The FIRE Movement: Financial Independence, Retire Early
FIRE is a lifestyle movement with the goal of gaining financial independence and retiring early. The core strategy is maximizing your savings rate aggressively and investing those savings into index funds until your portfolio reaches an absolute "FIRE Number."
Core Math/Formula: FIRE Target Corpus = Annual Living Expenses / Safe Withdrawal Rate (SWR)
Common FAQs
What is the 4% Safe Withdrawal Rate (SWR) rule?
Based on historical market data (the Trinity Study), if you withdraw exactly 4% of your total initial portfolio every year (adjusted for inflation), there is a 95%+ probability that your savings will last for at least 30 years without running out.
How do I reach FIRE faster?
You only have two levers: Increase your income or aggressively reduce your living expenses. Decreasing expenses is doubly effective because it allows you to save more while simultaneously lowering the target FIRE corpus you ultimately need to hit.