What Is Coast FI (CoastFIRE)?
Coast FI is a milestone in the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) journey. When you hit your Coast FI number, your existing investments will grow to your full retirement goal without any additional contributions, thanks to compound growth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Regular FIRE means you have enough to retire now. Coast FI means you have enough saved that future compound growth will fund retirement — but you still need income for current living expenses until retirement age.
You do not have to, but mathematically your existing savings will grow to your goal without new contributions. Many people at Coast FI continue investing to reach full FIRE sooner, or redirect savings to other goals.
7% is commonly used as the inflation-adjusted historical average for a diversified index fund portfolio. The S&P 500 has averaged about 10% nominal, or ~7% real (after inflation). Conservative planners use 5–6%.
The 4% rule says you can withdraw 4% of your portfolio annually and not run out of money over 30 years. If you spend $60,000/year, you need $1,500,000 saved. It comes from the Trinity Study (1998).
Congratulations — you have already reached Coast FI! Your existing portfolio will grow to your FIRE number by retirement at the assumed return rate, with no additional contributions needed.
This calculator does not include Social Security. To get a more accurate number, subtract your expected annual SS benefit from your retirement spending before entering it.