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What's your financial independence number?

Financial independence has a number. Most people have never calculated theirs — it takes about five minutes.

Nothing you enter is saved or sent anywhere — the math runs entirely in your browser.

Social Security, pensions, annuity income…

Research range: classic 4% rule (Bengen); ~3.9% in recent Morningstar work. A planning assumption, not a guarantee.

Your estimated FI number

$0

($90,000 − $30,000) ÷ 3.9%

How the assumption moves the target (3% – 5%)

FI target sensitivity to withdrawal rateThe FI target falls as the assumed withdrawal rate rises. At 3.9% the target is $1,538,462.$0$500K$1.00M$1.50M$2.00M3.0%3.3%3.6%3.9%4.2%4.5%4.8%5.0%
FI target

Your next moves (educational, not advice)

  1. Double-check your guaranteed-income estimate against your latest Social Security statement.
  2. Run your current savings through the compound growth calculator to see the year your curve could cross this target.
  3. Revisit this number once a year — spending changes move it more than market headlines do.
Want to talk through your result? It's freeRead: FI is a system

WealthChem FI Number worksheet — educational estimate only

Annual spending $90,000 − guaranteed income $30,000, at a 3.9% withdrawal assumption → FI target $1,538,462.

Generated by wealthchem.com/tools/fi-number. Not financial advice.

The formula, in the open

FI Target = (Annual Spending − Guaranteed Income) ÷ Safe Withdrawal Rate Example: ($90,000 − $30,000) ÷ 3.9% ≈ $1.54M
Guaranteed income: payments that keep arriving regardless of markets (Social Security, pensions). Safe withdrawal rate: the research-based planning assumption for sustainable first-year withdrawals.

Assumptions

  • Spending stays roughly constant (inflation-adjusted) in retirement
  • The withdrawal-rate research (Bengen 4%; Morningstar ~3.9% for 2026) approximates a ~30-year horizon
  • Guaranteed income sources actually persist

Limitations

  • A planning benchmark, not a guarantee — markets, taxes, and health costs vary
  • Ignores one-time events (home sale, inheritance, long-term-care needs)
  • Taxes on withdrawals depend on which accounts the money sits in — see the tax-bucket planner

Want the concept behind the math? How much do I need to retire? 3.9%, 4%, and safe withdrawal rules explained →