Coast FIRE Calculator
Find your Coast FIRE number — the amount you'd need invested today so that, with no further contributions, compound growth alone carries you to your retirement goal. See whether you've already coasted, or exactly how far you have to go.
You're 28% of the way to Coast FIRE
Coast FIRE for you is $181,290 invested by age 30. You're $131,290 away. Once you get there, you could stop contributing and still land on ~$1,000,000 by 65.
Coast FIRE number
$181k
Projected at age 65
~$276k
$1 today grows to
~$5.52
by age 65
Estimates, not financial advice. Real returns vary year to year and aren't guaranteed; this assumes a steady average return and today's dollars. Use it as a starting point, not a promise.
Your $50,000, coasting to age 65
This is one number. See your whole picture.
Coast FIRE is a single snapshot. LifeFlow shows your real freedom year, the goals and the life you want now, and how every dollar moves your future — all in one warm, living plan.
Try LifeFlow freeWhat is Coast FIRE?
Coast FIREis a milestone on the path to financial independence. You reach it when the money you've already invested is enough to grow into your full retirement number on its own — without adding another dollar. You still work to cover today's bills, but the retirement-saving job is done. Your investments simply coast to the finish line on the strength of compounding.
It's a freeing idea: hitting Coast FIRE early can mean the freedom to switch to work you love, go part-time, or take a career break — knowing your future self is already taken care of.
How it's calculated
Two steps. First, your retirement number — a common rule of thumb is your annual retirement spending × 25 (the 4% rule). Then discount it back to today over the years until you retire:
If your current invested savings are at or above that number, you've reached Coast FIRE. If not, the gap is how much more you need invested before you can coast. This uses the same 4% rule and the same compounding math as LifeFlow. Inside the app we model each account, debt, and goal separately, each at its own real (after-inflation) rate — so a full in-app projection is richer than this single-rate estimate, and the two won't match number-for-number.
Frequently asked questions
What is Coast FIRE?
Coast FIRE is the point where you have enough already invested that, left to grow on its own with no further contributions, it will reach your retirement number by the age you plan to retire. Once you hit Coast FIRE you still need to cover today's living costs, but you no longer have to save for retirement — your existing investments "coast" the rest of the way through compound growth.
How is Coast FIRE calculated?
First find your retirement number — a common rule of thumb is annual retirement spending × 25 (the 4% rule). Then discount it back to today using your expected annual return and the years until retirement: Coast FIRE number = retirement number ÷ (1 + return)^years. If your current invested savings are at or above that figure, you've reached Coast FIRE. This calculator uses the same compounding engine that powers LifeFlow's projections.
What is the difference between Coast FIRE and regular FIRE?
Regular FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) means you have enough invested to live off your portfolio now — work becomes fully optional. Coast FIRE is an earlier milestone: you have enough invested to eventually reach your retirement number without adding another dollar, but you still work to cover current expenses. Coast FIRE usually arrives many years before full FIRE.
What return should I use for a Coast FIRE calculation?
LifeFlow defaults to ~5% as a conservative real (after-inflation) return for a stock-heavy portfolio — the same figure the app uses, which keeps your result in today's dollars. If you prefer nominal returns (not inflation-adjusted), a higher figure like 8–10% is common, but then your target should be in future dollars too. The return field is editable so you can stress-test other assumptions.
This is one number. See your whole picture.
These calculators are snapshots. LifeFlow shows your real freedom year, the goals and the life you want now, and how every dollar moves your future — in one warm, living plan.
Try LifeFlow free