UphillLog in

FIRE number calculator

Your FIRE number is what you would need for its returns to cover your everyday spending. Set what you spend a month and a withdrawal rate, then see when your savings route reaches it.

Where you start and where you aim

Nothing here is stored. Your route stays on this page while you use it and is forgotten on reload. A free account keeps it and lets you add your real figures. Starting amounts are planning assumptions, not financial records.

Independence number

See how much you need for everyday life

$900,000

1.4of 25 years covered

Arrives
February 2046 on your route

Monthly spending × 12 ÷ withdrawal rate. Illustrative, not advice.

RouteYour route

Flags mark when this route reaches each summit.

$1,445,890

$1,500 a month · 7% · 25 years · by October 2051

0 to go

Summits ahead

A summit is a figure you want to reach. Add one and the route shows the month it arrives.

Where it comes fromGrowth does 65%

$1,445,890

Growth
$945,890
You add
$450,000
Today
$50,000
What your money earns in a month at 7% a year, from today to the end of your scenario
Today$283
Oct 2034$1,563
Oct 2043$4,131
Oct 2051$8,175
  • Today: $283, Below what you add
  • Oct 2034: $1,563, Above it
  • Oct 2043: $4,131, Covers spending
  • Oct 2051: $8,175, Covers spending
  • Add $1,500
  • Spend $3,000

How the FIRE number is worked out

Take your monthly spending, multiply by twelve and divide by the withdrawal rate. At a 4% rate that is twenty-five years of spending; at 3.5% about twenty-nine; at 3% about thirty-three.

monthly spending × 12 ÷ withdrawal rate

The 4% rule, and why a lower rate is safer

The 4% rule comes from studies of how much a mixed investment could pay out each year, adjusted for inflation, without running out over thirty years. Retiring earlier means a longer stretch, which is why many people plan on 3% or 3.5%.

Questions

What does FIRE stand for?
Financial independence, retire early: saving and investing until what your money earns can cover your everyday life, so that work becomes a choice.
Is the FIRE number advice?
No. It is a rule of thumb applied to your own spending, and illustrative. Taxes, fees and the order in which good and bad years arrive all change what is safe.
Can I track my progress towards it?
Yes. Make it a summit and save the route with a free account; each month you record your figures, Uphill shows how far along you are and when you arrive at your real pace.