FIRE & Retirement

FIRE Calculator

Enter your savings, income and spending to see your FIRE number, how many years until you reach financial independence, and the age you could retire.

Your numbers

How the FIRE calculator works

Your FIRE number is the portfolio size at which a safe withdrawal rate covers your annual spending:

FIRE number = Annual spending ÷ Safe withdrawal rate

With $45,000 of spending and a 4% withdrawal rate, that's $1,125,000. The calculator then grows your current savings at your expected return, adds what you save each year (take-home income minus spending), and counts the years until the balance reaches your FIRE number.

All numbers are in today's dollars. Using a real (inflation-adjusted) return keeps the FIRE number meaningful: a 5% real return is roughly a 7.5% to 8% nominal return with 2.5% to 3% inflation.

Why savings rate matters more than income

Spending appears twice in the math. Cutting $5,000 a year of spending adds $5,000 to your yearly savings and lowers your FIRE number by $125,000 at a 4% withdrawal rate. That's why two people with very different incomes but the same savings rate reach FI in about the same number of years.

Choosing a withdrawal rate

The 4% rule comes from studies of US market history (the Trinity study and William Bengen's research) showing that withdrawing 4% of a stock-and-bond portfolio in year one, then adjusting for inflation, survived nearly every 30-year period. Early retirees face 40 to 50 years, so many use 3.25% to 3.75% for a larger margin of safety.

Withdrawal rateFIRE number multiple$50,000 spending needs
4.0%25×$1,250,000
3.5%28.6×$1,428,571
3.0%33.3×$1,666,667

Frequently asked questions

What is a FIRE number?
It's the amount you need invested to cover your annual spending from withdrawals alone. With the 4% rule it's 25 times your annual spending.
Should I include my home equity?
Usually not, unless you plan to sell and downsize. Your FIRE number should be made of assets that can produce income or be sold to fund spending.
What about Social Security?
Many early retirees ignore it for a safety margin. If you include it, reduce your annual spending by the benefit you expect and remember it won't start until age 62 to 70.
Does this include taxes in retirement?
Include the taxes you expect to pay in retirement in your annual spending. Withdrawals from Roth accounts and long-term capital gains can be taxed lightly, but traditional 401(k) and IRA withdrawals are taxed as income.

Last reviewed: 2026-10-09

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