Coast FIRE CalculatorFind Your Financial Freedom Number
Discover when you can stop actively saving for retirement and let compound growth do the rest.
What's Your Coast FIRE Number?
Your Coast FIRE Number
$329,443
You'll reach it in 50.0 years (age 65)
Assumes retire at 65, 7% return, 3% inflation, 4% withdrawal
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What is Coast FIRE?
Coast FIRE is when you've saved enough that compound growth alone will fund your retirement—even if you never invest another dollar.
How it works:
- • Save aggressively early in your career
- • Hit your Coast FIRE number
- • Switch to a lower-stress job that just covers your expenses
- • Let your investments grow untouched until retirement
It's FIRE for people who don't want to wait until 65 to stop grinding.
Learn more about Coast FIRE →The Coast FIRE Formula
Two formulas power this calculator:
Required Nest Egg
**Example**: $50,000/year ÷ 4% = **$1,250,000** needed at retirement
This is how much you need when you stop working.
Coast FIRE Number
Where:
- **Real Return** = (1 + Return Rate) ÷ (1 + Inflation) - 1
- **Years** = Retirement Age - Current Age
**Example**: Age 35, retire at 65, 7% return, 3% inflation
Real Return = (1.07 ÷ 1.03) - 1 = 3.88%
Coast Number = $1,250,000 ÷ (1.0388)^30 = **$398,000**
At 35, if you have $398K invested, you're Coast FIRE. No more saving required.
Where These Numbers Come From
Based on Cooley, Hubbard & Walz research analyzing 75 years of market data
~10% nominal return minus ~3% average inflation = 7% real return
How to Use This Calculator
Enter Your Current Age
Tell us how old you are now. This is your starting point. The younger you are, the more time compound growth has to work. A 25-year-old needs less saved than a 40-year-old to hit the same Coast FIRE number.
Set Your Retirement Goals
Pick when you want to retire and how much you'll spend each year. **Retirement age**: Most people aim for 60-67. Earlier retirement = higher Coast FIRE number. **Annual expenses**: What you'll spend per year in retirement. Include housing, food, healthcare, travel—everything.
Input Your Financial Details
Enter your current savings and adjust the rates: • **Current savings**: Your total invested assets (401k, IRA, brokerage) • **Return rate**: 7% is a reasonable long-term estimate (10% nominal - 3% inflation) • **Inflation rate**: 3% is the historical US average • **Withdrawal rate**: 4% is the classic "safe" rate from the Trinity Study
Review Your Results
Your Coast FIRE number appears instantly. The chart shows two lines: - **Orange line**: Your projected net worth over time - **Blue line**: The Coast FIRE target (decreases as you age) When the lines cross, you've hit Coast FIRE. From that point, you can stop saving and coast to retirement.
Frequently Asked Questions
7% is a solid default.
Here's why: The S&P 500 has averaged ~10% historically. Subtract 3% for inflation, and you get 7% real returns. Conservative? Use 5%. Optimistic? Use 9%. This calculator lets you toggle between scenarios instantly.
Switch to work you actually enjoy.
You still need income to cover today's expenses—just not to save for retirement. Options: - Take a lower-paying job with better work-life balance - Go part-time - Start a passion project that breaks even - Take extended breaks between gigs
The pressure's off. Your future self is already funded.
Traditional FIRE: Save until you can quit work forever. Usually requires 25x annual expenses.
Coast FIRE: Save until compound growth handles your retirement. Then work for living expenses only.
Coast FIRE is the halfway point to full FIRE.
Three main risks:
1. Sequence of returns risk: A market crash early in your Coast period hurts more than one later. Solution: Keep a small cash buffer.
2. Lifestyle creep: Your expenses today may not match retirement. Track spending annually.
3. Healthcare costs: US healthcare before Medicare (65) is expensive. Budget $500-1,000/month per person if you're not employer-covered.
Coast FIRE works best when you stay aware of these variables.
They're related but different:
Coast FIRE: Retirement is funded. Work to cover current expenses.
Barista FIRE: Quit your career, work part-time (often for health insurance benefits). May or may not have retirement fully funded.
Lean FIRE: Fully retire early on a minimal budget ($20-40K/year spending).
Coast FIRE focuses specifically on the retirement savings milestone—not on quitting work entirely or living lean.
Higher inflation = higher Coast FIRE number.
Inflation erodes purchasing power. If you expect 4% inflation instead of 3%, your investments grow slower in real terms.
Example with $50K annual expenses, age 35, retire 65: - 3% inflation → Coast Number: ~$398,000 - 4% inflation → Coast Number: ~$478,000
That's a $80K difference. Use the inflation slider to see how sensitive your number is.
Yes. Toggle "Couple Mode" in the calculator.
You can enter both partners' ages, savings, and retirement dates. Two options:
1. Combined: Add both savings, use the younger partner's timeline 2. Separate: See individual Coast FIRE numbers side by side
Most couples use combined calculation since they'll share expenses in retirement.
Have more questions? Drop us a line.
"It's not that I don't want to work hard—I just want to work hard for myself."
May you reach the shore soon 🌅