What if work became optional?

FIRE stands for financial independence, retire early. It means building enough invested wealth to choose how you spend your time, long before a traditional retirement age.

Calculate your FIRE numberSee how Fireball plans it
Fireball FIRE timeline and net worth projection showing the estimated date and progress towards financial independence

Your money works for your life.Not the other way around.

Financial independence can mean changing careers, working less, travelling, caring for family, or simply having options when life changes.

It is not about deprivation for its own sake. It is about aligning what you earn, save and invest with the freedom you actually want.

Three forces move your date

1Save the gap

Increase the difference between what you earn and what you spend.

2Grow what you keep

Invest consistently so your money has time to compound.

3Choose your assumptions

Shape the target around your lifestyle, timeframe and comfort with risk.

Your number is personal.

Your FIRE number is the invested wealth your plan may need to support the way you want to live. A common starting point is your yearly spending divided by a safe withdrawal rate, then adjusted for your timeline, KiwiSaver access and NZ Super.

Try the FIRE calculator

Example FIRE number

$1,250,000

$50,000 of yearly spending at a 4% withdrawal rate. Your own number changes with your spending, timeline and assumptions.

More than one way to get there

Lean FIRE
Independence built around intentional, lower spending.
Coast FIRE
Invest enough early that growth alone can carry you to your target.
Barista FIRE
More freedom, with flexible income covering part of your spending.
Fat FIRE
A larger portfolio for a higher spending lifestyle.
Fireball Lean FIRE, Coast FIRE and Fat FIRE comparisons with FIRE progress and what if controls

Your plan should movewhen your life does.

Fireball uses your real NZ spending, income, investments, KiwiSaver and chosen FIRE style to update your target and timeline as your circumstances change, so you can see what is moving your date and test different choices.

See Fireball plans

Common questions

FIRE terms explained

  • FIRE number

    A FIRE number is the invested amount you need for your investments to cover your yearly spending, often 25 times annual spending.

  • Safe withdrawal rate

    A safe withdrawal rate is the share of your portfolio you can spend each year with a low chance of running out, commonly 4%.

  • Coast FIRE

    Coast FIRE is having enough invested today that, with no more contributions, it could grow to your retirement target on its own.

  • Lean FIRE

    Lean FIRE is reaching financial independence with a smaller portfolio built around lower, frugal spending.

  • Fat FIRE

    Fat FIRE is reaching financial independence with a larger portfolio that supports a higher spending lifestyle.

  • Barista FIRE

    Barista FIRE is leaving full time work and covering part of your spending with flexible part time income while investments cover the rest.

  • Sequence of returns risk

    Sequence of returns risk is the danger that a market fall early in retirement drains a portfolio faster than the same fall later on.

  • NZ Super

    NZ Super is the New Zealand government pension paid from age 65 to residents who meet the residency rules.

  • FIF rules

    The foreign investment fund (FIF) rules tax New Zealand residents on overseas shares and funds once their total cost goes over $50,000.

See the full glossary

Keep exploring FIRE

Practical guides for building a plan that fits life in New Zealand.

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