Invested Canadian

Fat FIRE Calculator for Canadians

Fat FIRE is financial independence with a full, comfortable budget. A higher lifestyle means a much larger portfolio. See what a fat number looks like for you, built for Canadians in today's Canadian dollars.

Build your projection
Adjust the numbers below. Your result and chart update as you type.
Your timeline
years

Your age today, in whole years.

years

How far to run the projection. If you reach FIRE before this age, great; if not, we say so.

Your money
$CAD

Include invested TFSA, RRSP, and non-registered assets; exclude your home and emergency cash.

How you invest
$/ year

What you add each year, in today's dollars.

$/ year

Your desired yearly lifestyle in today's dollars, once retired.

Planning assumptions

Planning assumptions

Examples, not advice
% / year

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. Compare FP Canada's guidelines

% / year

2.5% is a reasonable long-run figure. The Bank of Canada targets the 2% midpoint of a 1% to 3% range. See the target

% / year

Roughly the share of your portfolio you can withdraw each year without eating into your principal over the long run. 3.5% is a cautious baseline; a higher rate needs a smaller portfolio but carries more risk.

These values are saved in this page's URL so the projection is shareable. Avoid sharing the link if the amounts are private.

Projected FIRE age

Age 58

At $40,000 invested per year, your balance first reaches the $3,571,429 FIRE number around age 58. From there, your portfolio could fund your full spending.

Progress to your FIRE number4%
$150,000 invested$3,571,429 needed
FIRE number
$3,571,429
Balance around age 58
$3,736,364
Annual spending
$125,000

Estimate in today's Canadian dollars. Excludes CPP, OAS, workplace pensions, taxes, investment fees, and market volatility.

Reaching your FIRE number
Your position
The crosshair marks the first whole age your projected balance reaches the FIRE number: about age 58.

How Fat FIRE works

The formula is the same as any FIRE number, but the spending figure is large. Your fat number is your yearly spending divided by your withdrawal rate, so a $125,000 budget at a 3.5% withdrawal rate points to about $3.6M. That is several times a lean target, which is why Fat FIRE usually takes a high income and a long runway of heavy saving.

The projection grows your investments at your return after inflation and reports the first age your balance reaches the fat number.

What a fat budget looks like

Fat FIRE is about not compromising. It typically funds comfortable housing without penny-pinching, regular travel, dining out, family costs, and a cushion for large one-off purchases. Because the target scales directly with spending, small lifestyle changes move the number a lot: trimming $10,000 of annual spending at a 3.5% withdrawal rate lowers the portfolio you need by roughly $285,000.

A quick Canadian example

Say you are 30 and want to spend $125,000 a year in today's dollars. At a 9% nominal return, 2.5% inflation, and a 3.5% withdrawal rate, your Fat FIRE number is about $3.6M. Starting with $150,000 and adding $40,000 a year, this simple model reaches it around age 58, which shows how much saving power a fat target takes.

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. Because a fat target is large, the return and withdrawal rate you choose swing the result significantly, so it is worth testing a few combinations. FP Canada's 2026 Projection Assumption Guidelines publish more conservative figures by asset class.

Frequently asked questions

What is Fat FIRE?
Fat FIRE is financial independence with a comfortable, unconstrained lifestyle. You are not trimming your spending to retire early; you want a full budget with travel, dining, and room for big purchases. Because the spending is higher, the portfolio you need is much larger than a standard or lean number.
How much does Fat FIRE take in Canada?
It depends entirely on your target lifestyle, but Fat FIRE usually means yearly spending well above the typical household, often $100,000 or more for a couple. At a 3.5% withdrawal rate, $125,000 of spending points to a portfolio of roughly $3.6M. The calculator starts at $125,000; set it to the lifestyle you actually want.
How is the Fat FIRE number calculated?
The same way as any FIRE number: annual spending divided by your withdrawal rate. The difference is simply a larger spending figure, which produces a larger target. The calculator then projects your investments and contributions at your return after inflation to estimate the age you reach it.
Is Fat FIRE realistic for most Canadians?
It usually requires a high income and a high savings rate for many years, so it is a stretch for most people. That said, the calculator is useful for seeing the size of the target and how much your savings rate and timeline change it. A higher return, more time, or a slightly lower spending goal all bring it closer.
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. At Fat FIRE spending levels, taxes in particular can be significant, so treat the portfolio figure as a pre-tax planning estimate.

Compare the FIRE styles

Fat FIRE is the high end of the spectrum. For a standard target, use the FIRE calculator; for a frugal version, see Lean FIRE. You can also ease off full-time work sooner with Coast FIRE or Barista FIRE.