FIRE Calculator
Your FIRE number is your yearly spending divided by your withdrawal rate: $50,000 a year at 4% is $1,250,000. With $150,000 invested, $24,000 saved a year and a 5% real return, you reach it in 21 years. Type your own figures to see your number, your year and the chart.
Your FIRE number and year
$1,250,000
Your FIRE number
- Years to FIRE 21 (age 53)
- That is 25 × your yearly spending
- Portfolio in 10 years $546,204
- Portfolio in 20 years $1,191,578
- Yearly income at target $50,000 a year, $4,167 a month
| Year | Age | Portfolio |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 32 | $150,000 |
| 5 | 37 | $324,057 |
| 10 | 42 | $546,204 |
| 15 | 47 | $829,725 |
| 20 | 52 | $1,191,578 |
| 21 | 53 | $1,275,156 |
How is the FIRE number and the year worked out?
FIRE number = yearly spending ÷ withdrawal rate. Each year: balance = balance × (1 + real return) + yearly saving. The year you reach FIRE is the first year the balance is at or above the number.
Worked example. $50,000 ÷ 0.04 = $1,250,000. Starting from $150,000: after year one the balance is 150,000 × 1.05 + 24,000 = $181,500; after year two, $214,575. The balance passes $1,250,000 in year 21, so FIRE arrives at age 53.
Everything is in today’s money: the 5% is a real return, after inflation, so the $1,250,000 target does not need inflating.
What moves the date most?
Spending, twice over: every dollar you plan to spend in retirement adds 25 to the target, and every dollar you do not spend now is a dollar saved. A 10% cut in planned spending takes about two years off a typical timeline; a 10-point rise in the savings rate takes off more. The return matters too, but it is the one input you do not control, so test the plan at 3% as well as 5%.
Lean, regular and fat FIRE
The same calculator covers all three; only the spending changes. Lean FIRE is a frugal budget, often quoted around $25,000 to $40,000 a year for one person. Regular FIRE is your current spending carried on. Fat FIRE is a generous budget, often six figures. Type the spending that matches the life you want, not the one you have now.
Checking the result against the 4% rule
The number assumes the withdrawal rate you typed will hold for the rest of your life. The 4% rule was tested over 30-year retirements; for a 50-year one, 3.5% or 3.25% is the safer planning figure, which raises the target by 14% to 23%. The safe withdrawal rate calculator shows how long a portfolio lasts at each rate, and the guide to the 4 percent rule explains where the rule came from.
Questions about the FIRE calculator
What is a FIRE number?
The size of portfolio that can pay your yearly spending for the rest of your life: spending divided by a withdrawal rate. At the 4% rule it is 25 times spending, so $50,000 a year needs $1,250,000. The FIRE number page shows it at other rates.
What return should I type?
A real return, meaning after inflation, because your spending and your FIRE number are in today’s money. US stocks have returned about 7% a year real over the long run; a portfolio with bonds in it less. 5% is a common planning figure, and 3% to 4% a cautious one. The chart redraws as you change it, so try several.
Why does the calculator use yearly steps?
Because monthly compounding changes the answer by a few months at most and adds false precision to a forecast that is uncertain by years. The saving is added at the end of each year; the year you reach the number is the first whole year the balance is at or above it.
Does it include taxes, fees or Social Security?
No. Type your saving after tax, type a return after fund fees, and if you expect a pension or Social Security use the how much do I need to retire calculator, which subtracts it from your spending.
What if I will never reach the number at my current saving?
The calculator says so rather than showing a date 120 years away. Three things move it fastest: a higher savings rate (see the savings rate calculator), lower planned spending, and a part-time income in retirement (Barista FIRE).
Is this financial advice?
No. It is arithmetic on the numbers you type, with the assumptions shown. Markets do not return a steady 5% a year, and the order of good and bad years matters once you start withdrawing. Treat the result as a planning estimate and revisit it yearly.