Coast FIRE calculator
Work out the amount you need invested today so that growth alone carries you to a full retirement by your target age, and the age at which you can stop saving.
Your plan
Everything is in today's dollars. Growth is measured after inflation.
In today's dollars, before Social Security
4% is the classic rule; 3.5% is more cautious
Retirement accounts plus brokerage
Used to find your coast age
Year by year
Your balance with contributions, the balance if you stopped today, and the coast number for each age.
| Age | Keep saving | Stop today | Coast number | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | $180,000 | $180,000 | $426,634 | $246,634 short |
| 33 | $201,390 | $186,990 | $443,202 | $241,812 short |
| 34 | $223,611 | $194,252 | $460,414 | $236,802 short |
| 35 | $246,695 | $201,796 | $478,294 | $231,599 short |
| 36 | $270,676 | $209,633 | $496,868 | $226,193 short |
| 37 | $295,587 | $217,774 | $516,164 | $220,577 short |
| 38 | $321,466 | $226,231 | $536,209 | $214,743 short |
| 39 | $348,351 | $235,017 | $557,033 | $208,682 short |
| 40 | $376,279 | $244,143 | $578,665 | $202,387 short |
| 41 | $405,291 | $253,625 | $601,138 | $195,846 short |
| 42 | $435,431 | $263,474 | $624,483 | $189,052 short |
| 43 | $466,741 | $273,706 | $648,735 | $181,994 short |
| 44 | $499,267 | $284,336 | $673,928 | $174,661 short |
| 45 | $533,056 | $295,378 | $700,100 | $167,044 short |
| 46 | $568,157 | $306,849 | $727,289 | $159,132 short |
| 47 | $604,621 | $318,765 | $755,533 | $150,911 short |
| 48 | $642,502 | $331,144 | $784,874 | $142,372 short |
| 49 | $681,853 | $344,004 | $815,354 | $133,501 short |
| 50 | $722,733 | $357,364 | $847,019 | $124,286 short |
| 51 | $765,200 | $371,242 | $879,913 | $114,712 short |
| 52 | $809,317 | $385,659 | $914,084 | $104,767 short |
| 53 | $855,147 | $400,636 | $949,582 | $94,436 short |
| 54 | $902,756 | $416,195 | $986,459 | $83,703 short |
| 55 | $952,215 | $432,358 | $1,024,768 | $72,554 short |
| 56 | $1,003,594 | $449,148 | $1,064,565 | $60,971 short |
| 57 | $1,056,968 | $466,591 | $1,105,908 | $48,939 short |
| 58 | $1,112,416 | $484,711 | $1,148,855 | $36,440 short |
| 59 | $1,170,016 | $503,535 | $1,193,471 | $23,455 short |
| 60 | $1,229,854 | $523,089 | $1,239,820 | $9,966 short |
| 61 | $1,292,015 | $543,404 | $1,287,968 | Coasting |
| 62 | $1,356,590 | $564,507 | $1,337,986 | Coasting |
| 63 | $1,423,674 | $586,429 | $1,389,947 | Coasting |
| 64 | $1,493,362 | $609,203 | $1,443,925 | Coasting |
| 65 | $1,565,757 | $632,862 | $1,500,000 | Coasting |
Coast number by retirement age
How much you would need today for each target age, with the same spending and return.
| Retire at | Years | Need today | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 18 | $755,533 | $575,533 |
| 55 | 23 | $624,483 | $444,483 |
| 60 | 28 | $516,164 | $336,164 |
| 62 | 30 | $478,294 | $298,294 |
| 65 | 33 | $426,634 | $246,634 |
| 67 | 35 | $395,332 | $215,332 |
| 70 | 38 | $352,632 | $172,632 |
Warren provides educational information, not individualized financial, tax or legal advice. Read our disclaimers.
Making the most of Coast FIRE
Time does the heavy lifting
Every year you move your target age later, the coast number shrinks by a year of compounding. Moving from 60 to 65 can cut the number you need today by a fifth.
Be conservative with returns
A 7% nominal return and 3% inflation is a common long-run assumption for a diversified stock-heavy portfolio. Test 5% or 6% as well to see how much margin you have.
Keep Social Security separate
This calculator ignores Social Security and pensions, which makes it conservative. If you expect $20,000 a year from Social Security you could lower your spending target by that amount.
Do not forget the bridge years
If you plan to retire before 59 1/2, part of your money needs to sit in taxable accounts or a Roth so you can reach it without penalties. The number tells you how much to have, not where to hold it.
Frequently asked questions
- What is Coast FIRE?
- Coast FIRE is the point where your existing investments, left alone, will grow into enough to retire on by your target age. Once you reach it you can stop saving for retirement and only need to earn enough to cover your living costs until then. FIRE stands for financial independence, retire early, and coasting is the version where you keep working but stop contributing.
- How is the Coast FIRE number calculated?
- Your FIRE number is annual retirement spending divided by your withdrawal rate, so $60,000 a year at 4% needs $1,500,000 in today's dollars. The coast number discounts that back to today at your real return (your expected return minus inflation). With 30 years to go and a 4% real return, $1,500,000 discounts to about $462,000. If you already have that invested, you have reached Coast FIRE.
- Why use a real return instead of the nominal return?
- Your spending target is set in today's dollars, so the growth you count on has to be measured after inflation too. A 7% return with 3% inflation is about a 3.9% real return. Using the nominal rate would make the coast number look much smaller than it really is.
- What is the difference between Coast FIRE and Barista FIRE?
- Coast FIRE means you have enough invested and keep working only to cover current expenses. Barista FIRE means you have left your main career and work part time, often for health insurance, while drawing a little from your portfolio. Coast FIRE is usually the earlier milestone and needs no withdrawals at all.
- Should I really stop contributing once I reach Coast FIRE?
- Not necessarily. Reaching the number means you could stop, which gives you choices: switch to a lower-paid job you enjoy, work fewer hours, or keep saving to retire earlier or spend more. Markets do not deliver a steady return, so many people keep contributing something as a buffer. Treat the coast number as a floor rather than a finish line.
See your real coast number from your actual accounts
Warren AI reads your balances and spending, then tells you how close you are to coasting and what to do with the surplus.