FIRECA
Canadian Retirement Planner
The portfolio amount where you can stop saving and let compound growth do the rest — reaching full financial independence by retirement age on autopilot.
Coast FIRE is a milestone, not a finish line. It's the point where you have enough money invested today that — even if you never contribute another dollar — compound growth will carry your portfolio to your full FI Number by your target retirement age.
Once you hit Coast FIRE, you've "coasted" to financial independence. You still need to earn enough to cover your current living expenses, but you no longer need to save or invest anything extra. The math does the heavy lifting from here.
For most people on the FIRE journey, full financial independence feels far away. Coast FIRE gives you an earlier, very meaningful milestone to aim for — and hitting it changes your relationship with money and work significantly.
For Canadians, Coast FIRE math gets more nuanced because CPP and OAS reduce how large your portfolio needs to be at retirement. This means your Coast FI target is lower than it appears if you're planning to take government benefits.
FireCA calculates a two-phase FI Number — Phase 1 (before CPP/OAS) and Phase 2 (after benefits begin). Your Coast FIRE number uses the Phase 1 FI Number as the target, which gives you the most conservative and robust estimate.
| Current Age | Retire at | FI Number | Return | Coast FI Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 55 | $1,000,000 | 7% | $184,249 |
| 35 | 55 | $1,000,000 | 7% | $258,419 |
| 35 | 60 | $1,000,000 | 7% | $184,249 |
| 40 | 60 | $1,000,000 | 7% | $258,419 |
| 40 | 55 | $1,500,000 | 6% | $524,940 |
| 45 | 65 | $1,000,000 | 7% | $258,419 |
Notice how time and return rate dramatically affect the Coast FI target. The more runway you have, the less you need today.
Once you've hit your Coast FI number, you have real options. The most common approaches are:
Redirect all savings toward current lifestyle or experiences. Let the portfolio grow untouched to retirement.
Take lower-paying work you enjoy. Only need to cover living expenses — no need to save extra anymore.
Continue saving to reach full FI sooner, retire earlier, or build a larger buffer. Coast FI is a floor, not a ceiling.
Reduce hours to cover expenses only. The flexibility of Coast FIRE makes part-time work genuinely sustainable.
FireCA calculates your Coast FI target alongside your full FI Number, with real CPP, OAS, RRSP, TFSA, and LIRA math built in.