FIRE Calculator (Financial Independence)
Estimate your FIRE number — the portfolio that lets work become optional — and how long until you reach it.
What FIRE means
FIRE — Financial Independence, Retire Early — is the point where your investments can cover your living costs indefinitely, so paid work becomes a choice rather than a necessity. Your FIRE number is simply your annual spending divided by a safe withdrawal rate (the 4% rule gives 25× your spending). Use a "real" return here (after inflation) so the result is in today's money.
Reaching it fast comes down to two levers: your savings rate and your investment returns. The higher the share of income you invest, the sooner you arrive. Test how long a portfolio lasts at your chosen withdrawal rate with the withdrawal rate calculator, and grow the pot using the Five Criteria.
This is an illustration, not a retirement plan. Real returns vary year to year; build in a margin of safety.