How to use the Coast FIRE calculator
- Enter your age and the age you plan to retire.
- Enter what you have invested for retirement now.
- Enter your yearly spending in retirement, a real return (after inflation) and a withdrawal rate.
- Enter how much you invest each month until you coast.
Coast numbers by age
For a $1.125 million FIRE number at age 65 and a 5% real return:
| Age now | Years to 65 | Coast FIRE number |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | 40 | about $160,000 |
| 30 | 35 | about $204,000 |
| 35 | 30 | about $260,000 |
| 40 | 25 | about $332,000 |
| 45 | 20 | about $424,000 |
The younger you are, the more compounding does for you. That's why early contributions are so valuable.
Why Coast FIRE appeals to people
Full FIRE means saving aggressively until you can stop working entirely. Coast FIRE is a middle path: save hard early, then relax. Once you've hit your coast number, you can:
- take a lower-stress or lower-paid job you enjoy,
- work part-time or freelance,
- take a career break,
- start a business without worrying about retirement.
You still need income for today, but the retirement problem is solved.
How to get there faster
- Get every dollar of employer match: see the 401(k) calculator.
- Use tax-advantaged accounts: a Roth IRA lets the growth come out tax-free; see the Roth IRA calculator.
- Invest early and consistently; a few extra years of compounding shrink the coast number a lot.
- Keep spending targets realistic, including health insurance before Medicare.
Coast FIRE vs FIRE
| Coast FIRE | FIRE | |
|---|---|---|
| Stop saving for retirement | Yes | Yes |
| Stop working | No | Yes |
| Money needed | Much less | Full FIRE number |
Want the full early-retirement picture? Use the FIRE calculator. For growth on any investment, the compound interest calculator works too.
Check in on the number
Coast FIRE only works if you leave the money alone and markets do roughly what you expect, so check in every year. Summit is a net worth tracker that shows your retirement accounts growing month by month, with a forecast. Nest helps you build savings goals for the years before you coast. Both have a free demo with sample data.
Uses a constant real return; actual returns vary. Not investment advice.
Frequently asked questions
What is Coast FIRE?
How do I calculate my Coast FIRE number?
What's a good age to reach Coast FIRE?
What can I do after reaching Coast FIRE?
What are the risks of Coast FIRE?
How is this different from the FIRE calculator?
Written by
Finance Specialist & Editor, VaultlyApps
Emma Whitfield writes and edits the VaultlyApps money guides and free calculators. Her focus is US household finance — budgeting on a real paycheck, paying down credit card and student debt, emergency funds and savings goals, renting — and the money side of freelancing and small-business income, from pricing and profit margins to self-employment tax. Every guide is researched against primary sources such as IRS publications and the CFPB, every number is checked in our tested calculators, and tax content is reviewed each year when new IRS figures come out. Emma is not a licensed financial adviser or tax preparer; her work is general education, not personal advice.
Researched against primary US sources, checked against independent calculators and reviewed by a finance expert on our team. Written for US readers — general education, not financial, tax or legal advice. Editorial policy · Disclaimer
