Why this site exists

The problem with FIRE conversations

FIRE discussions tend to be all-or-nothing. Either you’re grinding toward full financial independence, or you’re not. What gets lost is the in-between: the moment your portfolio is large enough that you could stop saving entirely and still hit your goals. That moment arrives for many people in their 30s or 40s — decades before traditional retirement age.

The financial independence community has produced a lot of good writing over the last 15 years, but it’s split between two extremes: dense academic papers on safe withdrawal rates, and lifestyle blogs that treat FIRE as a personality test. There’s a middle path: practical calculators with the math shown, and plain-English guides that explain the surrounding concepts without the jargon or the influencer energy. That’s the gap this site is trying to fill.

What this site does

Two things. First, calculators that give you your number and show you the math — not black boxes, but explanations you can verify yourself. Second, plain-English guides that cover the surrounding concepts without jargon, affiliate links, or pretending the math is simpler than it is.

Everything runs in your browser. No accounts, no data collection, no email list to escape. The calculators are plain JavaScript; the numbers never leave your device. If you want to check the math, the formulas are on every calculator page.

Who runs it

One person. No institutional backing, no fund managers, no advertisers beyond Google AdSense. No conflicts of interest to disclose beyond the standard AdSense disclosure: ads are placed contextually by Google, and we don’t control which specific ads appear or get paid to promote them.

The goal is to make FIRE math accessible to people who don’t want to wade through a finance blog to find it. The writing is mine (with research-assistance drafts that are reviewed, edited, and approved by me before publishing — see our Editorial Policy for details). The numbers are from the standard sources: Bengen 1994, Trinity Study 1998, historical S&P 500 returns, IRS contribution limits. If you spot an error, the contact page is the fastest way to flag it.

The calculators

The calculators cover the four main FIRE math problems:

• Coast FIRE Calculator — the point where you can stop saving entirely and let compound growth carry you to full retirement
• FIRE Progress Tracker — net worth, FIRE target, and how close you are as a percentage
• Expense Calculator — estimate your annual expenses, the input that drives everything else
• Safe Withdrawal Rate — the 4% rule and what to do if you want a different rate

The formulas are shown on each page. The math uses constant real returns for simplicity; the compound interest guide explains what that assumption leaves out.

Why free, why no accounts

A lot of FIRE tools want an email address before they show you the number. The reasoning is reasonable: they want a way to follow up, market to you, sell you a course. The cost is that the user is the product, not the customer.

This site is supported by display advertising. That funds it, keeps it free, and doesn’t require anything from you. The tradeoff is that you see ads. I think that’s a fair deal.

What this site isn’t

It isn’t personalized financial advice. It isn’t a substitute for a fiduciary advisor. It isn’t a recommendation to buy or sell any specific investment, use any specific product, or follow any specific strategy. The numbers on every page are illustrative; your situation is different; a qualified advisor can model it properly.

It also isn’t a community, a course, a newsletter, a podcast, or a YouTube channel. Just a website with calculators and guides. If you want a Coast FIRE community, the r/CoastFIRE subreddit is more active than this site will ever be.

Editorial principles

A few rules I try to follow:

• Show the math. Every calculator has the formula on the page. Every claim about returns or rates has a citation or an explanation.
• Don’t oversell. The numbers are not promises. The calculators show what the math says, not what you should do with it.
• No jargon without explanation. If a term shows up that isn’t in the FAQ, I either define it inline or link to where it’s defined.
• Update on real changes. When the IRS changes contribution limits or the Social Security Administration adjusts bend points, the relevant pages get updated. The review date at the top of each page is when it was last looked at.
• Admit uncertainty. The 4% rule is a historical observation, not a guarantee. The 7% real return is a planning assumption. The site says so on the relevant pages.

Get in touch

The contact page has an email address for corrections, suggestions, calculator feedback, and guest post pitches. If you have a Coast FIRE case study with real numbers and lessons learned, send a short pitch. The bar is: actual numbers, lessons learned, no affiliate links.

Last updated 2026. See Editorial Policy for content standards and disclosure.