Coast FIRE Calculator

Coast FIRE Calculator

Coast FIRE is the point where your investments can grow to full financial independence without any additional contributions. From that moment on, you only need to cover your living expenses — no longer save for retirement. Enter your numbers below to see your timeline.

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Coast FIRE Number ? The portfolio value you need today to coast to full FIRE without any further contributions —
Coast FIRE Age ? The age at which you'll reach Coast FIRE and can stop contributing —
Years to Coast ? How many years until you reach Coast FIRE —
Full FIRE Age ? The age at which you'll reach full FIRE (the complete FIRE number, not just Coast FIRE) —
FIRE Number ? Portfolio value needed to retire safely (Annual Expenses ÷ SWR) —
Real Growth Rate ? Expected portfolio growth after accounting for inflation — After inflation & fees
Portfolio at Retirement ? Projected portfolio value at retirement age if you stop contributions at Coast —

Progress Towards Your Goal

Current
$0
Full FIRE
$0
Coast FIRE
$0
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Age / Year Portfolio Coast Target Gap Status
Run calculation to see milestones
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30 Age
-- Coast Age
$100K Portfolio

How Coast FIRE Works

Coast FIRE (or Coast FI) is a variation of the FIRE movement (Financial Independence Retire Early) focused on reaching financial independence without retiring early. It marks the point where your current investments are sufficient to grow to your full FIRE number without any additional contributions. From that moment on, compound growth carries your portfolio to full financial independence by retirement age while you focus only on covering your living expenses.

Once you reach Coast FIRE, you can:

  • Reduce or stop retirement contributions
  • Lower your savings rate
  • Reduce work hours or consider flexible work
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What Is Coast FIRE – The Easiest Path to Financial Freedom

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Semi Retirement Calculator: Coast, Flamingo & Barista FIRE

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How To Calculate Coast FI + Free Coast FIRE Calculator

Coast FIRE Example: Understanding Your Coast FIRE Number

Your Coast FIRE number represents the amount you need invested today so your portfolio can grow — through compound returns alone — into your full FIRE number (see down below) by your planned retirement age.

Step 1: Calculate your FIRE number (example)

Annual expenses: 40,000
Safe withdrawal rate (SWR): 4 %

You can calculate your FIRE number in two equivalent ways (The 25 comes from 1 ÷ 0.04, which equals 25.):

FIRE number = 40,000 ÷ 0.04 = 1,000,000
or
FIRE number = 40,000 × 25 = 1,000,000

Step 2: Calculate your Coast FIRE number (the formula)

\( \text{Coast FIRE Number} = \frac{\text{Annual Expenses in Retirement}}{\text{SWR}} \times (1 + r)^{-t} \)
\( \text{Annual Expenses in Retirement} \): Expected yearly costs during retirement
\( \text{SWR} \): Safe Withdrawal Rate
\( r \): Expected annual rate of return
\( t \): Years until retirement

Coast FIRE number example:

  • Annual expenses: 40,000
  • SWR: 4%
  • Rate of return: 7%
  • Current age: 40
  • Retirement age: 65
  • Years to compound: 25

To reach 1,000,000 in 25 years at 7% annual growth, you would need: 184,249 invested today

If you have this amount invested, you can “coast” toward full financial independence without making additional retirement contributions.

Your turn: Enter your numbers above to calculate your personal Coast FIRE number and timeline.

Accounting for Inflation: Real vs. Nominal Returns

You don’t need to adjust for inflation separately — our calculator incorporates inflation assumptions directly into the projections.

However, when you plan for FIRE, you need to think about inflation — the fact that prices go up over time. Nominal returns show how much your money grows in total over time. Real returns show what your money is actually worth after those rising prices. The formula (for real returns):

\( \text{Real Return} = \frac{1 + \text{Nominal Return}}{1 + \text{Inflation Rate}} - 1 \)
\( \text{Nominal Return} \): Expected annual growth rate of the portfolio
\( \text{Inflation Rate} \): Average yearly inflation rate

Example:

  • Nominal return: 7%
  • Inflation rate: 3%
  • Real return ≈ 3.88%

By using real returns, your projections reflect future purchasing power — making your Coast FIRE and FIRE numbers more accurate.

How Taxes & Fees Affect Your Coast FIRE Journey

The Tax and Fee Drag slider in a FIRE calculator, set to 1.50 percent per year, allowing users to adjust annual tax and investment fee assumptions for more accurate portfolio growth projections.

The Coast FI Calculator also accounts for taxes and fees, offering a realistic view of your compounding rate after drag — typically 0.5–1.5% for low-cost portfolios.

This slider in the assumptions tab reduces your gross return by an annual “drag” to reflect real-world frictions like fund TER/expense ratio, brokerage/platform fees, dividend withholding taxes, and tracking differences. The drag applies across accumulation, the Coast phase, and full FIRE so projections stay realistic.

Example:

If your gross return is 7% and your tax/fee drag is 1.0%, your net return becomes 6.0%.

On 100,000 over 10 years, that’s 196,715 vs. 179,085 — a gap of 17,630 due to fees and taxes.

Even small changes in fees can significantly impact how soon you reach Coast FI or Full FIRE.

Tip: Low-cost index portfolios often land around 0.5–1.5% as mentioned above. You can use the higher end if your dividends are taxed heavily or you hold costlier/active funds.

Is Coast FIRE Risky?

Coast FIRE relies heavily on long-term compound growth. While the concept is simple, your success depends on realistic assumptions about returns, inflation, and market behavior over decades.

Lower-Than-Expected Returns

A key risk with Coast FIRE is that the stock market may not perform as expected. If investment returns fall short of your assumptions over an extended period, your portfolio may not grow to your target FIRE number by retirement age.

Inflation Risk

Inflation reduces purchasing power over time. If your returns do not outpace inflation, your portfolio may grow in value but lose real-world spending power. In that case, you may need to increase contributions later to stay on track toward your full FIRE number.

Market Volatility

Market downturns can delay your timeline, especially if they occur close to retirement. Coast FIRE assumes long-term market growth, but returns are never guaranteed.

Over-Optimistic Assumptions

Assuming consistently high returns can lead to unrealistic projections. More conservative estimates help build a more resilient Coast FIRE plan.

Coast FIRE vs. Barista FIRE vs. Flamingo FIRE

Coast FIRE, Barista FIRE, and Flamingo FIRE are different strategies within the FIRE movement, each focusing on semi-retirement rather than early retirement, and offering a path to greater flexibility before full financial independence.

With Coast FIRE, you stop making new retirement contributions once your current investments can compound to your full FIRE number by retirement age. You may reduce work hours since you no longer need to save aggressively.

With Barista FIRE, you combine part-time income with portfolio withdrawals to partially fund your living expenses while your investments continue growing. You can use our Barista FIRE Calculator.

With Flamingo FIRE, you save a large portion of your FIRE number upfront — often around 50% — then let compounding carry you to full financial independence faster than Coast FIRE. You can use our Flamingo FIRE Calculator.

What Rate of Return Should You Assume?

Your Coast FIRE number depends heavily on your assumed annual return. Many projections use 6–8% long-term average returns for diversified portfolios, but these are not guaranteed.

A more conservative estimate (for example 5–6%) may provide a safer margin, especially if you are far from retirement. Using lower return assumptions increases your required Coast FIRE number but reduces the risk of falling short later.

Our calculator allows you to test different return scenarios so you can see how sensitive your plan is to market performance.

Using the Coast FIRE Calculator: UK, Canada, and Pension Scenarios

The Coast FIRE Calculator works for any country — you just need to adjust a few key inputs to reflect your local financial context.

Expected Annual Return: Replace the default assumption with a figure that suits your market exposure. A diversified global ETF portfolio (e.g., FTSE All-World, MSCI World) typically uses 5–7% as a long-term nominal return. Use the lower end if you want a more conservative plan.

Retirement Age: Set this to your country’s statutory pension age. In the UK this is currently 67; in Germany it is also 67; in Canada it ranges from 60–65 depending on CPP and your plan.

Modelling State Pension and Employer Pensions: If you expect a UK State Pension, Canadian CPP, or German gesetzliche Rente, enter that annual
amount in the Expected Part-Time Income field. This directly reduces the withdrawals your Coast FIRE portfolio needs to cover, lowering your required Coast FIRE number significantly.

UK Example (SIPP & ISA): A UK investor targeting retirement at 67 can model their State Pension (currently ~£11,500/year) as part-time income. Contributions via SIPP benefit from tax relief, effectively boosting your investment rate. Assume 6% annual growth, enter your current SIPP/ISA balance, and let the calculator show when you have reached your coast number.

Germany Example: Use your latest Deutsche Rentenversicherung statement to estimate your expected monthly gesetzliche Rente, multiply by 12, and enter that figure as part-time income. Combined with ETF savings in a Depot, this approach shows how much of your FIRE number the state pension already covers — often more than investors expect.

The math behind Coast FIRE is universal. Only the inputs change

FAQs: Coast FIRE Calculator

Here are the most common questions and simple answers to help you use the Coast FIRE calculator effectively.

What is a Coast FIRE number?

Your Coast FIRE number is the amount you need to have invested today so that — without any further contributions — your portfolio grows to your full FIRE number by your target retirement age. Once you hit your Coast FIRE number, you can "coast" to financial independence: keep working to cover current expenses, but stop saving for retirement. Use the calculator above to find your personal Coast FIRE number.

How does the calculator compute my Coast FIRE number?

It first calculates your FIRE number (annual expenses ÷ SWR), then discounts that future amount back to today using your real growth rate (return minus inflation).

Does the calculator use real (inflation-adjusted) or nominal returns?

It converts your nominal return and inflation into a real growth rate, so your results reflect future purchasing power.

Do I enter expenses in today's or future money?

Enter today's annual expenses — the calculator adjusts for inflation automatically.

What do the chart lines mean?

Blue: Coast FIRE Number — how much you must have at each age.
Red: FIRE Number — your end goal.
Green: Portfolio — your projected growth path.

When do monthly contributions stop?

Once you reach your Coast FIRE point. From there, your portfolio grows through compound interest alone.

Which Safe Withdrawal Rate (SWR) should I use?

A 4% withdrawal rate is common starting point for retirement periods of about 30 years. For more conservative planning or longer retirement horizons, consider using 3–3.5% to add an extra margin of safety.

To dive deeper into the SWR, use our Retirement Withdrawal Strategy Calculator to test proven withdrawal methods and find the strategy that fits your retirement goals.

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