Coast FIRE Calculator for Canadians
Estimate the age when you may be able to stop retirement contributions and let your investments grow toward retirement on their own. Results are planning estimates in today's Canadian dollars, not a promise that you can retire right away.
How the Coast FIRE calculation works
The calculation starts with two related targets. Your FIRE number is your yearly retirement spending divided by your withdrawal rate, so $50,000 of spending at a 3.5% withdrawal rate points to a portfolio of about $1.43M. Your Coast FIRE target at any age is that figure discounted back using your return after inflation over the years still left until retirement.
The projection starts with your current investments, applies inflation-adjusted growth, and adds your annual contribution in today's dollars once per year. The first whole age when that balance reaches the Coast target is your projected stop age. If that happens before retirement, the model stops new contributions and lets compounding carry the balance through the remaining years. You still need to cover day-to-day living costs throughout.
Your Coast number is smaller than it first sounds
The Coast FIRE number is a fraction of your full retirement target, which already makes it less daunting. The bigger source of confusion is usually inflation: people assume a figure quoted today has to balloon before it means anything decades from now. On this page it does not. Your Coast number is expressed in today's dollars, and the growth in the projection is measured after inflation.
So the amount you need invested to coast is stated in the money you understand right now. Once your balance passes it, compounding beyond inflation is what carries you the rest of the way, which is exactly why you can stop adding new contributions.
A quick Canadian example
Say you are 30, want to retire at 60, and expect to spend $50,000 a year in today's dollars. At a 9% nominal return, 2.5% inflation, and a 3.5% withdrawal rate, your full retirement target is about $1.43M and your Coast target today is roughly $226,000. If you start with $100,000 and add $20,000 a year, this simple model reaches the moving Coast target at about age 39. It then stops contributions and lets the portfolio compound toward age 60.
Choosing long-term assumptions
The 9% nominal return is an editable example, not a forecast. It is a conservative long-run estimate for a broad all-equity ETF like XEQT before inflation. A more diversified or bond-heavy portfolio would use a lower figure. FP Canada's 2026 Projection Assumption Guidelines publish more conservative nominal returns by asset class before fees. Your own assumption should reflect your mix and the fees you pay.
For context, the Bank of Canada's inflation-control target aims for 2% inflation, the midpoint of a 1% to 3% range. Long-term plans still benefit from testing less favourable combinations: a lower return or higher inflation produces a larger Coast target and a later projected stop age.
Frequently asked questions
- What is Coast FIRE?
- Coast FIRE is the point where your invested balance may be able to grow to your full retirement target without further contributions. It does not mean retiring right away: you still need income for today's living costs, but the model suggests your retirement investments could coast from that point onward.
- How is the Coast FIRE number calculated?
- First, the calculator divides annual retirement spending by the withdrawal rate to estimate the portfolio needed at retirement. It then works backward using the inflation-adjusted return to find the Coast target at each age. Starting with your current investments, it applies growth and your annual contribution until the projected balance first reaches that age's Coast target.
- How do annual contributions and the projected stop age work?
- Your annual contribution is treated as the same amount in today's dollars and is added once per year while you are still building toward Coast FIRE. The projected stop age is the first whole age when the modelled balance reaches the Coast target for that age. If that happens before retirement, the projection stops adding contributions and lets the balance compound for the remaining years. It is an estimate, not a guaranteed date.
- What return and inflation should Canadians use?
- The calculator starts with a 9% nominal return and 2.5% inflation as editable examples, not recommendations. The 9% is a conservative long-run estimate for a broad all-equity ETF like XEQT before inflation; a more diversified or bond-heavy portfolio would use a lower figure. A lower return or higher inflation raises the Coast target and may push the projected stop age later; a higher return or lower inflation does the opposite.
- Does this account for CPP, OAS, or taxes?
- No. Results are shown in today's Canadian dollars and do not include CPP, OAS, workplace pensions, taxes, or investment fees. Enter a return after fees if you want fees reflected. Government or workplace benefits could reduce the amount your portfolio must fund, while taxes could increase it, so treat the result as a planning estimate.
- Should my savings be in a TFSA or RRSP?
- The calculator can include TFSA, RRSP, and non-registered investments, but it treats every invested dollar the same and does not model account-level tax. TFSA withdrawals are generally tax-free, while RRSP withdrawals are generally taxable, so the same displayed balance in each account does not necessarily provide the same after-tax retirement income.
Keep going
Curious how your income and net worth stack up against other Canadians? Try the Invested Canadian dashboard, or browse the rest of our free calculators.