Coast FIRE Calculator

Year	Starting Portfolio Value	Annual Contribution	Investment Growth	Ending Portfolio Value	Coast FIRE Goal	Retirement Goal
2025	$100,000	$24,000	$9,366	$133,366	$411,350	$2,500,000
2026	$133,366	$24,480	$12,156	$170,002	$445,492	$2,550,000
2027	$170,002	$24,970	$15,219	$210,191	$482,468	$2,601,000
2028	$210,191	$25,469	$18,577	$254,237	$522,512	$2,653,020
2029	$254,237	$25,978	$22,255	$302,470	$565,881	$2,706,080
2030	$302,470	$26,498	$26,282	$355,250	$612,848	$2,760,202
2031	$355,250	$27,028	$30,686	$412,964	$663,714	$2,815,406
2032	$412,964	$27,568	$35,500	$476,032	$718,802	$2,871,714
2033	$476,032	$28,120	$40,759	$544,911	$778,463	$2,929,148
2034	$544,911	$28,682	$46,502	$620,095	$843,075	$2,987,731
2035	$620,095	$29,256	$52,766	$702,117	$913,049	$3,047,486
2036	$702,117	$29,841	$59,601	$791,559	$988,832	$3,108,436
2037	$791,559	$30,438	$67,051	$889,048	$1,070,905	$3,170,604
2038	$889,048	$31,047	$75,169	$995,264	$1,159,789	$3,234,017
2039	$995,264	$31,667	$84,013	$1,110,944	$1,256,051	$3,298,697
2040	$1,110,944	$32,301	$93,642	$1,236,887	$1,360,303	$3,364,671
2041	$1,236,887	$32,947	$104,124	$1,373,958	$1,473,207	$3,431,964
2042	$1,373,958	$33,606	$115,530	$1,523,094	$1,595,483	$3,500,604
2043	$1,523,094	$34,278	$127,938	$1,685,310	$1,727,907	$3,570,616
2044	$1,685,310	$34,963	$141,433	$1,861,706	$1,871,322	$3,642,028
2045	$1,861,706	$23,775	$155,906	$2,041,387	$2,026,641	$3,714,868
2046	$2,041,387	$0	$169,434	$2,210,821	$2,194,852	$3,789,166
2047	$2,210,821	$0	$183,497	$2,394,318	$2,377,023	$3,864,949
2048	$2,394,318	$0	$198,727	$2,593,045	$2,574,315	$3,942,248
2049	$2,593,045	$0	$215,221	$2,808,266	$2,787,982	$4,021,093
2050	$2,808,266	$0	$233,085	$3,041,351	$3,019,383	$4,101,515
2051	$3,041,351	$0	$252,431	$3,293,782	$3,269,990	$4,183,545
2052	$3,293,782	$0	$273,382	$3,567,164	$3,541,398	$4,267,216
2053	$3,567,164	$0	$296,073	$3,863,237	$3,835,332	$4,352,561
2054	$3,863,237	$0	$320,647	$4,183,884	$4,153,663	$4,439,612
2055	$4,183,884	$0	$347,260	$4,531,144	$4,498,415	$4,528,404

What Is Coast FIRE

Coast FIRE is a branch of the FIRE movement (Financial Independence, Retire Early) that focuses on reaching a point where your investments can grow independently without needing additional contributions.

In simple terms, if you invest enough early in life, you can stop saving and let compound interest carry you to retirement.

Example

Let’s say your Coast FIRE number is $100,000. If you currently have less than that, you’ll need to keep contributing. Once you reach $100,000, your investments can grow naturally to meet your retirement goal.

What Is a Coast FIRE Calculator

A Coast FIRE calculator helps you figure out when you can stop contributing and still retire comfortably. It uses your current age, investment assets, expected growth rate, contribution amounts, planned retirement age, and retirement spending to project when you'll hit your Coast FIRE number and what your total retirement savings will look like.

How To Use the Coast FIRE Calculator

Using the calculator is quick and simple. Just enter your personal financial data, and the tool will do the rest.

Step 1: Add Your Current Info

Current Age: How old you are today
Current Investment Assets: The total value of your retirement investments
Investment Growth Rate: Expected annual return, default is 8 percent (based on the S&P 500 average)

Step 2: Add Your Contributions

Contribution Amount: How much you save each month or year
Contribution Frequency: Choose monthly or annual
Adjust for Inflation: Option to increase contributions by 2 percent annually

Step 3: Add Retirement Estimates

Retirement Age: When you plan to retire
Annual Retirement Spending: What you expect to spend yearly in today’s dollars
Adjust for Inflation: Option to model rising costs
Withdrawal Rate: Percentage of your portfolio you’ll withdraw each year in retirement (default is 4 percent)

Tracking Progress and Reviewing Results

Once your data is entered, the calculator provides a clear breakdown of your progress and milestones. You’ll see when you can stop contributing, how your wealth grows, and whether your goals are realistic.

Key Outputs You’ll See

Years Until Coast FIRE: How many more years of contributions are required
Coast FIRE Age: The age you can stop saving and let your portfolio grow
Wealth at Coast FIRE: Projected value of your investments at that point
Full Retirement Goal: Total amount your portfolio must reach to fund your retirement, based on your inputs

How to Use This Data

Track Your Milestones: Use the results to set short- and long-term goals
Visualize Growth: Review your portfolio’s expected growth over time
Adjust Contributions: Increase your contributions or adjust your assumptions if needed
Plan Monthly Money Dates: Review your savings and strategy monthly
Interpret in Future Dollars: Use the inflation toggle to convert future values to today's dollars

Staying on Track

Reaching Coast FIRE is a journey, not a one-time event. Keep monitoring your investments, spending habits, and major life updates. Even small course corrections can dramatically affect your outcome.

Benefits and Challenges of Coast FIRE

Benefits

Coast FIRE reduces financial pressure by allowing you to stop saving aggressively once you hit your coast number. It also offers more flexibility in your career. You can pursue part-time work, creative pursuits, or jobs with more personal meaning. With fewer financial demands, many people experience a better work-life balance.

It’s also a more sustainable version of FIRE. Instead of relying on extreme frugality, it lets your early investments do the work. Once you're on track, compound interest continues growing your wealth. Knowing your retirement is secure can bring tremendous peace of mind.

Challenges

One drawback is that you still have to wait until traditional retirement age to use your portfolio. There’s less room for error. Market downturns, inflation, or early withdrawals can derail your progress. Even though you stop contributing, staying disciplined is critical. Overspending or lifestyle creep can jeopardize your plan. Also, if most of your money is in retirement accounts, liquidity could become an issue without an emergency fund.

Key Takeaways

Coast FIRE is an achievable and flexible way to gain financial freedom. It takes upfront commitment and a long-term mindset, but the lifestyle benefits can be substantial. Be cautious about assumptions. Don’t overestimate your growth rate or underestimate your future spending needs.

Mathematics and Assumptions Behind the Calculator

Core Assumptions

Compound Interest: Your investments grow through returns on both your contributions and their prior growth
Investment Growth Rate: Default is 8 percent, based on long-term S&P 500 performance
Safe Withdrawal Rate: Default is 4 percent, a widely used guideline for sustainable retirement income
Inflation Rate: Assumed at 2 percent, used to adjust both spending and contributions
Contribution Frequency: Monthly contributions compound more often than annual ones
Investment Fees: Not modeled directly, but can be accounted for by lowering the growth rate
Retirement Savings Targets: Based on your chosen retirement age, inflation, and spending
Social Security: Not included by default, but can be factored in by lowering your retirement spending
After-Tax Income: All calculations are pre-tax, so users should mentally adjust for taxation

Market Limitations

The calculator uses historical market averages to model future growth. Real-world conditions may differ. Market swings, inflation surprises, or global events could affect your actual outcomes. If in doubt, use conservative inputs for a safer projection.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I do if the calculator says I’ve already reached Coast FIRE?

Congratulations! That means your current investments are on track to grow to your retirement goal without needing further contributions. At this point, you can reduce or stop saving for retirement and focus on lifestyle design, career flexibility, or even semi-retirement.

Why is my Coast FIRE age or number different across calculators?

Different Coast FIRE calculators use slightly different assumptions for inflation, fees, growth rates, and withdrawal strategies. Always check the assumptions and input fields to ensure a fair comparison.

What if my results show I can’t reach Coast FIRE?

If your projections fall short, don’t panic. Try adjusting your retirement age, reducing estimated annual spending, increasing your contributions, or assuming a slightly lower withdrawal rate. Small changes can significantly shift your Coast FIRE outcome.

How do inflation and investment fees affect my Coast FIRE calculations?

Inflation lowers your future purchasing power, while investment fees reduce returns. Our calculator accounts for inflation and allows you to adjust the expected growth rate, so you can model results more realistically.

Can I include Social Security or other income sources in my calculations?

This calculator does not include Social Security by default. If you plan to receive benefits, consider reducing your target retirement spending amount to account for this extra income.

What’s the difference between Coast FIRE and Barista FIRE?

Coast FIRE means you've saved enough that you can stop contributing entirely. Barista FIRE means you've saved a lot but still need to work part-time to cover living expenses. Both provide flexibility, but Coast FIRE offers more passive security.

Why does the calculator ask for a withdrawal rate, and how do I choose one?

The withdrawal rate determines how much of your portfolio you plan to spend annually in retirement. The 4% rate is a standard starting point, but you can choose lower rates (e.g., 3.5%) for added safety or higher if you expect shorter retirement years.

What if my life situation changes after I reach Coast FIRE?

That’s normal. You may face job changes, unexpected expenses, or health shifts. If that happens, revisit the calculator, update your assumptions, and adjust your plan as needed. Coast FIRE is flexible, not fixed.

How do I troubleshoot errors or unusual results in the calculator?

Check that your inputs are in today’s dollars unless specified otherwise. Ensure your retirement age is greater than your current age and that growth/inflation rates are realistic. If something looks off, reset and re-enter your values.

Is it possible to pursue Coast FIRE if I’m starting later in life?

Yes. While starting early gives compound interest more time to work, it’s still possible to reach Coast FIRE later in life by contributing more aggressively, lowering retirement spending expectations, or retiring a bit later.

Your Coast FIRE Goal

Your Full Retirement Goal