FIRE Progress Calculator

The FIRE progress calculator is a dashboard that tracks how close you are to financial independence. It shows your FIRE percentage complete, savings rate, FI ratio, projected FIRE date, and whether you're ahead or behind your target FIRE age — all from five simple inputs.

FIRE % = (Current Savings ÷ FIRE Number) × 100, where FIRE Number = Annual Expenses × 25 (assuming a 4% safe withdrawal rate). A 34% FIRE progress means your portfolio is roughly one-third of the way to the target needed to fully cover your expenses indefinitely.

FI ratio (financial independence ratio) is the percentage of your annual expenses that could already be covered by safe withdrawals from your current portfolio. FI Ratio = (Current Savings × 4%) ÷ Annual Expenses. At 100% you've reached FIRE; at 50% your portfolio covers half your spending.

Compare your projected FIRE age (computed from your current savings + monthly contributions + return) to your target FIRE age. The ahead/behind metric is the difference: + years means you'll reach FIRE sooner than planned, − years means you'll need to save more or push the target out.

10% is the conventional minimum. 25% unlocks early retirement (~32 years). 50% is the classic Mr. Money Mustache threshold for FIRE in ~17 years. 70%+ enables FIRE in under 10 years. Higher savings rates compound twice — they grow your portfolio and shrink the lifestyle you need to fund.

Mr. Money Mustache's famous table shows that savings rate alone determines years-to-FIRE (at a 5% real return): 10% saved = 51 years, 25% = 32, 50% = 17, 75% = 7. Income doesn't matter — only the % of income you keep does. That's why FIRE seekers obsess over savings rate.

We solve the future-value equation for the number of months n such that: currentSavings × (1+r/12)ⁿ + PMT × [((1+r/12)ⁿ − 1)/(r/12)] = FIRE Number. PMT is your monthly savings, r is your expected return. The result is converted to a calendar date.

Net worth includes everything — home equity, cars, collectibles. FIRE readiness only counts invested assets that can safely produce 4% income (stocks, bonds, REITs). A $500k house doesn't fund retirement; a $500k brokerage account does.

That's a major FIRE milestone. Once monthly compound growth (currentSavings × monthly return) is larger than what you contribute, your money is working harder than you are. From there, your portfolio essentially compounds itself toward FIRE.