FIRE Calculator

Your FIRE number is the portfolio size at which your investment returns can cover your expenses indefinitely. The classic 4% rule, from the Trinity Study, suggests you can withdraw 4% of your portfolio annually without running out, which puts your FIRE number at 25 times your annual expenses. We simulate your portfolio month by month until it hits that target.

The catch: sequence-of-returns risk. A bad market in the first years of retirement can sink a plan that looked bulletproof on paper. That's why many early retirees keep a "volatility buffer" of guaranteed, liquid cash value they can draw on in down years instead of selling stocks at a loss. Learn how that works in our infinite banking strategy guide, or see how policies fit into retirement planning.