Net Worth
$385KTop 42%PeakWorth
$4.2M+$182KNet Worth
$385KTop 42%PeakWorth
$4.2M+$182KFI Age
50y 1m-11moEarly retirement requires more saving but buys 15+ extra years of freedom. Traditional gets there easier but sacrifices the best years. The trade-off is personal — but the numbers are clear.
Traditional (65) target
~$1.2M
Early (50) target
~$1.5M + healthcare
Required savings rate (traditional)
~15%
Required savings rate (early at 50)
~40%
Three reasons: (1) more years to fund (35–40 years vs 20–25), (2) healthcare gap before Medicare ($800–$1,500/mo per person, ages 50–65), (3) no Social Security claim until 62 at earliest. Plan for $300K–$500K extra cushion vs traditional.
Higher savings rate means lower spending — which lowers your FI target by the same proportion. Save 50% of income, and your target becomes ~25× of HALF your income, not your full income. The math actually compounds in your favor.
The $1.2M-vs-$1.5M comparison above is the average-household version. The honest answer depends on the healthcare bridge before Medicare, your Social Security claim age, sequence-of-returns risk in the first decade, and your real spending — so PeakWorth runs an early-exit scenario and a traditional scenario, each through a year-by-year deterministic simulation to age 95.
Each scenario returns a dated FI Age and a lifetime net-worth curve, so 'early or traditional?' stops being a philosophy question and becomes two modeled trajectories — including the exact extra savings the early path costs and the exact years of freedom it buys.
Generic articles can only go so far. PeakWorth runs every scenario against your real income, expenses, and goals — so you see the dollar-and-year impact of every decision before you make it.
Depends on whether you'd take the freedom now if offered. Most people overestimate the cost of early retirement and underestimate the value of 15 extra years of choice.
Aim for Coast FIRE or Barista FIRE — both bridge the gap with less aggressive saving.
You self-fund the gap to Medicare — typically $800–$1,500/mo per person — often through ACA subsidies tuned to a managed withdrawal income. PeakWorth models that bridge as its own cash-flow line so the early path's true cost shows up in your FI Age.
Usually a higher target (more years to fund, a healthcare bridge, no early Social Security) but a smaller one than people fear, because a higher savings rate lowers your spending and your FI number together. PeakWorth shows the exact gap for your plan.
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PeakWorth is the financial decision engine for households — your Personal Financial Strategy OS, a real-time engine that calculates every decision's impact on your future. The Decision Hub, an AI advisor, and a live projection that show you exactly how each move shapes your wealth and your FI Age.
