Early retirement toolkit
Work out your FIRE number, then test it
The JMM calculators that settle the FIRE decisions, in the order they come: how big the target is, which path closes the gap, whether withdrawals survive a bad decade, and what the account rules take back.
15 formula-tested calculators and 8 guides, each with its assumptions and limitations on the page.
Four checks, in the order a FIRE plan needs them
Start with the first question your plan has not settled. Each stage points to the calculator that makes its assumption visible.
The four-stage map
How big does the portfolio have to be?
Annual spending divided by a withdrawal rate is the whole formula. These two settle what the number is and whether the money actually lasts.
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Start here FIRE number and withdrawal-rate calculator Your FIRE number at 3% to 5% withdrawal rates, and how many years the balance actually funds rather than the rate assuming it. → -
Retirement calculator Whether current contributions reach the 4% target by your retirement date, and the size of the gap when they do not. →
See the FIRE target reference table
| Annual spending | At 3% | At 3.5% | At 4% | At 5% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $1,333,333 | $1,142,857 | $1,000,000 | $800,000 |
| $60,000 | $2,000,000 | $1,714,286 | $1,500,000 | $1,200,000 |
| $80,000 | $2,666,667 | $2,285,714 | $2,000,000 | $1,600,000 |
| $100,000 | $3,333,333 | $2,857,143 | $2,500,000 | $2,000,000 |
Spending divided by the withdrawal rate, nothing else. Use the calculator above for your exact spending and runway.
How will you close the gap?
Keep contributing, let compounding take over, or fund part of spending with work. These calculators price each path without pretending the trade-offs are interchangeable.
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Start here Coast FIRE calculator The balance at which existing savings alone reach the target, and the age range at which contributions get you there. → -
Barista FIRE calculator The lower portfolio target when reliable after-tax work income funds part of annual spending, with the hours that bridge requires. → -
Savings goal solver Whether the plan needs a bigger contribution, a longer horizon, or a return no diversified portfolio should be asked for. → -
Compound interest calculator What a monthly contribution actually becomes over decades, which is the arithmetic every FIRE timeline rests on. →
Does the plan survive a bad decade?
A target that works at the average return can still fail on the order the returns arrive in. These three price the risk the averages hide.
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Start here Sequence of returns risk calculator Whether your withdrawal rate survives a bad first decade of retirement, stated as a failure probability rather than an average. → -
Max drawdown calculator How deep and how long the losses inside a return series ran, and the exact gain each one needed to recover. → -
Inflation calculator What a dollar amount from a past year is worth today, on published CPI-U data, which is why a FIRE target has to be stated in real terms. →
What do the account rules give and take back?
For Canadian plans the wrapper decides the after-tax outcome as much as the return does. These run on the actual statutes, with sources beside the limits.
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Start here TFSA contribution room calculator How much TFSA room is actually available before the tax-free share of the plan can be maxed. → -
RRSP vs TFSA calculator Which wrapper wins on the same pre-tax dollars, decided by your tax rate in retirement rather than a rule of thumb. → -
RRSP withdrawal withholding tax calculator What an early RRSP withdrawal really costs once the withholding and your marginal rate settle up. → -
RRIF minimum withdrawal calculator The withdrawal a RRIF forces each year, which caps how slowly the portfolio can be drawn down. → -
CPP timing calculator Whether starting CPP at 60, 65, or 70 pays more over your horizon, with the exact break-even age. → -
OAS clawback calculator How much Old Age Security the recovery tax takes back at your retirement income level. →
The arithmetic behind the milestones
The written versions of the same decisions, on compounding and what a portfolio can pay out. Each guide leads with its answer, carries its sources, and points at the calculator that runs the arithmetic.
- Compounding and withdrawal The average return you were quoted is not the return you earned Average annual return and compound annual return are different numbers, the gap widens with volatility, and the headline figure is the flattering one. Aug 6, 2026, 2 sources →
- Compounding and withdrawal Dollar cost averaging is insurance, and it is not free Spreading a lump sum over months lowers the worst case and the expected outcome. What the trade costs, and the three questions that decide it. Aug 6, 2026, 2 sources →
- Compounding and withdrawal The 4% rule was never a rule, and it was never really about 4% What the original study asked, the four assumptions doing all the work, and why sequence of returns decides whether a retirement survives. Aug 6, 2026, 2 sources →
- Compounding and withdrawal When do investment returns overtake your contributions? The balance where a typical year of portfolio growth becomes larger than what you add, and why that does not mean contributions are pointless. Aug 9, 2026, 2 sources →
- Compounding and withdrawal Average net worth in Canada by age? The official 2023 medians The official 2023 Statistics Canada medians by age group, the family-unit definition behind them, and why an average can overstate the middle household. Aug 9, 2026, 2 sources →
- Compounding and withdrawal How long does it take to turn $100,000 into $1 million? The tenfold-growth timeline at several returns, then the contributions that shorten it. Every result uses the calculator’s tested savings math. Aug 9, 2026, 2 sources →
- Compounding and withdrawal Coast FIRE vs Barista FIRE: two ways to buy back time Coast FIRE stops retirement contributions. Barista FIRE keeps some earned income. Here is what each changes and how the two can overlap. Aug 9, 2026, 2 sources →
- Compounding and withdrawal Run a trial retirement before you leave work Test the spending, time, healthcare, and bad-market version of retirement while employment income still makes mistakes reversible. Aug 9, 2026, 2 sources →
Decisions this page does not sequence
The US wrapper decision, settled by the future tax rate at which the two finish exactly level.
HousingMortgage payoff vs investWhether an extra payment beats the same dollars invested after tax, through the real amortization.
Deploying cashDollar cost averaging vs lump sumWhat averaging in costs, how often it still wins, and how much it improves the bad case.