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FIRE calculator

Financial Independence, Retire Early. Enter your savings, what you add each year, and what you spend, and find out the age your investments could cover your life for good.

Years to independence19
Your numbers
$
$
$
You could reach financial independence at
Age 54
That's 19 years from now, when your portfolio hits $1,500,000.
FIRE number
$1,500,000
Savings rate
40%
Uses a constant real return, so figures are in today's dollars. Real markets vary. This is an estimate for planning, not financial advice.
Build your real FIRE plan
This is a simplified single-number estimate. planbend models real accounts, Social Security, healthcare before Medicare, taxes, and market scenarios, the things that actually decide your FIRE date. Free to start.

What FIRE actually means

FIRE Financial Independence, Retire Early is the point where your investments can cover your living costs without a paycheck. You're not required to stop working, but you're free to. The whole game is reaching your FIRE number: the size of portfolio that, at a safe withdrawal rate, throws off enough to live on indefinitely.

Why savings rate is everything

For early retirement, how much you save matters more than how much you earn. A high savings rate does two things at once: it grows your investments faster and it lowers the spending you need to replace. Save 50% of your take-home pay and financial independence is roughly 17 years away; push to 65% and it's closer to a decade. This is why the FIRE community obsesses over the savings rate above all else.

The withdrawal rate question

The classic 4% rule was built on 30-year retirements. Retire at 45 and you might need your money to last 50 years, which leads many early retirees to use a more conservative 3.25% to 3.5% rate. A lower rate raises your FIRE number but cuts the risk of running out, a tradeoff worth modeling rather than guessing.

planbend is a planning tool, not a financial advisor. This calculator uses a constant real return and a simple contribution model. Real life has raises, market swings, taxes, and changing expenses. For decisions about your own plan, the Resources page can help you find a licensed professional.

Common questions

What is FIRE?
Financial Independence, Retire Early. You save aggressively until investments cover your living costs indefinitely, giving you the freedom to stop working well before traditional retirement age.
How is the FIRE number calculated?
Annual spending divided by your safe withdrawal rate. At 4%, $60,000 of spending means a $1.5 million FIRE number.
What savings rate do I need?
It's the biggest lever. Roughly 50% savings leads to independence in about 17 years; 65% in about 10. Higher rates grow investments faster and lower the spending you must replace.
Is the 4% rule safe for early retirement?
It was built for 30-year retirements. For a 40 to 50 year horizon, many use 3.25% to 3.5%, which raises the FIRE number but lowers the risk of running out.
Definitions
FIRE, FI Number
Related reading: Budgeting for FIRE: savings rate vs 50/30/20