FIRE
Financial independence, retire early: compare your invested portfolio with annual lifestyle spending divided by a planning withdrawal rate. It is a useful benchmark, not a promise of lifelong funding.
How FIRE is calculated →YOUR LIFE. ON YOUR TERMS.
More life.
Less waiting.
A year off. A new city. A different pace.
See what your money could make possible.
An interactive financial independence planner for the life you actually want to live.
Public beta · US-focused · No sign-up. No bank connection.
A LITTLE WHAT IFEXAMPLE PLAN
Make space for a little more life.
One year off at $70,000, then back to saving $27,500 a year.
Projected portfolio at age 65$1.34M−$291k vs keep working
Keep working$1.63M
45Take a year off
46Return to work
65Look ahead
Today’s dollars · 5.8% expected returnOpen this example
What’s behind this example?
Synthetic household: age 45, $200,000 invested, $70,000 annual spending and $27,500 after-tax annual savings before the change. Each path grows at a steady 5.8% a year after inflation, the expected return of its stock, bond and cash mix. The dotted line keeps the original savings plan.
This is a comparison of possible choices, not a market forecast or a claim you can retire at 65. These examples leave Social Security and account withdrawal-tax estimates off. The Lisbon budget is illustrative. Open a plan to review every assumption and test market uncertainty.
ONE LIFE. MANY POSSIBILITIES.
Life chapters Accounts & propertyMarket uncertaintyScenario comparisons
FOLLOW YOUR WHAT IF
There’s more than one
way to feel free.
Start with a possibility. Follow your portfolio through the change, then make the plan your own.
01
A year you get back.
Make room for a career break. See the cost of pausing work—and the path afterward.
Explore a year off02
Life, somewhere new.
Try a different budget, a new city, and a chapter that takes you somewhere.
Explore life abroad03
A little more Tuesday.
What if work took up less of your week? Find the tradeoff that feels right for you.
Explore working lessA PLAN YOU CAN MAKE YOUR OWN
A few numbers.
A whole new perspective.
- 01
Find your starting point
Begin with your age, invested portfolio, spending, and after-tax savings. Estimates are enough to explore.
- 02
Shape your chapters
Add work, time off, a move, one-time costs, or a property. Give each chapter its own timing and budget.
- 03
Compare possible paths
Inspect monthly cash flows, test different market outcomes, and save scenarios before changing your plan.
MORE THAN ONE WAY TO FIND FREEDOM
Understand what each target tells you.
FIRE, CoastFI, and GeoFI—explained +
CoastFI
Explore whether investments could grow to your retirement target without further deposits or withdrawals. You still need a way to cover your living costs while the portfolio grows.
Understand CoastFI →GeoFI
See how a different location’s budget changes the financial independence target. Compare editable lifestyle budgets and the cost of moving or returning home.
Explore location-based FI →A career break can matter long before full financial independence. Model its dates and costs in your Life Plan, then inspect how they affect future funding.
KNOW WHAT IS BEHIND THE NUMBERS
Big possibilities.
Clear-eyed planning.
Choose your assumptions, inspect the calculations, and compare outcomes. Market simulations help explore uncertainty; they cannot predict what markets or your life will do.
Assumptions, sources, and limitations →Your plan is saved in your browser.
No account or bank connection is required. Calculations run on your device. Export a backup, or deliberately share selected results or a full plan. Anyone with a full-plan link can read its contents.
Read about storage and sharing →BEFORE YOU START
A few useful answers.
Is Escape Velocity free to use?
Yes. The calculator is free to use and does not require an account or a bank connection.
Is this only for early retirement?
No. You can model a sabbatical, part-time work, life abroad, a return home, or a sequence of different chapters. Financial independence targets are one way to interpret a plan.
Are the numbers in today’s dollars?
Inputs and primary results use today’s US-dollar purchasing power. The portfolio chart also offers future nominal dollars. Inflation, real spending changes, and tax settings are explained in the methodology.
Does it include taxes, property, and Social Security?
The planner supports account-specific US withdrawal-tax and early-access estimates, primary and rental property cash flows, and optional Social Security estimates or benefit overrides. These are simplified models; review the tax and benefit limitations.
What does market success mean?
It is the share of simulated paths that fund every month through your chosen horizon under your assumptions. It is different from the Freedom Score and is not a real-world guarantee.
Can I try it without entering personal numbers?
Yes. Explore the example in a temporary preview. Your existing saved plan is preserved unless you explicitly choose to use the example.
How do I report a problem or suggest something?
Use the feedback page to send a report directly. Review what it contains before sending, and leave out account numbers or other private details.
YOUR NEXT CHAPTER ISN’T A SPREADSHEET.
It starts with
a what if.
Free to use. Your plan stays in your browser.
Escape Velocity is an educational planning tool, not individualized financial, investment, tax, or legal advice. Outputs depend on your inputs and simplified assumptions. Review major decisions with qualified professionals.