Wealthy PotFIRE Calculator
Find your FIRE number, the years to financial independence, and your Coast FIRE point. Plan early retirement with this free FIRE calculator.
Find your number for financial independence
FIRE means having enough invested that work becomes optional. Enter your annual spending, what you've invested so far, how much you add each year, and your expected return — the calculator shows your FIRE number, how many years until you reach it, and your Coast FIRE milestone along the way. It also breaks out Lean, Fat, and Barista FIRE targets, adjusts for inflation, and lets you set your own traditional retirement age. Change any input and the page URL updates — copy it to save or share your exact scenario.
How the math works
Your FIRE number is annual spending ÷ withdrawal rate. At a 4% withdrawal rate, $40,000 of spending needs a $1,000,000 portfolio (25×). Lower your spending or your withdrawal rate and the target moves. From there it's compounding: your current investments plus yearly contributions grow at your expected return until they cross the line.
The Coast FIRE shortcut
- Coast FIRE comes before full FIRE — it's when your invested money alone will reach the goal by 65.
- After Coast FIRE you can ease off saving and just cover current bills, letting compounding finish the job.
- Tax-advantaged accounts like a traditional or Roth IRA make the path faster by sheltering growth.
- Once you have a number, stress-test it: the Retirement Withdrawal Calculator backtests whether that portfolio actually survives decades of withdrawals across real market history.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a FIRE number?
Your FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) number is the portfolio size that lets you live off withdrawals indefinitely. It is your annual spending divided by your safe withdrawal rate — at the common 4% rate, that is 25× your yearly expenses.
What is the 4% rule?
A rule of thumb from retirement research: if you withdraw about 4% of your portfolio in the first year and adjust for inflation after, the money has historically lasted 30+ years. Some people use a more conservative 3.5%, especially for very early retirement. Adjust the withdrawal rate in the calculator to see the effect.
What is Coast FIRE?
Coast FIRE is the point where your existing investments will grow into your full FIRE number by traditional retirement age (you set the age — the default is 65) without any further contributions. Once you hit it, you only need to earn enough to cover today's expenses — your retirement is already funded by compounding.
What are Lean, Fat, and Barista FIRE?
Lean FIRE targets a smaller, frugal budget; Fat FIRE funds a more comfortable, higher-spending lifestyle. The calculator shows both, scaled from your own spending (about 0.7× for Lean and 2× for Fat) at your chosen withdrawal rate. Barista FIRE means part-time work covers some expenses — enter that income and the calculator lowers the portfolio you need, because your investments only have to fund the rest.
Does this calculator account for inflation?
Yes. Set an inflation rate and the projection uses a real (inflation-adjusted) return, so both your years-to-FIRE and your target read in today's purchasing power. Leave it at 0 to work in future dollars instead.