When can I stop?
Financial Independence, Retire Early. Two answers, equally important: the dollar number you need, and the calendar year you reach it.
01Where you stand
$
$/mo
yr
%
02The goal
$
FIRE Number = expenses × 25= $1.1M
%
4% rule (Trinity Study) — portfolio lasts 30+ years 95% of the time
03 · The two answers
Where you are right now$50k of $1.1M · 4.8%
Savings rate
36%
Total contributed
$462k
Compound earned
$588k
COAST FIRE
$159k
The cost of waiting
Start 5 years later and you'll have $120k less in compound — and FIRE moves to year 29.5.
The first $50k took years. The last $50k toward FIRE takes months — because compound is doing the work, not you.
02 · The path
From $50k today to $1.1M in 24.5 years
Portfolio balance · with compound vs without · today's dollars
Balance w/ compound
Contributions only
Compound gains
Milestones · stages on the way
COAST FIRE
$159k
You can stop contributing — compound finishes the job
LeanFIRE
$788k
75% of target · barebones early exit
FIRE
$1.1M
Full target · 25× expenses · 4% withdrawal
FatFIRE
$1.3M
125% of target · comfortable buffer
Year by year · today's dollars
03 · Sensitivity
One lever at a time
COAST FIRE
$159k
If you stop contributing today and just let the portfolio grow at 8%, you'll still reach $1.1M by year 24.5 — but only if your balance today is at least $159k. That's the COAST FIRE threshold.
Tune the engine
Investment calculator
See how each input changes the growth curve — return, contribution, horizon.
Open ↗Find the $2.0k
Budget — feed the FIRE
The monthly contribution comes from a budget that names every dollar. See where it can come from.
Open ↗Save your work