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Coast FIRE Calculator FAQ
Answers about Coast FIRE, calculator inputs, assumptions, results, and privacy. Use the question buttons to expand an answer or share its direct link.
Coast FIRE Basics
The core concepts behind a Coast FIRE planning estimate.
Coast FIRE means you have invested enough that, under your assumptions, your portfolio may grow to a retirement target without additional retirement contributions. It is an estimate, not a guarantee or a recommendation to stop working.
Traditional FIRE usually refers to having a portfolio intended to fund retirement spending now. Coast FIRE refers to a projected future target that may be reached through continued growth over time.
It is the current amount of invested assets estimated to grow to your retirement portfolio target by your selected retirement age, using the calculator’s assumptions.
The calculator cannot make that decision for you. Consider your assumptions, risk tolerance, cash reserves, taxes, benefits, and other personal circumstances before changing a savings plan.
Using the Calculator
How to choose inputs while keeping the scenario understandable.
Include retirement investments such as workplace retirement plans, IRAs, and taxable investment accounts intended for retirement. The calculator excludes home equity, emergency cash, and everyday checking balances by default.
This calculator does not include home equity by default because using it for retirement income depends on future housing choices, costs, and liquidity.
Enter an annual estimate in today’s dollars. Consider the costs you expect to fund from your portfolio, while remembering that taxes, healthcare, and other costs may change.
No. Calculator inputs are processed in your browser for the current session and are not written to the URL, cookies, local storage, or a server by this tool.
Assumptions and Formula
How return, inflation, and withdrawal-rate assumptions shape a result.
The calculator uses expected annual return minus inflation rate to estimate an inflation-adjusted annual return. Amounts are presented in today’s dollars for a consistent comparison.
Use a long-term assumption you understand and are comfortable testing. Higher or lower returns can materially change an estimate, and future returns are not guaranteed.
It is an assumption used to estimate a retirement portfolio target from spending. It does not make any withdrawal rate safe for every person or future market condition.
Yes. The calculator displays main amounts in today’s dollars unless noted, so spending and target values use the same purchasing-power basis.
Understanding Results
How to interpret a projected status and the limits of the model.
It means the projection reaches the estimated Coast FIRE number at a yearly checkpoint before your selected retirement age. It is not a promise of future performance.
A change in your current age or retirement age changes the number of years available for the investments to grow, which changes the present amount needed in the estimate.
The calculator keeps the valid projection and estimates a required monthly contribution under the same assumptions. You can compare changes to retirement age, spending, contributions, and assumptions.
No. Investment returns, inflation, spending, taxes, fees, and life changes can differ from the inputs. Use the result for education and planning, not as financial, investment, tax, or legal advice.