Planning, not hype
Every calculator is meant to support scenario planning, not certainty theater. Outputs should help you think more clearly, not feel falsely precise.
A FIRE planning site built to be useful before it tries to impress you.
FourPercent exists to help people answer the real questions behind financial independence: how much is enough, what moves the date faster, how fragile the plan is, and which assumptions deserve skepticism.
The goal is not to publish the most calculators. The goal is to make the important ones sharper, clearer, and more honest than the generic directory pages that dominate this category.
Independent and focused
FourPercent is an independent project focused on FIRE, investing, withdrawal planning, and retirement stress testing.
Built for follow-up
The best pages do not stop at one number. They point you to the next tool that can confirm, challenge, or deepen the result.
What the site is designed to do
FourPercent is built for people who want a better answer than “save more and invest.” The site focuses on turning that vague advice into practical planning questions: what portfolio target does your spending imply, how long could the path take, which lever matters most, and how resilient the plan looks under less-friendly conditions.
That is why the product spans both fast calculators and deeper stress tests. The 4% Rule Calculator, FIRE Age Calculator, and Years to FIRE Calculator are intentionally fast. The Monte Carlo FIRE Simulator, Historical FIRE Backtest, and Sequence Risk Calculator exist because straight-line projections are not enough on their own.
What makes FourPercent different
- The site is built around decision quality, not empty “retire by 43” fantasy outputs.
- Core pages connect to follow-up tools so you can pressure-test a result instead of stopping at the first pleasant number.
- Methodology and limitations are treated as part of the product, not hidden in tiny print.
- Calculator copy is written to explain what a result means and what to test next, not just repeat the formula.
How the calculators should be used
Use FourPercent as a planning workspace. That means entering numbers you can defend, running more than one case, and looking for sensitivity instead of certainty. If a result changes dramatically when you lower the return assumption, raise spending, or use a stricter withdrawal rate, that is not a bug. That is the useful information.
The calculators are not personal financial advice, tax advice, or a substitute for professional planning. They do not know your full tax picture, pension rules, sequence risk tolerance, health-care costs, family obligations, or future behavior in a downturn. They help you frame the problem more honestly before you make decisions.
Editorial and product standards
- Pages should be clearer than the competitors they replace, not longer for the sake of SEO.
- Any finance-related output should state important assumptions and obvious blind spots.
- Important pages should offer next-step guidance, not leave users with an unexplained number.
- Trust pages should be worth reading, because weak legal and about pages lower confidence in the calculators too.
Best places to start
If you want the full planning view, start with the FIRE Calculator. If you only need a target portfolio from spending, start with the 4% Rule Calculator. If you care most about age or countdown framing, go to the FIRE Age Calculator or Years to FIRE Calculator. If you want to browse the whole library first, open All Calculators.
Contact
Questions, corrections, or feedback can be sent to [email protected]. Useful criticism is welcome, especially if it improves clarity, trust, or the realism of the planning tools.