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Barista FIRE Calculator

Enter your spending and what you could earn from part-time work. You get the investments needed to cover the rest and how long until you have them.

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Barista FIRE number$550,000
Time until you can go part-time11 years 9 months
Spending your investments must cover$22,000
Full FIRE number$1,000,000
Investments (today's money)Barista FIRE number
$0$150K$300K$450K$600K036912
Year

Example

With $40,000 of yearly spending and $18,000 of part-time income, your investments must cover $22,000 a year. At a 4% withdrawal rate that takes $550,000, compared with $1,000,000 for full FIRE. From $150,000, investing $1,500 a month, you reach it in 11 years 9 months.

How the barista fire calculator works

Barista FIRE means leaving full-time work once your investments can pay for part of your life, with a part-time job paying for the rest.

The number is the gap between spending and part-time income, divided by the withdrawal rate: (spending − part-time income) / withdrawal rate. Every unit of part-time income removes 25 units from the target at a 4% rate.

The time to reach it is found by growing your investments each month, at a return after inflation, and adding your monthly contribution.

Common questions

Why is it called Barista FIRE?

The name comes from the idea of taking a relaxed part-time job, such as working in a coffee shop, often for the benefits as much as the pay. Any part-time or freelance income works the same way.

What happens when I stop the part-time work?

Then your investments must cover all of your spending, which needs the full FIRE number. Because you withdraw less than the growth in most years, the pot can keep growing towards that figure while you work part-time.

Should I enter income before or after tax?

After tax, since it is compared with what you spend. Remember that withdrawals from investments may also be taxed, depending on the account and country.

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