Coast FIRE Calculator: Have You Reached the Point Where You Can Stop Saving?

Coast FIRE is the variant of the FIRE movement where you save aggressively early in your career, then "coast" without making new contributions because compounding alone will get you to your target by traditional retirement age. The math is straightforward; the calculator below tells you exactly where you stand.

How to use this

The calculator answers: how much portfolio do I need today so that compounding alone gets me to my retirement target by age 65 (or whatever traditional retirement age you set)?

If your current portfolio is above the Coast FIRE number, you've reached Coast FIRE. You can stop saving aggressively and let the existing portfolio compound to your retirement target. You're now free to:

• Take a lower-paying job you enjoy more
• Start your own business with reduced runway pressure
• Take a sabbatical or work part-time
• Change careers entirely
• Move to a lower-cost geography

If your current portfolio is below the Coast FIRE number, you're not at Coast FIRE yet. The gap tells you how much more you need to invest before you can stop. For most European earners, reaching Coast FIRE typically takes 8-12 years of disciplined saving.

Why Coast FIRE matters

Coast FIRE is more accessible than full FIRE because the target portfolio is meaningfully smaller — typically a third to half of full-FIRE-target. For a 30-year-old at €40K/year spending target:

• Full FIRE target: ~€1.0M-€1.2M (25-30× annual expenses)
• Coast FIRE target at 30: ~€180K-€230K (the inverse-compounded amount)

The behavioral implication: hitting Coast FIRE in your late 30s gives you 25+ years of career flexibility before traditional retirement, without requiring the sustained 50%+ savings rate that full FIRE typically demands. For most European readers on normal incomes, Coast FIRE is the more sensible target than full FIRE.

Common patterns this surfaces

"I'm closer to Coast FIRE than I thought": many European investors with €150K-€250K already invested and 20-30 years until traditional retirement discover they're either at Coast FIRE already or within 2-3 years of reaching it. The freedom this represents is often underestimated.

"My savings rate is more than I need for Coast FIRE": investors who've been saving aggressively often discover they could meaningfully reduce contributions and still reach Coast FIRE comfortably, freeing up income for current consumption or different goals.

"I need to choose between Coast FIRE and full FIRE": the calculator shows how the two targets relate — Coast FIRE is typically reachable 5-10 years before full FIRE on the same savings discipline. Many investors choose Coast FIRE first, then decide whether to keep saving toward full FIRE or coast.

The honest qualifier

Coast FIRE depends on the compounding actually happening. Three risks:

Sequence-of-returns risk during the coasting phase: a bad market early in coast can shrink the portfolio and break the "compounding alone gets you there" assumption. Mitigation: Coast FIRE isn't a one-way commitment — resume saving if needed.

Real return below assumption: if real returns are 3% instead of 5%, Coast FIRE arrives 5-7 years late. Run the calculator with 4% real to stress-test your number.

Lifestyle inflation during coast: if your spending grows during the coast phase, the retirement target grows alongside, and your Coast FIRE number — calibrated to a lower spending target — might no longer be enough. Build in modest margin.

The pragmatic answer: maintain modest savings (€5-10K/year) during the coast phase as margin. Coast FIRE doesn't have to mean zero saving; it means freedom from aggressive saving.

Next steps

If you're at or near Coast FIRE, the next decisions are mostly about lifestyle: career flexibility, geographic options, the kind of work you want to do. The financial pressure recedes; other considerations come forward.

If you're not yet at Coast FIRE, the next steps are the standard FIRE accumulation: monthly automation through Trade Republic and DEGIRO, saving 30-40% of after-tax income, broad-market UCITS ETFs, country-specific tax shelters fully utilized.

For the full conceptual framework, see Coast FIRE explained. For the broader FIRE landscape, the FIRE movement guide. For full FIRE math, the FIRE calculator.