Financial Independence Progress Calculator
How close you are to financial independence.
Calculate your progress toward financial independence as a percentage of your FI number, given current portfolio and annual expenses.
What this tool does
This calculator shows your financial independence progress by comparing your current portfolio against your FI number—the amount needed to sustain your annual expenses at your chosen withdrawal rate. It estimates two key outputs: your progress as a percentage and the remaining portfolio gap in your currency. Your current portfolio size and annual expenses are the primary drivers of this calculation; the withdrawal rate you select determines how much your portfolio can theoretically support each year. A typical scenario might involve tracking progress toward a target where portfolio withdrawals cover living costs indefinitely. The calculator models standard FI methodology and assumes consistent expenses and withdrawal rates over time. Results are for educational illustration and do not account for inflation, market volatility, tax implications, or changes in circumstances.
Enter Values
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Formula Used
Spotted something off?
Calculations or display — let us know.
Disclaimer
Results are estimates for educational purposes only. They do not constitute financial advice. Consult a qualified professional before making financial decisions.
400,000 portfolio, 30,000 annual expenses, 4% withdrawal rate: FI number 750,000. Current progress 53%. Compound growth from here dominates over new savings — a portfolio past 50% FI usually reaches 100% within 10-15 years even without heroic saving.
Quick example
With current portfolio of 400,000 and annual expenses of 30,000 (plus withdrawal rate of 4%), the result is 53.33%. Change any figure and watch the output shift — it's often more useful to see the pattern than to memorise the formula.
Which inputs matter most
You enter Current Portfolio, Annual Expenses, and Withdrawal Rate. Not every input has equal weight. Adjusting one input at a time toward extreme values shows which ones move the result most.
What's happening under the hood
Standard FI calculation: FI = expenses / SWR. Progress = portfolio / FI. The formula is listed in full below. If the number looks off, you can retrace the calculation by hand — that's the point of showing the working.
The annual review habit
Plug new numbers in every year. Income changes, expenses shift, markets move. A plan that isn't revisited quietly drifts out of date. This tool is cheap to re-run — so re-run it.
What this doesn't capture
Real plans get re-run against new information every year or two. The result here is a reasonable direction, not a destination. It is a starting point for thinking, not a commitment to a specific future.
Where to go next
This calculation rarely sits alone in a planning exercise. If you're running these numbers, you'll probably also want the fire number calculator, the coast fire calculator, and the f you money calculator — each one answers a different question in the same territory. Treating them as a set rather than in isolation usually produces a more honest picture.
Based on your £400,000 portfolio and £30,000 annual expenses, you're 53.33% toward financial independence.
Inputs
This example uses typical values for illustration. Adjust the inputs above to match a specific situation and see how the result changes.
Sources & Methodology
Methodology
The calculator computes your Financial Independence Number by dividing your annual expenses by your withdrawal rate, expressed as a decimal. This represents the total portfolio value needed to sustain your spending indefinitely under the chosen withdrawal rate assumption. Your progress toward financial independence is then calculated as a ratio of your current portfolio to that FI Number, expressed as a percentage. The model assumes a constant withdrawal rate applied annually and treats your annual expenses as stable over time. It does not account for investment fees, tax implications, inflation adjustments, sequence-of-returns risk, or variations in market performance. The withdrawal rate itself is an input you provide; the calculator does not validate whether it aligns with historical success rates or your specific circumstances.
References
Frequently Asked Questions
4% withdrawal — still safe?
Past halfway — when do I hit 100%?
Include home equity?
Health insurance in expenses?
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