When am I Financially Independent?

Your FIRE number is annual spending ÷ safe withdrawal rate (25x at 4%). The projection works in real (after-inflation) returns so the answer is honest about purchasing power.

Current age

Current savings ($)

Monthly contribution ($)

Annual spending in retirement ($)

Nominal annual return (%)

Expected inflation (%)

Safe withdrawal rate (%)

Tax & fees drag (%)

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FIRE number (today's money)

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Years to FI

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Age at FI

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Real (after-inflation) return

What is the 4% rule?

The Trinity Study (1994) found a 4% first-year withdrawal, adjusted for inflation, survived 30+ years in ~95% of historical scenarios. Your FIRE number = annual spending ÷ 0.04 = 25x spending. Early retirees planning 40–50 year horizons often use 3.3–3.5% instead.

Why use real return instead of nominal?

A 7% nominal return with 3% inflation is only ~3.88% real (1.07/1.03 − 1). Nominal projections look impressive but lie about purchasing power — this calculator always works in real terms.

What if my number changes every year?

Re-run it yearly. As spending, savings rate and market returns move, your FI date moves — the tool is a compass, not a contract. Revisit whenever your spending changes by more than ~10%.

Is this financial advice?

No. It's an educational projection under clearly stated assumptions (fixed real return, constant contributions, no taxes beyond the drag field). Real markets are not fixed-rate.

Year-by-year growth (real terms)

Year	Age	Balance (today's $)	Multiple of FIRE