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Coast FIRE Calculator

Find the portfolio at which existing investments alone will fund retirement without further saving.

About Coast FIRE Calculator

Discounting the full FIRE number back to today gives the balance that would grow into it without any further contributions. It is a far smaller number than full independence and is usually reached decades earlier. Coast FIRE is the point where work becomes optional in degree rather than in kind, since you only need to cover current spending rather than keep saving.

Formula

Coast FIRE

Coast FIRE number = full FIRE number ÷ (1 + real return)^years to retirement

Coast FIRE
The point at which you can stop contributing and still retire on time

Worked example

With the default values below, Coast FIRE Calculator returns Coast FIRE Number of $295,302.77. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Annual spending in retirementminimum 0
40,000
Safe withdrawal rateaccepts 0–100 %
4 %
Years until retirementaccepts 1–50 years
25 years
Expected real returnaccepts 0.1–20 %
5 %
Current portfoliominimum 0
150,000

Results

Coast FIRE Number
$295,302.77
Full FIRE Number at Retirement
$1,000,000.00
Still Needed to Reach Coast FIRE
$145,302.77
Progress to Coast FIRE
50.8%
Verdict
Keep contributing — 145303 still needed to coast

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Coast FIRE
  3. 3Coast FIRE Number= 295,302.77
  4. 4Full FIRE Number at Retirement= 1,000,000.00
  5. 5Still Needed to Reach Coast FIRE= 145,302.77
  6. 6Progress to Coast FIRE= 50.8
  7. 7Verdict= Keep contributing — 145303 still needed to coast

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 5 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
  • In particular, this calculator does not take inflation or tax into account.
  • Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
  • This is an estimate for general information and not professional financial, tax or legal advice. See the full disclaimer for the limits that apply to this kind of calculator.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is Coast FIRE calculated?

Coast FIRE number = full FIRE number ÷ (1 + real return)^years to retirement Discounting the full FIRE number back to today gives the balance that would grow into it without any further contributions. It is a far smaller number than full independence and is usually reached decades earlier.

Why does Coast FIRE matter?

Coast FIRE is the point where work becomes optional in degree rather than in kind, since you only need to cover current spending rather than keep saving.

What values do I need to enter?

This calculator takes 5 inputs: Annual spending in retirement, Safe withdrawal rate, Years until retirement, Expected real return, Current portfolio. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.

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