Financial Independence Number Calculator

📖 What is FIRE?

The Concept

FIRE stands for Financial Independence, Retire Early. The idea: accumulate enough invested assets so that your portfolio's annual returns cover all your living expenses — forever. You don't need to "retire" at 65. You retire when your money works harder than you do.

The 4% Rule

The 4% rule comes from the Trinity Study (1998), which found that a portfolio of stocks and bonds survived 30+ years of withdrawals 95% of the time when withdrawing 4% per year. It's not a guarantee — it's a historically-grounded guideline.

At 4%: spend $40,000/year → need $1,000,000 invested. At 3%: need $1,333,333 (more conservative). At 5%: need $800,000 (riskier).

FIRE variants

• Lean FIRE — retire on a very low budget (<$40k/year). Maximum frugality.
• Fat FIRE — retire with a comfortable lifestyle ($80k-$100k+/year).
• Barista FIRE — reach partial FI, then do part-time work to cover remaining expenses.
• Coast FIRE — save enough early that compound growth alone carries you to full FIRE by retirement age.

This calculator is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Results are estimates based on assumed constant returns, which real markets do not provide. Consider consulting a licensed financial advisor.