This calculator helps you plan your path to Financial Independence and Retire Early (FIRE) using today's buying power. Unlike other calculators that show you big numbers that don't account for inflation, everything here is in dollars you can actually understand.
Start by dragging the timeline markers above to set your key dates: when you'll reach FIRE, access your super, and move through retirement phases. You can also set your start and end age directly.
Fill in the four phase columns below with your savings, withdrawals, and one-off amounts. Each phase represents a different stage of your journey. Hover over the icons for helpful tips.
The chart below shows how your balances (investments and super) will grow over time. Red highlights mean you'll run out of money - adjust your plan to stay in the green!
Scroll down to learn about purchasing power, different FIRE strategies, and how the calculations work. Everything is explained in plain Oz English.
This calculator removes the "illusion" of inflation. By using the Real Rate, the final number represents what you can actually buy in the future, using prices you understand today.
If you project wealth using a standard 10% return, you might see a result of $2,000,000 in 30 years. However, because prices rise, that $2M won't buy a mansion—it might only buy a small unit.
By adjusting for inflation (Real Rate), this calculator might show $850,000. This tells you: "In the future, you will have enough money to buy the same amount of stuff that $850k buys today."
Financial Independence, Retire Early comes in many flavors. Use these recipes to configure the solver for your specific strategy.
Front-load your savings early, then stop contributing. Your existing nest egg grows in the background while you work just enough to cover current bills.
Retiring on a minimal budget (e.g., $30k/yr). Because the target is lower, you can often retire much faster or with a smaller salary.
Retiring with a luxurious budget (e.g., $150k+/yr). This requires a large nest egg and aggressive monthly contributions.
You have a nest egg, but it's not quite ready. You switch to a low-stress job to cover bills (0 net savings) while your investments bridge the gap.
The "sticker price" of your investment return. If your share portfolio goes up by 10% on your trading app, that's your nominal return.
The rate at which the price of goods (milk, petrol, housing) rises. Inflation erodes the value of money over time.
Your actual growth after inflation eats away at your gains. Formula: (Nominal - Inflation).
The value of currency expressed in terms of the amount of goods or services that one unit of money can buy.
Here's the lowdown on how this calculator figures out your numbers. We've kept it simple but accurate - no fancy jargon, just the facts you need to know.
Most calculators show you big numbers that look impressive, but they don't account for inflation. You might see "$2 million" but forget that a flat white will cost $15 by then! This calculator shows you everything in today's buying power - so when you see $1 million, you know it's actually worth $1 million in today's money.
We use what's called the Fisher Equation to strip out inflation before we even start calculating:
The bottom line: Your $1 million target stays meaningful whether you're planning for 10 years or 50 years.
We don't just use simple formulas - we calculate every single month from now until you're 95. This means we can handle things like stopping contributions halfway through a year, or adding a lump sum at a specific time. It's more accurate than the simple "compound interest" formulas you might remember from school.
Getting the Monthly Rate Right: When you enter a 7% annual return, we make sure it actually compounds to exactly 7% over the year, not 7.23% (which would happen if we just divided by 12). We use the proper formula:
So if you put in 7% per year, you get exactly 7% per year - no sneaky overstatement!
Why this matters: Using the right formula means you get exactly what you expect - a 7% return is a 7% return, not 7.23%.
The tricky bit about FIRE in Australia is that your super is locked away until you're 60. So we track two separate buckets of money:
When you move a slider, we recalculate everything from now until you're 95 - that's hundreds of months of calculations happening instantly!
Once you hit 60 and can access your super, we don't just grab money randomly. We use a smart strategy to make your money last longer:
This way your personal savings are your last resort - which is exactly how most smart retirees actually do it in real life.
When you lock a number and ask "what do I need to save?" or "what return do I need?", we can't just use a simple formula (because of those lump sums and changing contributions). Instead, we use a smart guessing game:
We do all the heavy number-crunching on our server (using Python) to make sure we get the maths exactly right. Your browser just shows you the results.
Real Rate Edition: Today's Dollars Simulator
| Year | Start Balance | Contributions | Real Growth | End Balance |
|---|