FIRE and Retirement
Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE) is not a fantasy. It is a math problem — and here is the calculator to solve it.
Written by Mike Starr
Founder, StackedTomorrow · M.S. Organizational Management
Last Reviewed: August 2026
Educational Content Only. All content on this page is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute financial, investment, legal, tax, or retirement advice. The calculators and projections shown are illustrative models — not predictions or guarantees of future performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Always consult a qualified financial professional before making investment or retirement decisions.
Find your number and your date — the day you walk away from work, forever.
FIRE formula: 25× annual expenses. Withdraw 4% per year.
🎯 Your future self retires at age 52 — 22 years from now.
Potential for financial independence — your money works for you.
The green line is your FIRE target. Once your portfolio crosses it, you're financially free — your investments generate more than you spend, forever.
If your investments return 7% and inflation is 3%, you can safely withdraw 4% of your portfolio annually forever. This is the foundation of FIRE. (Based on the Trinity Study, Cooley, Hubbard & Walz, 1998)
Multiply your annual expenses by 25. That's your target portfolio size. Reach it, and you're financially independent — work becomes optional.
Your savings rate — not your income — determines when you retire. A 50% savings rate means ~17 years to financial independence, regardless of your salary.
Consistent monthly investments into low-cost index funds beat virtually every active strategy over 20+ year timeframes. Boredom is the secret ingredient.
| Savings Rate | Years to FIRE | Starting at 30 |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | 51 years | Retire at 81 |
| 25% | 32 years | Retire at 62 |
| 40% | 22 years | Retire at 52 |
| 50% | 17 years | Retire at 47 |
| 65% | 11 years | Retire at 41 |
| 75% | 7 years | Retire at 37 |
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