Save 30% — realistic mid-aggressive path
FIRE number: $1,250,000 ($50,000/year × 25.0). At 7% real return saving $1,786/month from $75,000, you reach it in 21 years — age 51. Savings rate: 30%.
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Frequently asked questions
What's the FIRE number for save 30% — realistic mid-aggressive path?
FIRE number = annual expenses × (100 / SWR). For $50,000/year expenses at 4% SWR: $50,000 × 25.0 = $1,250,000.
How many years to reach this FIRE number?
Starting with $75,000 and saving $1,786/month at 7% real return, you reach $1,250,000 in 21 years at age 51. Total contributed in the simulation: $525,072; growth: $747,021.
What savings rate does this require?
$21,432/year saved out of an implied $71,432 income = 30% 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 25 years; an 8% sensitivity reaches it in 20 years. These are constant-return illustrations, not forecasts.
How this number was calculated
FIRE number = Annual expenses × (100 / SWR)
= $50,000 × 25.0
= $1,250,000
Years to FIRE: solve bal × (1 + r) + annual_contrib = FIRE
starting bal = $75,000
annual_contrib = $21,432
r (real return) = 0.07
→ 21 years (age 51)
Total contributed = $525,072
From growth = $747,021 (60% of FIRE number)Math grounded in the Trinity Study (Cooley et al., 1998) and Karsten Jeske's SWR Series.
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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.