SimpliFI Calculator — How Many Years to Financial Independence?

DIY Retiree — SimpliFI Calculator

DIY Retiree · FI Planning

SimpliFI Calculator

How many years until you reach Financial Independence? Enter your current savings, annual contributions, and target spending to find your FI number and timeline.

Enter your numbers below to see your FI projection.

Your Financial Picture

Current Savings

$150k

Your total invested assets today across all accounts — 401(k), IRA, Roth IRA, brokerage. Don't include home equity or illiquid assets.

Annual Spending

$60k

Your expected annual spending in retirement. This drives your FI number — the portfolio size needed to sustain your lifestyle indefinitely.

FI Number = Annual Spending ÷ Safe Withdrawal Rate

Annual Savings

$24k

How much you add to your investment portfolio each year — 401(k) contributions, IRA contributions, and any taxable brokerage additions combined.

Assumptions

Return Rate

7.0%

Expected annual portfolio return. The historical US stock market average is roughly 10% nominal, 7% real (inflation-adjusted). Using a real return avoids needing to adjust your spending figure for inflation separately.

Conservative: 5–6% · Moderate: 7% · Optimistic: 8–9%

Safe Withdrawal Rate

4.0%

The percentage of your portfolio you withdraw annually in retirement. The classic "4% rule" (Bengen, 1994) suggests 4% survives a 30-year retirement in most historical scenarios. Bengen later revised this upward to 4.7%.

For early retirees with a 35–40 year horizon, consider 3.5% for a more conservative estimate. Want to stress-test your full retirement plan? Try the Retirement Probability Calculator.

FI Progress

Portfolio Growth to FI

FI Number
—
target portfolio size
Years to FI
—
at current pace
FI Year
—
estimated calendar year

Year-by-Year FI Timeline

Enter your numbers above to generate your timeline

Year	Starting Balance	Growth	Savings Added	End Balance	FI Target	Status

How this works: Your FI number = Annual Spending ÷ Safe Withdrawal Rate. Each year, your portfolio grows by the return rate and your annual savings are added. The green row marks the year your balance first exceeds your FI number. This is a simplified projection — it does not model taxes, Social Security, inflation variability, or sequence of returns risk. For a full probability-based retirement analysis, use the Retirement Probability Calculator.

diyretiree.com — free retirement planning tools for DIY investors

Want to stress-test your retirement plan beyond your FI number? Try the Retirement Probability Calculator

Tony Markey, MBA, founded DIY Retiree to provide free retirement planning tools and straight-talk guidance for pre-retirees managing their own financial futures.