IndieDev FIREWhen you can stop saving
Coast FIRE is the point at which your invested portfolio is large enough to grow into your full FIRE number — without you adding another dollar.
You still have to cover current expenses. But the long-term saving is done. Compound math carries the weight from here.
The formula
Coast FIRE number = FI number ÷ (1 + r)^n
Where r is your real annual return (use 5% after inflation) and n is the years until you want to retire.
A 30-year-old indie dev with a $1.5M FI target and 30 years to age 60:
$1,500,000 ÷ (1.05)^30 = $347,000
Hit $347k in invested assets at age 30 and you can stop saving. Compounding alone takes that to $1.5M by 60.
| Age | Years to 60 | Coast FIRE number (target $1.5M) |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | 35 | $272,000 |
| 30 | 30 | $347,000 |
| 35 | 25 | $443,000 |
| 40 | 20 | $565,000 |
| 45 | 15 | $722,000 |
Why this matters more for indie devs
Indie dev income is lumpy. A good year — a launch hits, a contract pays out, an acquisition lands — can put years of normal earning into one window.
The traditional FIRE playbook says: save aggressively and forever. Coast FIRE says: save aggressively when the cash is flowing, then stop. After Coast, you only need to cover current expenses. Any product you build, any contract you take, is for now — not for the future.
That changes what you can build. The pressure to monetize falls. The constraint on time horizon falls. You can ship the slow-burn product. You can take six months off. You can pick the gig you want, not the one that pays.
The trap
Coast FIRE requires that you actually leave the money invested. Touching the principal in year three undoes the math entirely.
Build a separate "current life" buffer (6–12 months of expenses in cash or short-term bonds) before declaring Coast. The investment account is sealed. The cash account funds the life.
When to declare it
Pick your target FIRE number (use 25× of your honest annual spend). Pick your patience horizon. The intersection is your Coast number.
If you're already there, congratulations. Stop saving. Start living. The portfolio finishes the job.
Ship. Stack. Live.