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CalcTortoise

FIRE Calculator

Financial independence, retire early: see how much you need invested and how many years it will take at your savings rate.

Written by the CalcTortoise editorial team · How we work

years

In today’s money.

Assumed: 5% return above inflation, 4% withdrawal rate. Change

Share of the portfolio withdrawn in year one. Lower is safer for a long retirement.

years

Your FIRE number

$1,250,000

You need $1.25 million — 25× your yearly spending. Saving $25,000 a year, you get there at 53. To stop at 50, save $31,384 a year.

Financially independent at
53
Saving a year to stop at 50
$31,384
Yearly spending it covers
$50,000
Monthly
$4,167

Illustration only, not investment, tax or legal advice. Returns are assumed, not predicted.

Portfolio vs. FIRE numberPortfolioFIRE number

Year by year

AgeSavedGrowthBalance
31$25,000$4,000$109,000
32$25,000$5,450$139,450
33$25,000$6,973$171,423
34$25,000$8,571$204,994
35$25,000$10,250$240,243
36$25,000$12,012$277,255
37$25,000$13,863$316,118
38$25,000$15,806$356,924
39$25,000$17,846$399,770
40$25,000$19,989$444,759
41$25,000$22,238$491,997
42$25,000$24,600$541,597
43$25,000$27,080$593,677
44$25,000$29,684$648,360
45$25,000$32,418$705,778
46$25,000$35,289$766,067
47$25,000$38,303$829,371
48$25,000$41,469$895,839
49$25,000$44,792$965,631
50$25,000$48,282$1,038,913
51$25,000$51,946$1,115,858
52$25,000$55,793$1,196,651
53$25,000$59,833$1,281,484
54$25,000$64,074$1,370,558
55$25,000$68,528$1,464,086
56$25,000$73,204$1,562,290
57$25,000$78,115$1,665,405
58$25,000$83,270$1,773,675

How to use this calculator

  1. Enter your age, expected spending and what you have invested.
  2. Add your yearly investing and a real (after-inflation) return.
  3. Choose a withdrawal rate and a target age.

Frequently asked questions

What is the 4% rule?

A rule of thumb from US market history: withdraw 4% of your portfolio in year one, then adjust for inflation, and the money has historically lasted about 30 years. It sets the FIRE number at 25× spending — $1,250,000 for $50,000 a year.

Is 4% safe for an early retirement?

For a retirement of 40 years or more, many planners prefer 3–3.5%. At 3.5%, the example needs $1,428,571.

What matters most for retiring early?

Your savings rate. Investing $37,500 a year instead of $25,000 moves financial independence from 53 to 49.

Why is the return after inflation?

So all figures stay in today’s dollars. A 7% nominal return with 2.5% inflation is roughly a 4.5% real return.

Sources and method

Standard compound-interest formulas, tested against worked examples. Nothing here depends on outside data; the rates you type in are your own assumptions.

No outside data is used. The numbers you type in are the only inputs.

Page and formula last reviewed . How we calculate · Editorial policy · Corrections and change log

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Last updated 10 October 2026. For information only — not financial advice. Check the final figures with your lender or bank.