Financial independence isn't an age — it's a number. Enter your spending and savings rate below to find yours, and how many years of investing stand between you and it.
Your FI number is your annual spending divided by your safe withdrawal rate. At a 4% withdrawal rate, that works out to 25 times your annual expenses — the amount that, historically, has had a reasonably low risk of running out over a 30-year retirement when invested in a diversified stock/bond portfolio. A more conservative 3.5% withdrawal rate means a bigger number (about 28.5x expenses) but more of a safety margin.
The "years to reach it" projection assumes your current invested assets and monthly contributions grow steadily at your chosen return rate — real markets don't move in a straight line, so treat this as a planning estimate, not a forecast.
Your FI (financial independence) number is the invested net worth needed for withdrawals to cover your living expenses indefinitely — typically calculated as annual expenses divided by your safe withdrawal rate, commonly expressed as 25x annual expenses at a 4% rate.
The 4% rule suggests withdrawing 4% of your portfolio in year one of retirement, then adjusting that dollar amount for inflation each year after, with a reasonably low historical risk of running out of money over 30 years.
It's debated — some researchers argue for a more conservative 3-3.5% for long retirements or pessimistic return assumptions, while others consider 4% reasonable or even conservative. Treat it as a starting estimate and revisit it as you approach your number.