Calculate your FIRE number using the 4% rule. Enter annual expenses, current portfolio, and savings rate to find your target and timeline to financial independence.
Added May 6, 2026
Input
Result
Enter a value for annual expenses in retirement to see your result.
Calculates your FIRE number — the total portfolio needed to retire early using the 4% rule — and estimates how long it will take to reach it based on your current savings and annual contributions.
FIRE Number = Annual Expenses × 25
Spending $50,000 per year requires $1.25M to retire (4% rule). With $100k already saved, you need $1.15M more — about 48 years at $24k/year without market growth.
Inputs
Result
The 4% rule states that you can withdraw 4% of your retirement portfolio per year and it will last 30+ years with high probability. Based on the Trinity Study, it's derived from historical US stock/bond returns. Multiplying annual expenses by 25 (1/4%) gives the portfolio needed.
For very early retirees with 40+ year horizons, many FIRE practitioners use a 33× or 35× multiplier (3–3% withdrawal rate). The 4% rule was designed for a 30-year retirement. Adjust the formula mentally if you plan to retire before 50.
Showing a zero-growth estimate is conservative and avoids overpromising. In practice, a 5–7% real (inflation-adjusted) return dramatically shortens the timeline. For a compound-growth projection, use the Retirement Calculator.
Include housing (rent/mortgage or equivalent), food, transport, healthcare (especially if pre-Medicare), insurance, subscriptions, travel, and a buffer for unexpected costs. Many people underestimate healthcare and housing maintenance.