What is Coast FI and how to calculate your Coast FI number

Originally published at: What is Coast FI and how to calculate your Coast FI number – Personal Finance Club

Coast FI is a cool milestone you will hopefully reach on your journey to financial independence! Once you reach Coast FI you have a decision to make: Do you stop investing and just let your investments do the work until you’re ready to retire (and spend all that extra monthly income) or do you keep aggressively investing to shorten that time to FI even further!‎

Here’s how to figure out if you’re at Coast FI. First, find your FI number. To do that, take your annual spending and multiply it by 25. For example, if you spend (or expect to spend in retirement) $50,000 per year, then your FI number is $50K * 25 = $1.25M.‎

Next look at all of your investment accounts. Add your IRAs, 401ks, brokerage accounts, etc. Divide what you currently have by your FI number. For example if you have $200K invested, $200K / $1.25M = 16% to FI!‎

Then look up your percent on the table above to get a sense of where you’re at. If you want a more accurate approach, check out the investment growth calculator on my website!‎

Have you reached Coast FI? When you do, do you plan to ease up on the investing and spend more, or stay aggressive to get to FI sooner?‎

As always, reminding you to build wealth by following the two PFC rules: 1.) Live below your means and 2.) Invest early and often.‎

-Jeremy‎

via Instagram

If you reach Coast FI, would you switch your investing focus to your brokerage accts, Roth, and Real Estate at that point? I’m assuming I can’t access the 401k/Rollover IRA money until I’m 65, so if I want to “retire” earlier, would I refocus all my investing into non-tax advantaged, or do a mix and continue contributing to 401k for the employer match at minimum?