Coast FIRE Calculator for Teachers
Calculate your Coast FIRE number with teacher-friendly defaults and pension-aware guidance. Model the spending gap your portfolio must cover and get instant results—no login required.
Teachers often have a unique advantage—and a unique headache—when planning for FIRE: pensions. A reliable pension can cover a big portion of retirement spending, but it also creates uncertainty (vesting rules, years of service, payout formulas, and inflation protection). Meanwhile, salary “steps,” summer income, and the day-to-day cost of life still matter. Coast FIRE can be a great fit when you want to keep teaching (or switch to a less stressful role) while letting your investments compound in the background. The key is to model the portfolio’s job correctly: it usually doesn’t need to cover your entire retirement lifestyle if a pension is expected. A simple approach is to estimate your annual retirement spending, subtract your expected annual pension, and enter the remaining “gap” as the spending your portfolio must fund. From there, this calculator estimates how much you need invested today to coast to your target retirement age. Use the pre-filled defaults as a starting point, then adjust your contribution rate, retirement age, and withdrawal rate to reflect your comfort level. The goal is clarity: how close you are, and what changes (saving more, delaying retirement, or lowering the spending gap) move the needle the most.
Need More Precision?
This calculator is great for a quick check, but real life is more complex. If you want to track your net worth, manage multiple currencies, and simulate detailed retirement scenarios with changing variables over time, try our dedicated app.
Download Asset Prism for FreeFrequently Asked Questions
How do I account for a teacher pension in this calculator?
Estimate your annual retirement spending, subtract your expected annual pension benefit, and enter the remaining gap as “Annual Spending in Retirement.” Your portfolio is modeled as funding that gap.
What retirement accounts should I include (403(b), 457(b), IRA, brokerage)?
Include all invested assets you plan to use for retirement (across account types) in “Current Invested Assets.” The calculator focuses on the portfolio math, not account-specific rules.
Is Coast FIRE better than full FIRE for teachers?
Often, yes—because staying employed can preserve benefits, increase pension payouts, and reduce sequence-of-returns risk. Coast FIRE prioritizes flexibility without requiring a full immediate retirement.
What assumptions should I use for returns and inflation?
A common baseline is ~7% nominal growth and ~3% inflation (~4% real). If you want more safety, lower growth and/or use a more conservative withdrawal rate.