Lean FIRE on $25,000/year expenses
FIRE number: $625,000 ($25,000/year × 25.0). At 7% real return saving $1,500/month from $25,000, you reach it in 17 years — age 47. Savings rate: 42%.
Run your own variations
The calculator below is pre-filled with this scenario's numbers — drag any input to see how it shifts your FIRE timeline.
Frequently asked questions
What's the FIRE number for lean fire on $25,000/year expenses?
FIRE number = annual expenses × (100 / SWR). For $25,000/year expenses at 4% SWR: $25,000 × 25.0 = $625,000.
How many years to reach this FIRE number?
Starting with $25,000 and saving $1,500/month at 7% real return, you reach $625,000 in 17 years at age 47. Total contributed in the simulation: $331,000; growth: $303,094.
What savings rate does this require?
$18,000/year saved out of an implied $43,000 income = 42% savings rate. This is an arithmetic scenario; the result changes with income, expenses, contributions, taxes, fees and return assumptions.
What if my real return is different?
Keeping this scenario's balance, expenses, contributions and 4% SWR fixed, a 5% real-return sensitivity reaches the target in 20 years; an 8% sensitivity reaches it in 16 years. These are constant-return illustrations, not forecasts.
How this number was calculated
FIRE number = Annual expenses × (100 / SWR)
= $25,000 × 25.0
= $625,000
Years to FIRE: solve bal × (1 + r) + annual_contrib = FIRE
starting bal = $25,000
annual_contrib = $18,000
r (real return) = 0.07
→ 17 years (age 47)
Total contributed = $331,000
From growth = $303,094 (48% of FIRE number)Math grounded in the Trinity Study (Cooley et al., 1998) and Karsten Jeske's SWR Series.
Related FIRE scenarios
Full interactive calculator with Lean / Fat / Coast / Barista FIRE breakdowns, savings rate analysis, and year-by-year projections.
Open the FIRE calculator →Educational projection. Future returns are not guaranteed. Sequence-of-returns risk matters for early retirees — see Karsten Jeske's SWR Series for nuanced analysis. Verified 2026-05-27.