Your Financial Independence number is the portfolio size likely to support your annual spending. A quick estimate is: FI = yearly expenses ÷ SWR. Example: $40,000 spending and a 4% SWR ⇒ $1,000,000 target.
Project your nest egg, check if your plan funds your target spending, and see how long money lasts — all inflation-adjusted.
| Year | Age | Start Balance | Contributions (real) | Growth (real) | End Balance |
|---|
| Year | Age | Start Balance | Portfolio Withdrawal | Other Income | Growth (real) | End Balance |
|---|
Assumes constant annual returns (real), contributions monthly (aggregated yearly), and inflation-adjusted withdrawals. Markets are volatile — consider stress-testing with lower returns or a higher withdrawal rate to add safety margin.
Instantly estimate your Financial Independence (FI) target based on spending and withdrawal rate.
See how long until you can retire early at your current saving rate — down to the month.
Adjust return, inflation, and savings rate to stress-test your plan in seconds.
Model 4% rule (or custom SWR), partial retirement, and “Coast FI” scenarios.
Add raises, side-income, or one-time lump sums to see their impact on your retire date.
All calculations run in your browser. No sign-ups, no uploads, no tracking.
Estimate your FI number, retire date, and safe spending — then stress-test the plan.
Early retirement isn’t just for tech millionaires or people who own yacht factories. It’s a math problem with a lifestyle twist. If you can save enough money so your investments pay your bills, you’re free to spend your time however you want. Read that again. This guide translates the big ideas—FI numbers, withdrawal rates, returns, inflation, sequence risk—into plain English so even a curious 10-year-old could nod along (though we’ll allow some grown-up coffee metaphors).
Your FI number is the nest egg that can safely fund your spending forever (or long enough to make you smile). A fast estimate is:
FI Number = Annual Spending ÷ Safe Withdrawal Rate (SWR)
If you plan to spend $36,000 per year and you choose a 4% SWR, your target is 36,000 ÷ 0.04 = $900,000. If you want an extra cushion, use 3.5% ⇒ about $1,028,571. Lower SWR = bigger safety margin, higher SWR = smaller target but more risk. There’s no magic single number—you pick a comfort zone.
How long until you hit the target depends on three levers:
Our calculator takes these and shows a projected date. It’s not fortune-telling; it’s a disciplined estimate. You can slide assumptions up/down and pick a plan that still works under “meh” market conditions.
Safe Withdrawal Rate (SWR) is how much you can take from your portfolio in year one, then adjust that amount for inflation each year. The famous rule of thumb is 4%, based on long-term historical market data. For very long retirements (30–50 years), many people prefer 3.25–3.75% for extra safety, especially if they want to sleep like a happy cat during market storms.
Other approaches include:
Inflation is the slow thief. It makes future lattes pricier, so your income must rise too. That’s why we plan in real (today’s) dollars and increase withdrawals annually to keep buying power.
Sequence of returns risk is the chaos gremlin: if markets drop early in retirement while you’re withdrawing, your portfolio takes a double hit. Counter it by keeping 1–2 years of cash for spending, being flexible with withdrawals, or using a lower SWR at the start.
Life is messy (and charming). Build wiggle room:
If your investments can grow to fully fund traditional-age retirement without more contributions, you’ve reached Coast FI. You might switch to work you love (even if it pays less), or go part-time, because future-you is already funded by compounding. Semi-retirement is also powerful: a modest part-time income reduces withdrawals, effectively lowering the FI number you need on day one.
Taxes can be optimized with strategy:
Our calculator simplifies the big picture; a tax pro can tailor the fine print.
Turning years into months requires morale. Try this:
Early retirement isn’t a lottery ticket. It’s a schedule of small decisions that compound into freedom: automatic investments, thoughtful spending, and a plan tough enough to survive rainy seasons. Use the Early Retirement Calculator to see your numbers, then let time and consistency do their quiet magic. Future-you is already waving from a weekday morning hike.
Honest answers about FI numbers, withdrawal rates, inflation, healthcare, and risk.
Your Financial Independence number is the portfolio size likely to support your annual spending. A quick estimate is: FI = yearly expenses ÷ SWR. Example: $40,000 spending and a 4% SWR ⇒ $1,000,000 target.
SWR is the percentage of your portfolio you can withdraw in year one of retirement (then adjust for inflation each year) with a high chance your money lasts. 4% is a popular rule of thumb; many early retirees use 3.25–3.75% to be more conservative, especially for very long retirements.
Higher real returns (returns minus inflation) propel you to FI sooner; higher inflation raises future expenses, pushing FI later. Use the sliders to stress-test: aim for a plan that still works under modest returns and higher inflation.
Coast FI is when you’ve already invested enough that—without adding another dollar—compound growth alone should fund retirement at a normal age. You can “coast” by just covering living expenses from work you enjoy, often part-time.
Yes. Retirement spending should include all recurring costs: housing, food, transport, insurance, healthcare, travel, taxes, etc. The more accurate your annual spending, the more reliable your FI target.
They’re a major line item. Include premiums, deductibles, and out-of-pocket costs. If you’ll rely on marketplace plans, estimate with today’s premiums and add an inflation buffer.
Sequence of returns risk means early losses hurt more. Mitigate by keeping 1–2 years of cash for spending, being flexible with withdrawals in down years, or choosing a lower SWR (e.g., 3.5%).
Absolutely. Part-time income reduces portfolio withdrawals and can dramatically lower your FI target. The calculator lets you add expected retirement income to see the effect.
Use today’s (real) dollars for spending clarity. The tool adjusts with your inflation assumption so projections remain apples-to-apples.
Quarterly works well. Update after raises, major purchases, market shifts, or changes in spending goals.
No. Everything happens locally in your browser. Close the tab and it’s gone. You can export or print if you want a record.
A conservative planning range is 3–5% real (after inflation) for a diversified stock-heavy portfolio. Plan conservatively; celebrate if reality is better.