The Road to FI
Building Your FI Timeline
How Long Will It Take You to Reach FI?
Most people never answer this question. They vaguely hope to "retire someday" but have no idea if that's 5 years away or 35 years away. Building your FI timeline turns a fuzzy dream into a concrete plan.
The Core Formula
Your FI timeline depends on exactly two things:
- Your savings rate — the percentage of your income you save and invest
- Your current net worth relative to your FI number
That's it. Not your salary. Not your age. Not your job title.
The Savings Rate Table
Here's the most powerful table in personal finance. It shows how many years to FI based purely on your savings rate (assuming 5% real returns and 4% withdrawal rate):
| Savings Rate | Years to FI |
|---|---|
| 5% | ~66 years |
| 10% | ~51 years |
| 20% | ~37 years |
| 30% | ~28 years |
| 40% | ~22 years |
| 50% | ~17 years |
| 60% | ~12.5 years |
| 70% | ~8.5 years |
| 75% | ~7 years |
Notice anything? The jump from 5% to 50% cuts your working years by nearly 50. The jump from 50% to 75% cuts it by another decade. Savings rate is the single most powerful lever you control.
Step 1: Calculate Your Current Savings Rate
Savings Rate = (Monthly Savings ÷ Monthly Gross Income) × 100
Example: You earn $6,000/month. You save $1,800/month.
Savings Rate = (1,800 ÷ 6,000) × 100 = 30% → ~28 years to FI from zero.
Include ALL savings: 401(k) contributions, IRA contributions, brokerage investments, and debt paydown beyond minimum payments.
Step 2: Account for Your Current Progress
If you already have investments, you're not starting from zero — you're ahead of the table above. Use this adjusted formula:
Years to FI ≈ (FI Number − Current Net Worth) ÷ Annual Savings
Then adjust for investment growth (your investments are already compounding for you).
Example:
- FI Number: $1,000,000
- Current Net Worth: $150,000
- Annual Savings: $24,000
- Gap: $850,000 ÷ $24,000 = 35 raw years — but with 7% growth, closer to 18-20 years
Skip the table and get your own number. Enter your income, your spending and what you've invested so far, and it sizes your FI number from your spending, then shows how many years and months you are from it.
Fill in income and expenses (with valid values in every field) to see your years to FI
Step 3: Build Your Milestones
Don't just set a finish line. Break the journey into milestones that feel real:
- $10K: Emergency fund complete. You're protected.
- $25K: First major proof of concept. The habit is real.
- $100K: The first comma. Compound interest starts becoming visible.
- $250K: Roughly 25% of the way to a $1M FI number.
- Half FI: Your investments cover half your expenses. Work becomes optional-ish.
- Coast FI: You could stop investing entirely and still reach FI by retirement age.
- FI: Done. Optional work only.
Each milestone deserves a celebration. The journey is long — mark your progress.
The Timeline Is Not Fixed
Your FI timeline changes with every decision you make. A raise, a new side income, a spending cut — all of these compress your timeline. A lifestyle inflation creep, a setback, a major expense — these extend it.
Review your timeline annually. It's not a judgment. It's a navigation tool. Adjust course, keep moving.