FIRE Calculator
Enter what you have saved, what you invest, your expected return, inflation and what you need each month to live. You will see how many years you have left, the date and the age you would get there.
Enter your savings or a contribution, the return, inflation and your monthly spending.
Estimate with constant returns and inflation, before taxes and fees. Your contribution rises with inflation every year, just like the target.
Year by year
Enter your savings or a contribution, the return, inflation and your monthly spending.
Results are estimates. Solvemis accepts no responsibility for the results obtained or for how they are used. Always double-check the result and talk to a qualified professional before making decisions.
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How it works
How to use it
- Enter what you already have invested and how much you contribute, and choose monthly or yearly.
- Enter the annual return you expect, after fees, and average inflation. The Swiss National Bank aims for inflation of less than 2%.
- Enter what you need each month to live, in today's money.
- Choose the withdrawal rate: 4% is the classic rule; for a long early retirement, 3% to 3.5% is safer.
- To see the age you would get there, enter your age. Open the table for a year-by-year breakdown.
How it is calculated
The amount you need is your annual spending divided by the withdrawal rate. The calculator runs month by month: your savings grow at the monthly rate equivalent to the annual return, (1 + r)^(1/12) − 1, and receive your contributions. With inflation, the target grows every month and your contribution is raised once a year. You reach financial independence in the first month your savings reach the target for that month.
Amount needed = annual spending ÷ withdrawal rate (at 4%: 25 × annual spending)
Sources
- Determining Withdrawal Rates Using Historical Data (William P. Bengen, 1994) — Journal of Financial Planning, Financial Planning Association
- The SNB's monetary policy strategy — Swiss National Bank
About this calculator
What financial independence means
You are financially independent when what your savings can pay out covers your expenses, and working becomes a choice rather than a necessity. That is the idea behind FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early). The question is how much is enough, and the 4% rule answers it.
The 4% rule
In 1994, financial planner William Bengen looked at what would have happened since 1926 to a retiree who withdrew a fixed percentage of their savings and raised it with inflation every year. At 4%, the money lasted at least 30 years in every case. So the amount you need is 25 times your annual spending.
| Withdrawal rate | Multiply annual spending by | At CHF 2’000 a month |
|---|---|---|
| 4% | 25 | CHF 600’000 |
| 3.5% | 28.6 | CHF 685’714 |
| 3% | 33.3 | CHF 800’000 |
| 2% | 50 | CHF 1’200’000 |
| 1% | 100 | CHF 2’400’000 |
The rule was tested on U.S. data and retirements of about 30 years. If you retire young, your money has to last longer, which is why the calculator lets you lower it.
An example
With CHF 20’000 saved and CHF 800 a month invested, a 7% return, 2.5% inflation and CHF 2’000 a month in spending:
- Ignoring inflation: 22 years and 7 months.
- With inflation: 28 years and 8 months. By then the target is no longer CHF 600’000 but CHF 1’217’780, which will buy what CHF 600’000 buys today.
If you start at 35, you would get there at 63. At a 3% withdrawal rate instead of 4%, it would take 33 years and 9 months.
Inflation counts twice
Inflation raises the target, so your contribution also has to rise with inflation every year to reach these results. If you keep investing the same amount, you are really saving a little less each year and it will take longer.
A state pension comes on top
If you will receive a state pension, it is extra income. You can subtract it from your monthly spending: with a pension of CHF 800 a month, you would need CHF 1’200 a month, a target of CHF 360’000, and you would get there in 20 years and 7 months. It only starts at the official retirement age, so if you stop working sooner your savings have to cover everything until then.
What the result does not include
- Taxes and fees: enter your return after fees. Investment gains are usually taxed, depending on your country and the type of account.
- Changing returns: the calculator assumes a constant return. Real returns change every year and can be negative.
- Life changes: spending, income and family change over the years.
All figures are estimates, not a forecast or financial advice. For a plan tailored to you, talk to a qualified professional. Solvemis accepts no responsibility for the results or for how they are used.
Frequently asked questions
What is the 4% rule?
If you withdraw 4% of your starting portfolio in the first year and raise that amount with inflation every year after, your money lasted at least 30 years in every historical period studied in the United States. That gives the amount you need: 25 times your annual spending. At CHF 2’000 a month, CHF 24’000 a year, that is CHF 600’000.
Why lower it to 3%, 2% or 1%?
Because the 4% rule was tested on retirements of about 30 years. If you stop working at 40, your money may need to last 50 years or more, and a safer withdrawal rate is 3% to 3.5%. At 2% or 1% your savings barely get touched.
What about a state pension?
A state pension is extra income on top of your savings. If you like, subtract what you expect to receive from your monthly spending and your target goes down. It only starts at the official retirement age: if you stop working sooner, your savings have to cover all your spending until then.
Updated 2 October 2026
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