Coast FIRE at 30

Coast FIRE number at 30

$140,494

On $5,000 a month of spending, invested once and never added to, compounding at 7 percent real for 35 years until 65. That is 9 percent of the $1,500,000 you are aiming at.

Thirty is where Coast FIRE stops being theoretical for most people, because it is roughly when a decade of working has produced a balance that is within sight of the number.

At $5,000 a month of spending, coasting at 30 needs about $140,000 invested. Thirty five years of compounding at 7 percent real turns that into the $1.5 million the 4 percent rule asks for.

Coast FIRE at 30 by monthly spending

Monthly spending	FIRE number	Coast FIRE at 30
$3,000	$900,000	$84,297
$4,000	$1,200,000	$112,396
$5,000	$1,500,000	$140,494
$6,000	$1,800,000	$168,593
$8,000	$2,400,000	$224,791

The gap between 25 and 30 is $40,000, and it is the cheapest $40,000 you will ever find

Coasting at 25 costs about $100,000. At 30 it costs about $140,000. That $40,000 difference buys back five years of contributions you would otherwise have to make, which at any realistic savings rate is worth far more than $40,000.

This is also the age where the decision stops being abstract. At 30 the coast number is achievable within a few years of focused saving for a lot of people, which means the real question is no longer whether you can reach it but what you want to do once you have. Coasting is only valuable if there is something you would rather be doing than maximising income.

If returns disappoint

The return assumption moves this number more than anything else you can control. At $5,000 a month of spending, here is the same calculation at 30 across a realistic range.

Real return	Coast FIRE at 30
5 percent	$271,935
6 percent	$195,158
7 percent	$140,494
8 percent	$101,452

Run it on your own numbers

Your spending, your retirement age, your return assumption, and what you already have invested.

Open the Coast FIRE calculator

Common questions

Is $140,000 at 30 realistic?

It is above average and well short of rare. Federal Reserve data puts the median net worth for 30 to 34 year olds far below that, but net worth includes people with no investments at all. Among people who have been contributing to a 401k since their early twenties with an employer match, six figures by 30 is a common outcome rather than an exceptional one.

What if I want to retire before 65?

Then this number does not apply, and it is the most important caveat on the page. Coast FIRE assumes a traditional retirement age because that is what gives compounding time to do the work. Retiring at 50 cuts fifteen years of growth, which roughly triples the amount you need to have invested today.

Coast FIRE at other ages

Figures assume a 4 percent withdrawal rate, 7 percent real returns and retirement at 65, with spending expressed in today's money. This is general information, not financial advice.