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Updated October 25, 2023

Want to Retire by 40? Here’s How Much You’ll Need to Save.

Want to Retire by 40? Here’s How Much You’ll Need to Save.

Want to Retire by 40? Here’s How Much You’ll Need to Save.

AJ Giannone, CFA
AJ Giannone, CFA
AJ Giannone, CFA

Bill Chen, CFA

Personal Finance

According to a recent Gallup poll, the age when Americans expect to retire is creeping up — from 62 in 2002 to 66 in 2022. If the mere thought of working that long makes you shudder, don’t worry; there’s hope. And it’s spelled F-I-R-E. 

Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE) is a philosophy popularized in the early 90s. It was then rediscovered by high-net-worth Millennials roughly a decade ago and has since only grown in popularity as FIRE-focused influencers introduce the lifestyle to a new and growing “early retirement curious” audience. 

The concept of FIRE is one of extreme frugality to create an early retirement nest egg. Instead of the 10% to 15% in annual retirement savings recommended by most financial planners, FIRE adherents save 50% to 75% of their yearly income. Here’s how these strategies compare:

Saving 10% annually, it takes nine years to accrue one year of living expenses.

Saving 50% annually, it takes one year to accrue one year of living expenses.

Saving 75% annually, it takes four months to accrue one year of living expenses.

The Rule of 25

The Rule of 25, a core tenet of FIRE, says you must save 25 times your annual expenses before considering retirement.

Monthly expenses x 12 = annual living expense x 25 = your target FIRE number

If your monthly expenses are $5,000, you’ll multiply that by 12 to get an annual living expense of $60,000. Multiply that by 25, and you’ll have a target FIRE number of $1.5M. This is the minimum you’ll need to retire early.

Those who can save 75% of their annual salary should accumulate what they need according to the Rule of 25 in less than ten years. So, if you’re in your 20s or early 30s, it’s entirely possible you could retire by 40.

What’s Your Ideal Version of Retirement? 

Because saving 75% of one’s salary can be too big a burden for some, there are three classifications of FIRE based on how you imagine your post-retirement financial lifestyle:

Fat FIRE is for a retirement where you won’t have to skimp—envision yourself living your best life after early retirement. It’s for the 75% percenters making sacrifices today so they won’t have to make as many later in life.  

Lean FIRE is more of a minimalist approach—think early retirement, but with disciplined spending and frugality. It’s for those who are able to save roughly 50% now in exchange for a modest yet satisfying life free from work. 

Barista FIRE is a bit of a hedge. It’s for someone who wants to retire from full-time work at a younger age but is OK having a part-time job with medical benefits (like those offered by Starbucks). Barista FIRE retirees can leave the workforce before they’ve banked a million dollars because they can count on roughly $30,000 in salary and side hustles to help stretch their savings.

Is The 4% Rule Adequate for Early Retirement? 

The 4% Rule is another key rule of thumb for anyone planning for retirement. It provides guidance on what retirees should target in terms of annual withdrawals. Proponents of FIRE suggest that retirees withdraw 4% of their savings in the first year and adjust for inflation in future years as necessary. 

Using our target FIRE number of $1.5M as an example, with the rule of 4%, you could withdraw $60,000 in your first year of retirement.

Former Fed economist Karsten Jeske feels 4% is a tad high, however, and suggests withdrawing funds from your retirement savings account at a rate of 3.5% or less. Jeske believes smaller annual withdrawals will give most retirees adequate cash reserves for a retirement that could extend past the fifty-year mark.

A Word of Caution

The reason most wait until their mid-to-late 60s to retire is entirely pragmatic: full Medicare and Social Security benefits aren’t available until ages 65 and 67, respectively. Those who retire as early as 40 will have to contend with the high cost of health care insurance and medical care. 

As a safeguard against this, Jeske — who’s clearly a pragmatist — advocates for saving 30 to 40 times your annual expenses (think a Rule of 30 or 40 vs. 25). For those with $60,000 in annual expenses, that could mean needing between $1.8M and $2.4M in savings before retirement is possible.

Save and Invest for Your Future

Whether you're looking to live the FIRE lifestyle and retire early or aiming for a more traditional retirement horizon, Allio can help you save and invest for your future.

We offer a unique blend of investment options tailored to your lifestyle and financial goals. Choose one of our fully managed portfolios for hassle-free investing, handled by our team of experts. Prefer more control? Our dynamic macro portfolio option puts the power in your hands. We’re not your typical finance firm. Gone are the days of exclusive, complicated investing. We're here to make your financial journey approachable, transparent, and most importantly yours. At Allio, we’re shaping the future of investing.

Whether you’re seeking an expert team to manage your money or looking to build your own portfolios with the best financial technology available, Allio can help. Head to the app store and download Allio today!

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Any links provided to other websites are offered as a matter of convenience and are not intended to imply that Allio or its writers endorse, sponsor, promote, and/or are affiliated with the owners of or participants in those sites, or endorses any information contained on those sites, unless expressly stated otherwise.

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The articles and customer support materials available on this property by Allio are educational only and not investment or tax advice.

If not otherwise specified above, this page contains original content by Allio Advisors LLC. This content is for general informational purposes only.

The information provided should be used at your own risk.

The original content provided here by Allio should not be construed as personal financial planning, tax, or financial advice. Whether an article, FAQ, customer support collateral, or interactive calculator, all original content by Allio is only for general informational purposes.

While we do our utmost to present fair, accurate reporting and analysis, Allio offers no warranties about the accuracy or completeness of the information contained in the published articles. Please pay attention to the original publication date and last updated date of each article. Allio offers no guarantee that it will update its articles after the date they were posted with subsequent developments of any kind, including, but not limited to, any subsequent changes in the relevant laws and regulations.

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