How to Prepare Your FIRE Plan for High Inflation
154 years of data: almost every failed early retirement started in a high-inflation decade. The spending rule that saved every one, and what it costs.
FIRE With 5% Bonds: What High Yields Change for Early Retirees
TIPS pay 2.9% after inflation, the most since 2008. A 30-year ladder now funds a 5% real withdrawal with no market risk. What that changes, by FIRE stage.
Best High-Yield Savings Accounts for a FIRE Emergency Fund
18 US savings accounts checked on the bank's own page, ranked by the rate an emergency fund keeps: no promos, no direct-deposit strings, no tier traps.
Every Dollar You Cut From Spending Hits Your FIRE Number Twice
A permanent spending cut lowers the amount you need by 25 times the yearly saving, and the freed cash compounds. The math on everyday cuts.
InvestToFire Review 2026: The FIRE Calculator That Counts Your Pension
We verified the pension-adjusted FIRE math, the Coast FIRE formula, and the tax planner to the dollar. One of them is more rigorous than our own tool.
ProjectionLab Review 2026: Is It Worth $129/Year?
Reviewed by someone who builds a competing tool. The best paid FIRE planner on the market, the tax modeling that justifies the price, and the gaps that remain.
Boldin Review 2026: PlannerPlus at $144/Year, Honestly Rated
The deepest retirement-phase planner a consumer can buy, with flat-fee CFP access. Where the depth pays off and where it overwhelms.
firenum vs ProjectionLab: An Honest Head-to-Head
We built one of these two tools, so we start with where ours loses. Feature table, engine comparison, and why many planners use both.
Empower Review 2026: The Dashboard, the Sales Calls, and the Trade
A capable net worth dashboard at no charge, funded by a wealth management funnel. What you get, what you trade, and who should skip it.
firenum.com Releases Five FIRE Planning Spreadsheets With No Email Registration Required
Press release: five planning workbooks and the complete Shiller S&P 500 dataset, downloadable directly. No email, no account, works in Excel, Sheets, and LibreOffice.
Retirement Planner With 154 Years of Market Data Launches on Android, Collects No Data
Press release: FIRE - Financial Planner is now on Google Play. Monte Carlo, backtesting since 1871, and stress tests run entirely on the phone. No account, no ads.
One Mistake More Than Triples the Risk of Outliving Retirement Savings, 154-Year Analysis Finds
Press release: selling after a crash and buying back later more than triples the odds of running out of money. A 1% AUM fee eats most of the fix; a flat fee keeps it.
Is a Financial Advisor Worth It? 154 Years of Data Say Yes (If You Pick the Right One)
We backtested the cost of the most common early-retirement mistake against 154 years of market data. Avoiding it cuts the risk of running out of money by more than 90%. The catch is the fee.
The #1 Fear in Every Retirement Community: “Will My Money Last?”
64% of Americans fear running out of money more than death. We analyzed 50+ Reddit posts and cross-referenced industry surveys. The same question dominates every thread.
Is the 4% Rule Dead? What Morningstar’s 2026 Data Actually Says
Morningstar says 3.9%. Flexible spending pushes to 6%. Real retirees only withdraw 2.1%. The 4% rule isn’t dead, but it’s not the whole story.
FIRE Calculator Comparison: An Honest Review of 11 Tools
ProjectionLab vs Engaging Data vs FI Calc vs firenum. We compare pricing, features, and honestly tell you when competitors are better.
The Coast FIRE Myth: What Nobody Tells You About the "Coast Job"
You hit Coast FIRE. Now find an easy $80k job with great benefits. Except... that job doesn't exist. Here's what actually happens, plus 11 paths that do work.
We Analyzed FIRE Milestone Posts on Reddit: Here's What We Found
Median age to hit $1M: 39. 55% are single. 20% never earned over $100k. We analyzed real milestone posts from r/Fire to find what FIRE actually looks like.
The First Year of FIRE: What Early Retirees Wish They Knew
Identity crisis, spending anxiety, relationship shifts. We analyzed Reddit posts from people 1-3 years into FIRE to find what nobody warns you about.
FIRE on a Normal Salary: What $50K-$80K Earners Actually Do
You don't need a $200K tech salary to FIRE. 20% of Reddit milestone posters hit $1M on under $100K income. Here's how real people do it.
How Much Do You Need to Retire at 35, 40, 45, and 50?
At $60k/year spending, you need ~$1.5M regardless of age. What changes is how much you must save monthly, and how long your money needs to last.
Coast FIRE vs Barista FIRE: Which Path Is Right for You?
Coast FIRE means stop saving and let investments grow. Barista FIRE means quit full-time and work part-time. Different trade-offs, different lifestyles.
Track Your Own Journey
Seeing where others are is interesting. Seeing where you're headed is actionable.
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