FIRE Calculator

Use this free FIRE Calculator to plan your path to Financial Independence and Early Retirement. Enter your income, expenses, and savings rate to calculate your FIRE number, projected retirement date, and Coast FIRE milestone. Powered by historical S&P 500 data — see how different scenarios and market conditions affect your timeline to financial independence.

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Positive amounts add to your investments, negative amounts withdraw. Recurring items are treated as monthly flows.

One-off events Log single cash inflows or expenses that happen in a specific month; use negative amounts for withdrawals.
Recurring income or expenses Track ongoing monthly contributions or bills; they repeat on the schedule you set until their optional end date.
› Inputs
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FIRE reach Shows the first month your portfolio is projected to meet or exceed the FIRE number. If it never does, we note the shortfall.

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Portfolio at horizon Portfolio value at the final month of the simulation based on your current plan.

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Required monthly contribution Minimum monthly contribution needed to hit your FIRE number in the target year, given returns and cash-flow events.

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Coast-FIRE Indicates whether compounding alone can reach the FIRE number by the target date without further contributions.

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Retirement withdrawals Summarises cumulative withdrawals taken during retirement along with the average annual amount.

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Progress Towards Your Goal

Current
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FIRE Target
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Goal completion Compares your projected portfolio, target-year balance, and Coast-FIRE buffer against the required FIRE number.

Final portfolio vs FIRE target 0%
Target year projection 0%
Coast buffer 0%

Savings rate Measures what share of your monthly income is invested and provides guidance on the strength of that savings rate.

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Savings rate comparison Compares your current savings rate (monthly contribution as % of income) to the required rate needed to reach your FIRE goal on time.

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Required 0%

Peak burn rate Highlights the largest projected withdrawal so you can spot stressful periods in the plan.

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Return profile Displays the annualized return, volatility, and inflation assumptions behind this projection.

Nominal annual return Annualized growth rate of the portfolio before accounting for inflation.
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Real annual return Annualized return after subtracting the inflation assumption.
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Annual volatility Standard deviation of annual returns implied by the projection.
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Inflation assumption The inflation rate used to convert nominal projections into real dollars.
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Wealth Sources

Annual Returns Heatmap

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Sharpe Ratio Risk-adjusted return: (Avg Annual Return − Inflation) / Annual Volatility. Higher is better, showing more return per unit of risk.

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Best & Worst Year Highlights the highest and lowest annual returns in your projection to show the range of outcomes.

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Worst —

Portfolio Stability Percentage of months with positive real (inflation-adjusted) returns. Higher means more consistent growth.

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Portfolio Drawdowns

Enter your portfolio above to see which countries you could retire in today.

Already FI Getting close (≥75%) Halfway there (≥50%) Not yet

Country costs scaled from your FIRE spending using cost-of-living indices. Estimates only — actual costs vary by lifestyle and location.

Adjust Inputs
$150K Portfolio
$1,000 Monthly
30 Years

About This FIRE Calculator

This free FIRE calculator uses historical S&P 500 return data to model your journey to financial independence. Based on the principles of the FIRE movement and research on safe withdrawal rates. Enter your savings, income, and expenses to find your FIRE number and retirement date.

What is a FIRE number?

Your FIRE number is the portfolio size at which investment returns cover your living costs indefinitely. The standard formula: FIRE number = annual expenses × 25, which corresponds to a 4% safe withdrawal rate. Spending $40,000 a year means a $1 million target; $80,000 means $2 million. A more conservative 3.5% rate gives expenses × 28.6 — this fire number calculator lets you adjust the rate and watch the target move.

How many years until I reach FIRE?

Mostly a function of your savings rate, not your income. The gap between earning and spending gets invested and compounds; the calculator projects that growth using historical S&P 500 returns and reports the year your balance crosses your FIRE number. Saving 50% of income typically means financial independence in roughly 15–17 years from zero — saving 10% means 50+.

FIRE vs Coast FIRE vs Barista FIRE

Full FIRE: portfolio covers everything, forever. Coast FIRE: you've saved enough that compounding alone reaches your FIRE number by traditional retirement age — you still cover current expenses but can stop saving. Barista FIRE: a part-time job covers part of your expenses while a smaller portfolio handles the rest. This calculator flags your Coast FIRE milestone automatically on the way to full FIRE.

Is the 4% rule safe for early retirees?

The original research covered 30-year retirements. Early retirees facing 40–60 year horizons often plan on 3.25–3.75%, which raises the FIRE number. Flexibility beats precision: the ability to trim spending or earn a little in bad market years improves outcomes more than any decimal on the withdrawal rate.

Does this calculator account for inflation?

Yes — projections run in inflation-adjusted (real) terms, so the FIRE number and retirement date reflect constant purchasing power. Future values shown are directly comparable to today's dollars.

Where to Go From Here

Found your FIRE number? Next, pressure-test the path. See exactly how your savings rate drives your FI date with the Savings Rate Calculator, check whether you've already hit the point where compounding can finish the job with the Coast FIRE Calculator, or model a part-time-work hybrid with the Barista FIRE Calculator. Once you're close, stress-test your withdrawal plan against real market history with the Retirement Simulator — or go deeper with our FIRE Calculator Guide.

This tool is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Results are estimates based on historical data and the assumptions you enter — past performance does not guarantee future results.