#retirement
3 articles
Rachel's FIRE Number Is $1.26M at 50 — Marcus Earns 2× and Hits FIRE 4 Years Later
The FIRE number depends on what you spend, not what you earn. We ran two real-world profiles through the calculator: a $85K saver who spends $50K, and a $150K earner who spends $120K. The lower earner retires first.
$210K Saved at 40? Why Fidelity's Age-Based Benchmarks Lie to Half of Workers
The Fidelity 1×/3×/6×/10× salary milestones assume you started saving at 25 and earn a stable 7%. The median 40-year-old has $63K saved against a $210K benchmark. Here's the math behind the gap, and why catching up is easier than the headline suggests.
25× Expenses Lasted 30 Years in 73% of Our Simulations, 50 Years in 49%
We retired $1.25M on $50K of spending in 5,000 simulated markets. Survival falls from 73% over 30 years to 49% over 50. Saving 33× lifts the 50-year number to 70%; part-time income adds less than you'd think.