The Coast FIRE number is $102,000, not $1.25 million

A financial independence playbook, worked from the public Coast FIRE formula. A 28 year old planning to retire at 65 spending $50,000 a year needs a $1.25 million retirement number, the standard 25x math behind the 4 percent rule, but only about $102,000 invested today at a 7 percent assumed return to get there through compounding alone. Formula from NerdWallet, ProjectionLab and CoastFire.org. Not financial advice, just the public math.

Added 30 Jul 2026