Financial independence calculator

Calculate when you could reach financial independence

Enter your portfolio value, monthly contributions, desired retirement income and withdrawal rate. Yield Clarity calculates your FI number and projects when you could reach it.

How the FI calculation works

1

Set your desired retirement income

How much annual income do you want in retirement? This is the starting point for your FI number. You can express this in today's money — Yield Clarity adjusts for inflation.

2

Choose your withdrawal rate

Your withdrawal rate determines how large your portfolio needs to be. At 4%, you need 25 times your desired annual income. At 3.5%, you need approximately 28.6 times.

3

See your FI number

Your FI number is your desired retirement income divided by your withdrawal rate. For example, £42,000/year at 4% requires a portfolio of £1,050,000.

4

Enter your current FI-eligible portfolio

Not all assets count toward FI. Yield Clarity separates your total net worth from the investments, cash and other assets actually funding your independence.

5

Add contributions and return assumption

Your monthly contributions and expected annual return determine how quickly your portfolio grows toward the target. Yield Clarity can derive the return from your actual holdings.

6

See your projected FI date

The calculator projects when your portfolio could reach your FI target based on these inputs. Every assumption is visible and adjustable.

Example calculation

Desired retirement income£42,000/year
Withdrawal rate4%
Required portfolio (FI target)£1,050,000
Current FI-eligible portfolio£391,400
Monthly contributions£2,800
Planning return6.2% p.a.
Inflation2.5%
Projected FI dateNovember 2034

This is example data. Your calculation uses your actual portfolio and assumptions.

Beyond a simple calculator

Most FI calculators ask for a few numbers and return a single date. Yield Clarity goes further by connecting to your actual portfolio, modelling contribution phases, and offering both deterministic and probabilistic forecasts.

Portfolio-connected

Your FI-eligible wealth is calculated from your actual holdings, not a single manually entered number.

Contribution phases

Model different contribution amounts over time — higher now, reduced later, or stopped at retirement.

Inflation-adjusted targets

Your FI target adjusts for inflation so the purchasing power of your retirement income is preserved.

Multiple withdrawal strategies

Compare fixed real income, fixed nominal income, and percentage-of-portfolio withdrawal approaches.

Probabilistic forecasting

Go beyond one projected date. See the probability of reaching FI and a likely window of outcomes.

Scenario comparison

Test what happens if you invest more, reduce expenses, or accept a different return assumption.

Limitations

Yield Clarity is a planning tool, not a financial adviser. The FI calculator does not model tax, estate planning, pension income, social security or country-specific regulations. Projected dates are based on assumptions that may not reflect actual future outcomes. Use the calculator as one input to your planning, not as a guarantee.

Full methodology documentation

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