CalcMyFin

Retirement

FIRE Calculator

FIRE means Financial Independence, Retire Early. Find the portfolio size that could cover your yearly spending, then see how many years of saving and investing it takes to get there.

  • Free, no sign-up
  • Private: runs in your browser
  • Updated September 2026

Your numbers

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How to use the fire (early retirement) calculator

  1. Enter your current age, yearly spending and how much you already have invested.
  2. Add how much you save and invest each year.
  3. Set an expected return after inflation. Many planners use 4–5%.
  4. Choose a withdrawal rate. 4% is common; early retirees often choose 3–3.5% for a longer retirement.

How it's calculated

FIRE number = Yearly spending ÷ Withdrawal rate

At a 4% withdrawal rate that's 25 times your yearly spending. Each year your portfolio grows by the expected real (after-inflation) return and your yearly savings are added, until it reaches the FIRE number. Using a real return keeps everything in today's dollars.

Example

Spending $40,000 a year at a 4% withdrawal rate gives a FIRE number of $1,000,000. A 30-year-old with $50,000 invested who saves $25,000 a year and earns a 5% real return would get there in about 21 years, at age 51.

Tips

  • Your spending matters twice: lower spending means both a smaller FIRE number and more to invest each year.
  • Raising your savings rate usually shortens the timeline more than chasing a higher return.
  • A lower withdrawal rate (3–3.5%) adds a safety margin for retirements that may last 40+ years.
  • Plan for health coverage and irregular costs before leaving full-time work.

Frequently asked questions

What is my FIRE number?
It's the amount invested that could support your yearly spending indefinitely under your withdrawal rate. At 4%, it's 25 times your yearly spending; at 3.5% it's about 28.6 times.
Why use a real return?
A real return is your expected return minus inflation. Using it keeps your FIRE number and spending in today's dollars, so the result is easier to picture.
Is the 4% rule safe for early retirement?
It was based on retirements of about 30 years. Early retirements can last much longer, so many people use 3–3.5% or stay flexible, spending less after bad market years.
What are Lean FIRE and Fat FIRE?
Lean FIRE means retiring on a modest budget; Fat FIRE means a larger one. Try different spending levels above to see how much each changes your timeline.
Retirement Income calculatorHow long your savings will last, and how much you can withdraw.Retirement calculatorProject your nest egg and retirement income.Cost of Waiting calculatorWhat putting off investing could cost you.

Sources

This calculator provides educational estimates only and is not financial, tax, legal or investment advice. Results depend on the assumptions you enter; actual market prices, returns and tax rules may differ.