Coast FIRE Calculator
Find your Coast FIRE number — the amount invested today that grows to full financial independence by retirement with no further contributions. Runs in your browser.
Not yet at Coast FIRE
- Full FI number (25× expenses)
- $1,250,000
- Coast FIRE number (needed today)
- $369,128
- Your savings grow to
- $507,953
- Status
- $219,128 short
Coast FIRE = having enough invested today that, with no further contributions, it grows to your full FI number by retirement: coast number = (25 × expenses) ÷ (1 + return)^years. Once reached, you only need to cover current expenses — you can stop saving for retirement. Use a real return; excludes taxes/Social Security. Informational, not financial advice.
About this tool
Coast FIRE is a milestone on the path to financial independence: the point at which you have enough invested today that, even if you never contribute another dollar to retirement, compound growth alone will carry it to your full FI number by your target retirement age. After hitting it, you still need to cover your current living expenses (so you keep working or earning), but you can stop saving for retirement entirely — a liberating position that allows lower-paying but more fulfilling work, part-time schedules, or career breaks. This calculator computes your Coast FIRE number by discounting your full FI target (25× retirement expenses) back to today at your expected return over the years remaining: coast number = FI ÷ (1 + return)^years. It also projects what your current savings will grow to and tells you whether you have already reached the milestone or how much more you need. Use a real (inflation-adjusted) return so figures are in today's dollars. It excludes taxes and Social Security and assumes steady growth. It is informational, not financial advice. Everything runs in your browser.
How to use it
- Enter your current invested savings.
- Enter your expected annual expenses in retirement.
- Set years until retirement and an expected real return.
- See your Coast FIRE number and whether you've reached it.
Frequently asked questions
- What is Coast FIRE?
- Having enough invested now that compound growth alone reaches your full FI number by retirement, without any further retirement contributions. You still work to pay current bills, but you no longer need to save for retirement — your existing nest egg "coasts" there.
- How is the Coast FIRE number calculated?
- Take your full FI number (25 × retirement expenses) and discount it to today: coast number = FI ÷ (1 + return)^years until retirement. If your current savings meet or exceed that, you have hit Coast FIRE.
- How is this different from regular FIRE?
- Full FIRE means your portfolio covers all your expenses now — you can stop working. Coast FIRE means your retirement is secured by existing investments, but you still need income for current expenses. It is an earlier, more achievable milestone.
- Why use a real return?
- Because your retirement expenses are in today's dollars. Using a real (inflation-adjusted) return keeps both the FI number and the coast number in today's purchasing power; a nominal return would understate what you need.
- What can I do once I reach Coast FIRE?
- You gain flexibility: take a lower-stress or lower-paying job, go part-time, switch careers, or take time off — as long as you cover current expenses without drawing down (or adding to) the retirement portfolio. The retirement piece is on autopilot.
- Is this financial advice?
- No. It is an informational estimate based on a steady-return assumption. Consult a financial advisor for planning.