Dream Your FIRE Financial Independence
3 numbers → your FIRE number, freedom year, and 55-year portfolio runway
—
Three Paths — Same Starting Point
How spending level and geography change your FIRE number. Same current savings and monthly contribution — different lifestyle choices.
The One Assumption That Changes Everything
Your Safe Withdrawal Rate (SWR) decides how big your portfolio must be. A more cautious rate means a bigger number — but more resilience over a long retirement. Your plan uses the highlighted row.
The classic 4% rule (Bengen, 1994) was built for 30-year retirements. Retiring in your 40s means a 45–50 year drawdown — most early retirees use 3%–3.5% for safety.
Portfolio Runway — Age 35 to 90
Three market scenarios from your savings today to the end of your plan. The shaded band shows the range between conservative and growth outcomes.
Your FIRE Milestone Map
Key events from today to full retirement — each one shifts how much your portfolio must carry.
How Income Arrives Over Retirement
At first your portfolio carries everything. Then CPP and OAS phase in — reducing your required draw and extending your runway.
This is the dream. Now let's make it exact.
The full FIRE Calculator unlocks the advanced levers — each one can move your freedom date by years.
Frequently asked questions
What is a FIRE number?
Your FIRE number is the portfolio size you need to retire indefinitely. Formula: FIRE Number = Annual Spending ÷ Safe Withdrawal Rate. At 3.5% SWR: $42,000/year ÷ 0.035 = $1,200,000. The "25× rule" (4% SWR) is the classic shorthand, but early retirees usually need 3%–3.5% for a 40–50 year drawdown.
What safe withdrawal rate should I use for early retirement?
50-year retirement (retire at ~40): use 3% SWR. 40-year retirement (retire at ~50): use 3.5% SWR. 30-year retirement (retire at ~60): use 4% SWR. The classic 4% rule (Bengen 1994) was calibrated for 30-year retirements. Retiring earlier means a longer drawdown period and requires a more conservative rate.
How much does location arbitrage reduce my FIRE number?
A 6-months-Canada / 6-months-SE-Asia split at $3,500 Canada + $1,400 abroad blends to $2,450/month — cutting annual spend from $42k to $29.4k and FIRE number from $1.2M to $840k. That is a $360,000 reduction just from where you live.
What is Coast FIRE?
Coast FIRE means your current portfolio, growing at your expected return with no new contributions, will compound to your full FIRE number by your target retirement age. Once you hit your Coast FIRE number, you can stop contributing — compound growth does the rest.