Coast FIRE calculator
Coast FIRE is the quieter milestone, and often the more useful one. It is the balance at which your existing investments, left alone, grow into your full independence number by traditional retirement age.
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We explain exactly what to compare before you open anything - costs, protection and the traps.
Why Coast FIRE changes behaviour first
Full FIRE can be twenty years away while Coast FIRE is five. Hitting it means new contributions become optional: you still need an income to live on, but you no longer need to save from it.
In practice that is what lets people move to work they prefer, drop to four days, or take a career break without derailing retirement.
How the number is worked out
Start with the full independence number - annual spending divided by the withdrawal rate. Then discount it back to today at your expected return over the years until traditional retirement age.
A longer runway means a much smaller Coast number, which is why this milestone is so achievable in your twenties and thirties and so much harder in your fifties.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Coast FIRE and FIRE?
Coast FIRE means you can stop saving and still retire on time. FIRE means you can stop working altogether.
Do I have to stop contributing once I coast?
No. Continuing simply brings the full FIRE date forward or raises the eventual income.
What return should I use for coasting?
The same long-run assumption as the rest of your plan, ideally a conservative one, because the whole idea rests on growth you are no longer topping up.
Is Barista FIRE the same thing?
Related but not identical. Barista FIRE usually means part-time work covering current spending while the portfolio coasts, often for the benefits it carries.
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