Growth rate

This is the average annual investment return — adjusted for inflation — we assume your money earns while it's invested, both while you're actively saving and after you've hit Coast FIRE. The 7% default is the common FIRE-community shorthand for long-run U.S. stock market performance: roughly a 10% average nominal return minus about 3% average inflation. It's a long-run historical average, not a promise — real returns vary a lot year to year, and the future may not look like the past. Adjust the slider to model a more conservative or more optimistic assumption.

What is Coast FIRE?

"Coast FIRE" is the point where you could stop contributing to retirement savings entirely and — assuming your investments keep growing at your assumed rate — you'd still reach your FI number by your target retirement age through compounding alone. It doesn't mean you can stop working now; it means your current investments are already "on track," so any further saving becomes optional rather than required.

What this calculator doesn't account for

• Sequence-of-returns risk — we use one flat average growth rate rather than the year-to-year ups and downs a real portfolio experiences, which matters a lot, especially in the years right around retirement.
• Taxes — not modeled directly. That's why "Annual income" asks for your after-tax, take-home pay: since we don't calculate taxes separately, income minus expenses needs to reflect money you actually have available to save, not gross pay you never see.
• Constant income, expenses, and savings rate — we assume these hold steady, in today's dollars, for the entire projection. Real life rarely stays that constant.
• Today's dollars — all figures are in real (inflation-adjusted) terms, not future nominal dollars.
• This is an educational estimate, not financial advice — consult a financial professional for a plan tailored to your situation.