Your Coast FIRE Number
$0
Needed invested today
Full FIRE Number
$0
Target at retirement
Projected at Retirement
$0
If you stop contributing now
Growth With No Further Contributions
What Coast FIRE Means
Coast FIRE is one of the most freeing milestones on the path to financial independence. It's the point where you've invested enough that compound growth alone will carry your portfolio to your full FIRE number by retirement — without adding another dollar. You still need income to cover today's bills, but you're off the hook for retirement saving. That can mean dropping to part-time work, switching to a lower-stress job, or taking a sabbatical while your investments keep working.
The math is your FIRE number discounted back to the present. First, your FIRE number is annual expenses ÷ withdrawal rate. Then the coast number is FIRE Number ÷ (1 + r)years, where r is your expected real return and years is the time until retirement. The further you are from retirement, the smaller your coast number — because compounding has more time to do the work.
Worked example: A 30-year-old who wants to retire at 60 with $40,000/year in spending needs a $1,000,000 FIRE number at a 4% rate. At a 7% real return over 30 years, the coast number is only about $131,000. Invest that much by 30 and, even if you never save again, you're projected to reach $1M by 60. Wait until 40 to hit coast, and the number jumps to roughly $258,000 — time is the single biggest lever.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Coast FIRE?+
It's the point where you have enough invested that compound growth alone reaches your full FIRE number by retirement, even with zero new contributions. You still cover current costs, but no longer need to save for retirement.
How is the Coast FIRE number calculated?+
It's your FIRE number discounted to today: Coast Number = FIRE Number ÷ (1 + r)^years, where r is your expected return and years is the time until retirement.
What happens after I reach Coast FIRE?+
You can stop saving for retirement and only earn enough to cover current expenses. Many people use it to work part time, switch to more enjoyable work, or take career breaks while investments compound.