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FIRECalc
What it is
FIRECalc is a free web calculator for assessing whether savings, planned spending, and other resources could support retirement across historical market conditions. It compares plans with market data beginning in 1871 and reports how often a portfolio would have remained funded for the chosen term across historical starting years. Users can include Social Security, pensions, and other income or spending adjustments, then select inflation-adjusted constant spending, Bernicke's Reality Retirement Plan, or withdrawals based on a percentage of the remaining portfolio. Portfolio settings include historical investments, fees, and consistent or random returns. Planning inputs can cover a future retirement date, contributions before retirement, and future lump-sum portfolio changes. Defaults use 75% stock index and 25% bond funds, a 0.18% fund fee, and inflation-adjusted spending over 30 years. The homepage reports data through January 1, 2026, updated April 17, 2026. FIRECalc applies historical data rather than predicting future returns; it does not provide tax planning or account synchronization. It says it does not store financial entries.
For and against
For
- Compares retirement plans with historical data from 1871
- Allows Social Security, pension, and other income inputs
- Includes several spending approaches and portfolio settings
- Supports future contributions and lump-sum changes
- Free to use
Against
- Does not predict future investment returns
- Does not provide tax planning
- No account synchronization
The verdict
FIRECalc offers historical scenario analysis for retirement plans, not a prediction of future returns. Users needing tax planning or account synchronization will not find those features here.
Who it suits
FIRECalc suits people evaluating early retirement and whether their resources could sustain planned spending. It may help users who want to examine income, spending, and portfolio scenarios against historical conditions.
Plans and prices
FIRECalc
Core retirement calculator; supporter registration provides some additional features on request
Read 7 Oct 2026 · firecalc.com
On the record
- Additional features
- Registering as a supporter provides access to some additional features available only on request.firecalc.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Data freshness
- The homepage says its data was updated April 17, 2026, with data through January 1, 2026.firecalc.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Default assumptions
- The default portfolio is 75% stock index and 25% bond funds with a 0.18% fund fee, and default spending is adjusted for inflation over 30 years.firecalc.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Future planning
- Users can set a future retirement date, add annual contributions before retirement, and enter future lump-sum portfolio changes.firecalc.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Historical analysis
- It evaluates retirement plans across historical starting years, with market data beginning in 1871.firecalc.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Income inputs
- Users can include Social Security, pensions, and other future income or spending adjustments.firecalc.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Intended users
- The site presents FIRECalc for people evaluating early retirement and whether their savings, spending, and other resources can maintain their lifestyle.firecalc.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Model limitation
- FIRECalc says it cannot predict future investment returns and instead applies historical market data to retirement plans.firecalc.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Portfolio choices
- Users can select historical investment portfolios, set investment fees, or model consistent or random portfolio returns.firecalc.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Privacy
- FIRECalc says it does not store users' financial entries; temporary files for spreadsheets and graphics are session-only and deleted approximately 15 minutes after creation.firecalc.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- FIRECalc helps assess whether savings and planned spending can sustain a retirement across historical market conditions.firecalc.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Spending models
- Options include inflation-adjusted constant spending, Bernicke's Reality Retirement Plan, and spending based on a percentage of the remaining portfolio.firecalc.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Success rate
- Results report how often a retirement plan would have succeeded historically, meaning the portfolio remained funded for the planned term.firecalc.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Support
- The contact page directs usage questions to the FIRECalc support section of the Early Retirement forum and accepts bug reports and suggestions.firecalc.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Tax planning
- FIRECalc says it does not account for taxable versus nontaxable portfolios or provide tax planning.firecalc.com · read 7 Oct 2026
