $1,000,000 and the timeline shortens to about 12 years.
Fact-Checked — All content is reviewed for accuracy against authoritative sources including IRS.gov, Federal Reserve data, and established financial research.
Discover the Financial Independence, Retire Early movement — what it is, how it works, and whether i…
Read guide InvestingEverything you need to know to start investing — from stocks and bonds to index funds and retirement…
Read guide SavingsDiscover the right monthly savings target for your income level, learn the 50/30/20 framework, and b…
Read guide