Work out the range first,
then the path.
Living costs, investing speed and risk — on one page. The answer isn't "retire on a specific day". It's how far you still are from having a choice.
Path to freedom
You are 16.5% of the way; $1.21M to go.
Asset-accumulation growth curve
Projects the next 30 years from your current assets, monthly contributions and real return.
This is a projection under your assumptions, not a return guarantee; markets, fees and inflation will change the path.
S&P 500 × Nasdaq-100:
a reference, not a promise.
about +22.0% year to date 2026
A static snapshot as of the 2026-10-02 close; no quotes are fetched when this page opens. The two numbers measure different things: the S&P line is total return with dividends reinvested, the Nasdaq line is the price index level and price change.
Nasdaq-100 long-run data ↗
Don't let one number
make the decision
Searches like "how much to retire" and "does the 4% rule still work" show people want more than a single formula. There is no reliable search-volume ranking here; a useful answer states its assumptions and the conditions under which it fails.
How much money do I need to be financially free?
The simplified formula is (annual spending − stable annual income) ÷ safe withdrawal rate + a one-time reserve. If net spending is $48,000 and the withdrawal rate is 3.5%, the core number is roughly $1.37M, before any reserve for education, healthcare or housing.
Does the 4% rule still hold?
It is a heuristic for whether your assets are roughly sufficient, not a guarantee. The original research looked at US history and a ~30-year retirement. A 40–60 year early retirement, non-US investors and high starting valuations all warrant more conservative scenarios. Read the horizon discussion ↗
What return should I enter for the S&P 500 or Nasdaq-100?
The S&P 500 has returned roughly 10% nominal over the long run and the Nasdaq-100 has been higher since launch, but with more volatility and concentration. The default stays at 7% nominal with inflation broken out separately; the "S&P ref" and "NDX ref" presets are stress comparisons, not recommendations.
What does the asset-accumulation growth curve show?
It projects your assets year by year over the next 30 years (extended to the year you reach the target if later, up to 50) from current assets, monthly contributions and inflation-adjusted real returns, and marks the year you reach the FIRE target on the curve. It is a planning model, not a promise of returns.
What does this calculator leave out?
It ignores personal tax rules, fund fees, currency effects, changes to social security, lifespan, insurance, property liquidity and real market randomness. Use it for planning discussion — it is not investment, tax or legal advice.