Financial Toolset

Financial Life Expectancy Calculator

Calculate how long your net worth would last if you stopped working today

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Your Financial Situation

05,000,000
1,000/month20,000/month
/month
0/month10,000/month
/month
Growth rate while drawing down

⏰ Your Financial Runway

56.0 months
(4.7 years)
Money runs out: June 2030
Net Worth
$250,000
Monthly Burn Rate
$4,500
$4,500 - $0 income
Daily Burn
$150
Per day

✅ 56 months (4.7 years) is a comfortable safety net. Good for career transitions or sabbaticals.

Balance Depletion Over Time

⚠️ Key Milestones

Month 28 - Mar 2028
50% depleted
$124,000 remaining
Halfway through savings - time to find income!
Month 42 - Apr 2029
75% depleted
$61,000 remaining
CRITICAL: Only 25% of savings left!
Month 50 - Dec 2029
90% depleted
$25,000 remaining
DANGER ZONE: Only 10% remaining!

Scenario Comparison

Current Lifestyle
Keep spending as you do now
56 months (4.7 years)
$4,500/month
Moderate Cuts (25%)
Cut discretionary spending by 25%
75 months (6.3 years)
$3,375/month
Lean Lifestyle (50%)
Cut expenses in half
112 months (9.3 years)
$2,250/month
Bare Minimum (65% cut)
Only essentials: housing, food, utilities
159 months (13.3 years)
$1,575/month

🎯 FIRE Number

Amount needed to live indefinitely on 4% withdrawals:

$1,350,000
You currently have $250,000 (18.5% of FIRE number)
Gap to financial independence:
$1,100,000

💰 Break-Even Income

Monthly income needed to never run out:

$4,500/month
($54,000/year)
If you earn this much passively, your runway becomes infinite!

💼 Part-Time Work Scenarios

💡 Ways to Extend Runway

•Negotiate rent reduction or move to cheaper housing
•Eliminate or downgrade subscription services
•Switch to generic brands and meal prep at home
•Sell unused items (furniture, electronics, clothes)
•Cancel gym membership, work out at home or outdoors
•Use public transportation or bike instead of car
•Refinance high-interest debt to lower payments
•Pick up freelance gigs or part-time work (even 10 hrs/week helps)

💼 Income Ideas

•Freelance your primary skill (writing, design, coding, consulting)
•Drive for rideshare or delivery services (flexible hours)
•Rent out spare room on Airbnb
•Teach online courses or tutoring
•Sell items on eBay, Poshmark, or Facebook Marketplace
•Pet sitting or dog walking via Rover
•Virtual assistant work (scheduling, email management)
•Photography for events or stock photo sites

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Emergency Fund Calculator

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Budget Planner

Lower monthly burn rate to add months of runway.

Understanding Your Financial Runway

Your financial runway is how long your money would last if you stopped earning income today. It's calculated by dividing your net worth by your monthly burn rate (expenses minus passive income). This number is crucial for understanding your financial security, planning career transitions, or evaluating early retirement readiness.

For example: If you have $250,000 in accessible savings and spend $4,500/month with no passive income, your runway is 55.5 months (4.6 years). If you cut expenses to $3,000/month, your runway extends to 83 months (6.9 years) - adding 2.3 years without earning any more money.

This tool helps you visualize your financial security, identify ways to extend your runway through expense cuts or part-time income, and understand what it takes to reach financial independence.

⚠️ The Danger of Lifestyle Inflation

Higher income doesn't automatically mean longer runway if you spend it all. Many high earners have shockingly short runways due to expensive lifestyles.

✅ Frugal Andy
  • • Earns: $80,000/year
  • • Spends: $40,000/year ($3,333/mo)
  • • Saves: $40,000/year
  • • $250k runway: 75 months (6.25 years)
❌ Spendy Sarah
  • • Earns: $150,000/year
  • • Spends: $120,000/year ($10,000/mo)
  • • Saves: $30,000/year (less than Andy!)
  • • $250k runway: 25 months (2 years)

Andy earns less but has 3x longer runway! The key is the gap between income and spending, not income alone. Control your burn rate to maximize runway and build wealth faster.

The Power of Part-Time Income

You don't need a full-time job to dramatically extend your runway. Even small amounts of income have outsized effects.

0 hours/week: No income55 months runway
10 hours/week at $25/hr ($1,000/mo)+16 months → 71 months
20 hours/week at $25/hr ($2,000/mo)+45 months → 100 months
30 hours/week at $25/hr ($3,000/mo)+111 months → 166 months (13.8 years!)

This is the "Barista FIRE" concept: work part-time to cover most expenses while your investments continue growing. Just 20 hours/week nearly doubles your runway from 4.6 years to 8.3 years!

Sequence of Returns Risk

If you're selling investments to fund expenses, market timing matters enormously. Bad market years early in retirement can devastate your runway.

Example: $250k, $4,500/month, 7% expected return
  • • Best case (market +15% first year): 85 months runway
  • • Expected (market +7% average): 73 months runway
  • • Worst case (market -20% first year): 48 months runway
That's a 37-month (3-year) difference based solely on market timing!

Solution: Keep 1-2 years of expenses in cash or short-term bonds. This lets you avoid selling stocks during market downturns, protecting your runway from sequence of returns risk.

Real-World Examples

✅ Case Study: Maria (Age 32) - Tech Layoff
Situation: Laid off with $40k severance + $85k savings = $125k total
Monthly expenses: $4,200
Initial runway: 29.7 months (2.5 years)
Strategy:
  • • Months 1-3: Full spending while actively job hunting
  • • Months 4-12: Freelance work earning $2,000/mo (reduced burn to $2,200/mo)
  • • Month 13: Landed new full-time job!
Result: Used 12 months of runway, kept $100k. Success!
❌ Case Study: John (Age 52) - Early Retirement Failure
Situation: Retired early with $800k
Monthly expenses: $6,000
Runway (0% growth): 133 months (11 years)
Problem: Money runs out at age 63, but Social Security doesn't start until 67
Result: 4-year gap with no money!
What John should have done:
  • • Wait until age 56 to retire (work 4 more years)
  • • OR reduce expenses to $4,444/mo (creates 15-year runway)
  • • OR plan part-time work from age 63-67 to bridge gap

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about the Financial Life Expectancy Calculator

Use liquid, accessible assets (cash, savings, taxable brokerage). Include passive income. Exclude illiquid assets unless you plan to liquidate. Be conservative with growth assumptions.

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⚠️ Important Disclaimer

This Financial Life Expectancy Calculator provides estimates for educational and informational purposes only. Actual results may vary significantly based on individual circumstances, market conditions, regulatory changes, and other factors beyond the scope of this calculator.

The calculations and projections provided are based on assumptions and historical data that may not reflect future performance.Past performance does not guarantee future results.

This tool is not financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or investment advice. For personalized guidance tailored to your specific situation, please consult with qualified professionals including:

  • Certified Financial Planner (CFP)
  • Certified Public Accountant (CPA) for tax matters
  • Licensed attorney for legal matters
  • Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) for investment decisions

Data Accuracy: All data sources, statistics, and rates were verified as accurate as of October 2025. Tax rates, market conditions, and other financial data change over time. Always verify current rates and consult official sources.

No Warranties: While we strive for accuracy, we make no warranties or guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information provided. Use this tool at your own risk.