What is the difference between Coast FIRE and regular FIRE?

Regular FIRE means you can stop working now because your portfolio covers your spending. Coast FIRE means you can stop saving now because growth alone will get you to FIRE by a later retirement age, but you still need income to pay for living costs until then.

Which retirement age should I use?

Use the age at which you would like to start living off the portfolio, such as 55, 60, or 65. A later age gives compounding more time, so the Coast number is lower, while an earlier age raises it.

Does Coast FIRE include Social Security or pensions?

No. The calculator leaves out state and employer pensions to stay conservative. If you expect them, lower your annual expenses input by the amount they would cover to see a smaller target.

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Coast FIRE Calculator

Coast FIRE means you already have enough invested that, left alone, it will grow to your full FIRE number by a traditional retirement age. From that point you only need to earn enough to cover today's living costs. Enter your numbers to find your Coast number, your progress, and the age you could start coasting.

Currency

Current Age

Retirement Age

Current Portfolio

Monthly Contribution

Annual Expenses in FIRE

Expected Real Return

Safe Withdrawal Rate

Effective Tax Rate

Coast FIRE Number

$153,065 dollars

Needed today to reach $1,176,471 dollars by age 65

Progress to Coast

32.7%

Not yet at the Coast number

Coast Age

Portfolio at Retirement (no new savings)

$384,304 dollars

Current portfolio grown at the real return

How it works

Your Coast number is the amount you would need today so that compound growth alone, with no further contributions, reaches your FIRE number at your chosen retirement age. The longer the runway and the higher the real return you assume, the smaller that number is.

The chart compares your portfolio, growing with your monthly contributions, against the Coast threshold, which rises each year as retirement gets closer. The first age where your line crosses the dashed line is the age you could stop contributing.

The formula

Coast number = FIRE number ÷ (1 + real return) ^ years until retirement. FIRE number = annual expenses ÷ (1 − tax rate) ÷ withdrawal rate.

Who it suits

Coast FIRE suits people who started investing early and want the freedom to take a lower-paying or more meaningful job now, knowing the long-term plan is already on track.

What to watch out for

The result depends heavily on the real return you assume and on markets cooperating. Trying a conservative return such as 4% to 5% shows how sensitive the plan is, and your expenses at retirement may differ from today's.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Coast FIRE and regular FIRE?: Regular FIRE means you can stop working now because your portfolio covers your spending. Coast FIRE means you can stop saving now because growth alone will get you to FIRE by a later retirement age, but you still need income to pay for living costs until then.
Which retirement age should I use?: Use the age at which you would like to start living off the portfolio, such as 55, 60, or 65. A later age gives compounding more time, so the Coast number is lower, while an earlier age raises it.
Does Coast FIRE include Social Security or pensions?: No. The calculator leaves out state and employer pensions to stay conservative. If you expect them, lower your annual expenses input by the amount they would cover to see a smaller target.

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