Lean FIRE Calculator
Estimate your Lean FIRE number and how long it takes to get there—then visualize the journey.
Your numbers
Exclude home equity unless you plan to sell/use it to fund retirement.
This drives your Lean FIRE number (target portfolio).
Optional: part-time work, rentals, pensions, etc.
Example: move abroad costs, healthcare buffer, debt payoff, vehicle purchase.
How you save
Optional: if you plan to increase contributions over time.
Assumptions (advanced)
4% ≈ 25× annual spending.
Used only for the Lean/Not-lean badge.
If checked: subtracts inflation from rates so projections are in today’s purchasing power.
Disclosure: Educational tool only. Not investment, tax, or legal advice. Results are estimates; markets and inflation are uncertain.
Results
—
—
Lean FIRE number (target portfolio)
—
Projected portfolio at FI
—
Estimated FI age
—
Time to FI
—
Est. retirement month: —
Monthly savings (today)
—
Savings rate (today)
—
Portfolio projection (principal vs growth). The target line becomes a shaded “FI zone” after you reach it.
| Year | Age | End portfolio | Contrib (year) | Growth (year) | % of target |
|---|
How the target is calculated: (Annual retirement spending − other annual retirement income) ÷ withdrawal rate, plus any one-time expense.

.

.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Carlos Grider launched A Brother Abroad in 2017 after a “one-year abroad” experiment turned into a long-term life strategy. After 65+ countries and a decade abroad, he now writes about FIRE, personal finance, geo-arbitrage, and the real-world logistics of living abroad—visas, costs, and tradeoffs—so readers can make smarter global moves with fewer surprises. Carlos is a former Big 4 management consultant and DoD cultural advisor with an MBA (UT Austin) and Boston University’s Certificate in Financial Planning. He’s the author of Digital Nomad Nation: Rise of the Borderless Generation and is currently writing The Sovereign Expat.
