Barista FIRE Calculator

Barista FIRE is the semi-retired middle ground: a part-time job covers part of your spending while your portfolio handles the rest, letting you walk away from full-time work years earlier without sacrificing a comfortable life.

The calculation adapts the '4% Rule' to account for the income your part-time work brings in. It starts by finding your 'investment income gap', subtracting your expected part-time earnings from your annual expenses, then divides that gap by a 4% withdrawal rate (fixed in this calculator) to size the portfolio you'll need. Put plainly: Required Portfolio = (Annual Expenses - Part-Time Annual Income) / 0.04. It then grows your current savings plus your monthly savings, compounded monthly at your expected return, to show how many years it takes to reach that number and the full FIRE number (expenses / 0.04).

Treat the 4% rule as a starting guideline rather than a promise; in choppy markets a more cautious 3.5% or even 3% may serve you better if you'd rather not gamble. Healthcare costs can be steep before Medicare eligibility at age 65, so leave room for them, and make sure the part-time income you're counting on is one you can actually sustain. Inflating your earning potential or shaving your expenses are the usual ways this plan goes sideways.