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FIRECalc

FIRECalc

Money & Personal Finance ResourcesRetirement Planning
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Tests retirement plans against every historical market start since 1871.

FIRECalc is a web-based retirement calculator focused on portfolio survival rather than average expected returns. It runs a retirement plan through historical U.S. market periods from 1871 onward, showing how often the plan would have avoided depletion under past conditions.

Why it stands out

  • Uses rolling historical start years instead of relying on a single average return assumption.
  • Includes long-run U.S. market data covering crashes, inflation shocks, and other difficult periods.
  • Can search for savings or spending levels that meet a chosen retirement goal, not just score one fixed plan.
  • Keeps the basic version simple while allowing detailed adjustments through optional tabs.

Good to know

  • Results depend on the assumption that past U.S. market history is a useful stress test for the future.
  • It does not predict future returns and should not be treated as a guarantee of retirement safety.
  • Default assumptions are simplified, including no pension or Social Security and a preset stock/bond portfolio unless the user changes them.
  • The interface is functional but older and tab-driven, so complex scenarios may require careful review of each section.

Under the radar: Enter optional details across the top tabs before submitting; the site preserves your inputs as you move between tabs, so you can build the full scenario first and run it once at the end.

Photos

Illustration for FIRECalc