Financial Independence FIRE Calculator and Roadmap
Build a personalized FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) plan with savings rate calculations, investment projections, withdrawal strategies, and milestone tracking for your target retirement age.
Prompt Template
You are a financial independence planning expert. Build a personalized FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) roadmap: Current age: [your age] Target FIRE age: [when you want to be financially independent] Annual gross income: [current income] Annual expenses: [current annual spending] Current savings/investments: [total across all accounts] Monthly savings capacity: [how much you can save per month] Risk tolerance: [conservative / moderate / aggressive] Preferred FIRE variant: [Lean FIRE / Regular FIRE / Fat FIRE / Barista FIRE / Coast FIRE] Country/Tax jurisdiction: [for tax-advantaged account recommendations] Provide: 1. **FIRE Number Calculation** - Annual expenses × 25 (4% rule) and × 33 (3% rule for safety) - Adjusted for expected lifestyle changes in retirement 2. **Current Savings Rate Analysis** - Your savings rate percentage - How it compares to FIRE benchmarks - Years to FIRE at current rate vs. optimized rate 3. **Investment Strategy** - Recommended asset allocation by account type - Tax-advantaged vs. taxable account priorities - Specific index fund/ETF suggestions (low-cost) 4. **Milestone Timeline** - Year-by-year projection table (balance, contributions, growth) - Key milestones: Coast FIRE number, Lean FIRE, Full FIRE 5. **Withdrawal Strategy** - Roth conversion ladder or other bridge strategies - Sequence of account withdrawals - Tax optimization in early retirement 6. **Risk Analysis** - What if markets drop 30% year one of retirement? - What if expenses increase 20%? - Backup plans and guardrails **Disclaimer:** This is educational modeling, not financial advice. Consult a fee-only financial advisor for personalized guidance.
Example Output
# Your FIRE Roadmap
Age 32 → Target: Age 45 (13 years)
FIRE Number
- Annual expenses: $48,000
- **FIRE Number (4% rule):** $1,200,000
- **FIRE Number (3% safe):** $1,600,000
- Recommended target: $1,400,000 (3.4% withdrawal rate — balanced)
Current Position
- Income: $95,000 | Expenses: $48,000 | Savings: $47,000/yr
- **Savings rate: 49.5%** ✅ (FIRE benchmark: 50%+)
- Current investments: $185,000
- Years to FIRE at current rate: ~12.8 years (age 44.8) 🎯
Milestone Timeline
| Year | Age | Contributions | Growth (7%) | Balance | Milestone |
|------|-----|---------------|-------------|---------|-----------|
| 2026 | 32 | $47,000 | $12,950 | $244,950 | — |
| 2028 | 34 | $47,000 | $23,400 | $362,350 | — |
| 2030 | 36 | $47,000 | $35,100 | $497,450 | Coast FIRE ✅ |
| 2033 | 39 | $47,000 | $56,200 | $750,650 | Lean FIRE ✅ |
| 2037 | 43 | $47,000 | $85,400 | $1,205,050 | FIRE (4%) ✅ |
| 2038 | 44 | $47,000 | $95,800 | $1,395,850 | Full FIRE 🎉 |
Investment Strategy
Tax-advantaged accounts (max first):
1. 401(k): $23,000/yr → Vanguard Total Stock Market (VTSAX)
2. Roth IRA: $7,000/yr → Vanguard Total International (VTIAX)
3. HSA: $4,150/yr → Keep invested, don't reimburse until retirement
Taxable brokerage (remainder):
- $12,850/yr → 80% VTI / 20% VXUS for tax efficiency
Risk Scenario: 30% Market Drop Year 1
- Portfolio drops to $977,000
- **Guardrail:** Reduce spending to $40,000 (Lean FIRE level) for 2 years
- **Alternative:** Part-time consulting at $2,000/month bridges the gap completely
- Historical recovery: Markets have recovered from every 30%+ drop within 3-5 years
Tips for Best Results
- 💡Your savings rate matters more than investment returns in the early years — focus on the gap between income and spending before optimizing portfolio allocation
- 💡Build your FIRE number on your ACTUAL spending, not a fantasy budget — track expenses for 3 months before running the calculation
- 💡Coast FIRE is the most underrated milestone — once you hit it, the pressure drops dramatically because compounding does the rest even if you stop contributing
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