# Coast FIRE Number by Age

> How much you need invested for Coast FIRE at every age from 20 to 60, for $40K to $100K of retirement spending. Change the assumptions live.

Source: https://mycoastfire.com/coast-fire-number-by-age
Last updated: 2026-09-13

At 30, planning to spend $60,000 a year in retirement, you need about $395,000 invested to coast to 65. Wait until 40 and it's closer to $579,000. The table has the rest.

| Your age | Spending $40K/yr | Spending $60K/yr | Spending $80K/yr | Spending $100K/yr |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 20 | $180,055 | $270,082 | $360,110 | $450,137 |
| 25 | $217,840 | $326,760 | $435,680 | $544,600 |
| 30 | $263,555 | $395,332 | $527,109 | $658,887 |
| 35 | $318,862 | $478,294 | $637,725 | $797,156 |
| 40 | $385,777 | $578,665 | $771,554 | $964,442 |
| 45 | $466,733 | $700,100 | $933,467 | $1,166,834 |
| 50 | $564,679 | $847,019 | $1,129,358 | $1,411,698 |
| 55 | $683,179 | $1,024,768 | $1,366,358 | $1,707,947 |
| 60 | $826,546 | $1,239,820 | $1,653,093 | $2,066,366 |

Every number assumes a 7% return, 3% inflation, a 4% withdrawal rate and retirement at 65, all in today’s dollars. They also assume you stop contributing today, which is what a Coast FIRE number means.

## Why the number jumps after 45

Every year you wait, your money has one less year to grow, and that lost year compounds too. Between 20 and 30, the target for $60,000 a year goes up by about $125K. Between 50 and 60 it goes up by about $393K. Same ten years, very different price.

It helps to look at it from the other side. Invested at 25, each dollar turns into about $4.59 of today’s money by 65. Invested at 45, it turns into about $2.14. The same $10,000 does more than twice the work in your mid-20s.

## Behind for your age?

Don’t read too much into one row of a table. These targets assume you never add another dollar, and almost nobody stops cold.

Take someone who is 40 with $250,000 invested. They’re about $329K short of the $60,000-a-year target, which sounds bad. If they put in $2,500 a month, they cross the line at 54. That’s later than the Coast FIRE crowd likes to talk about, but it still means the last decade before retirement doesn’t need a single contribution. Most people in that spot are in better shape than the table makes them feel. If that’s you, [this plan for reaching Coast FIRE](https://mycoastfire.com/blog/how-to-reach-coast-fire) shows how much each extra hundred dollars a month moves the date.

## Benchmarks at common ages

These are the $60,000-a-year figures from the table, with a little context for each. Each age also has its own page with contribution scenarios: [25](https://mycoastfire.com/coast-fire-number-by-age/25), [30](https://mycoastfire.com/coast-fire-number-by-age/30), [35](https://mycoastfire.com/coast-fire-number-by-age/35), [40](https://mycoastfire.com/coast-fire-number-by-age/40), [45](https://mycoastfire.com/coast-fire-number-by-age/45), [50](https://mycoastfire.com/coast-fire-number-by-age/50) and [55](https://mycoastfire.com/coast-fire-number-by-age/55).

### At 25: $326,760

Few people have this much at 25, and that’s fine. If you’re even a third of the way there, a few strong saving years can get you across by your early 30s.

### At 30: $395,332

This is the age most Coast FIRE conversations revolve around. On a high income with a few aggressive years it’s very doable. On an average income it’s a stretch, and aiming for 35 is more realistic.

### At 35: $478,294

The target has grown by about $83K in five years, and it’s now just under a third of the $1.5 million you’d need to stop working entirely.

### At 40: $578,665

Past this point the number climbs by more than $20,000 for every year you wait, so contributions in your early 40s carry a lot of weight.

### At 45: $700,100

By now, most people who reach Coast FIRE get there through contributions rather than growth. The calculator’s coast age is a better guide than this single number.

### At 50: $847,019

Coast FIRE and regular FIRE start to blur here. Your target is more than half of your full FIRE number, and it usually makes more sense to plan for full retirement directly.

## Questions people ask

### What if I'm 50 and just starting?

Then Coast FIRE probably isn't the most useful frame. With 15 years to go, your contributions matter more than growth on what you already have. Aim straight for your full FIRE number, and look into catch-up contributions, which let people 50 and older put extra money into a 401(k) and IRA each year.

### Does home equity count?

Not in these numbers. Coast FIRE is about invested money that can grow and later be withdrawn. A paid-off home still helps a lot, but it shows up as lower retirement spending rather than as part of your portfolio.

### Where do the assumptions come from?

The 7% return and 3% inflation are middle-of-the-road long-run figures for a stock-heavy portfolio, and the 4% withdrawal rate comes from the Trinity Study and William Bengen's 1994 research. Our methodology page explains each one and what changes if you move it.

## Keep reading

-   [What is Coast FIRE?The idea in plain terms, with an example.](https://mycoastfire.com/what-is-coast-fire)
-   [How to calculate itThe formula behind this table, step by step.](https://mycoastfire.com/coast-fire-number)
-   [Coast FIRE calculatorYour exact age, balance and monthly contribution.](https://mycoastfire.com/)