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FIRE Calculator
Plan your path to Financial Independence, Retire Early. Enter your savings, spending and expected return to find your FIRE number and how many years it takes to get there.
Written by TopicDrill Editorial Team·Updated June 2026
Path to financial independence
Portfolio FIRE number
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How the FIRE calculator works
FIRE stands for Financial Independence, Retire Early. The calculator answers two questions. First, how big a portfolio do you need? That is your annual spending divided by your safe withdrawal rate, the level of withdrawals your investments can sustain. Second, when will you reach it? The tool grows your current savings each year at your real return and adds your yearly contributions until the balance crosses your FIRE number.
The chart traces that climb. The shaded area is your portfolio year by year, and the dashed line marks your FIRE number. The point where the two meet is the moment work becomes optional, in today's dollars.
A quick example
Suppose you spend 40,000 dollars a year and use a 4 percent withdrawal rate. Your FIRE number is 40,000 divided by 0.04, or 1,000,000 dollars. Starting with 50,000 dollars, saving 30,000 a year and earning a 5 percent real return, you reach that million in roughly 18 years, supporting about 3,333 dollars of passive income each month.
Things to keep in mind
The model assumes a smooth return and steady saving, so early bad market years, called sequence of returns risk, can change the outcome. Many planners favor a withdrawal rate below 4 percent for very long retirements. For the research behind safe withdrawal rates, see the Trinity study overview. To stress-test the savings half of the plan, run your contributions through our compound interest calculator.
Frequently asked questions
What is a FIRE number?
Your FIRE number is the portfolio size that lets you live off withdrawals without running out of money. It is your annual spending divided by your safe withdrawal rate. At a 4 percent rate, that works out to 25 times your yearly expenses.
What is a safe withdrawal rate?
It is the share of your portfolio you can take out each year and still expect it to last for decades. The widely cited figure is 4 percent, based on historical market studies. A lower rate such as 3.5 percent is more conservative and raises the FIRE number you need.
Why does the calculator use a real return?
A real return is your expected investment growth after subtracting inflation. Using it keeps every figure in today's dollars, so your FIRE number and your projected portfolio are measured on the same scale and the years to independence stay meaningful.
Does the projection guarantee I can retire early?
No. It assumes a steady real return and constant saving, while real markets swing up and down and life costs change. Treat the years to FIRE as a planning estimate, build in a margin of safety, and revisit the numbers as your income and spending evolve.
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