Authority & trust
Our approach, limitations & roadmap
RetireFire exists for people who want clear FIRE math without hype, hidden assumptions, or a forced account wall. This page is the product philosophy — companion to the detailed methodology and the legal disclaimer.
1. Philosophy
- Transparency first. Formulas and defaults are published. If we can't explain an input in plain language, it doesn't ship.
- Value first. Core calculators stay free and useful. Growth never depends on misleading promises.
- Risk-aware, not fear-based. Sequence of returns, long horizons, and fragile assumptions get honest treatment — without theater.
- Educational only. We do not provide personalized financial, tax, or investment advice. Point estimates are illustrations, not destinies.
2. What we optimize for
Most people arrive with one of four questions: What's my number? How long might it take? Can I stop aggressive saving? What if I keep some work income?
That maps to FIRE Number, Years to FIRE, Coast FIRE, and Barista FIRE — with shared assumptions so comparisons stay consistent. Share links and CSV export exist so scenarios can leave the browser without an account.
3. Deliberate limitations (today)
Omitting complexity is a product choice when it keeps models understandable. Current tools do not fully model:
- Taxes, account types, RMDs, or withdrawal ordering
- Investment fees and advisory costs
- Social Security, pensions, or annuities
- Healthcare premiums and subsidy cliffs
- Historical market cycles, taxes inside simulations, and advanced regimes (a free basic Monte Carlo stress test is available on Coast and Years tools)
- Currency risk, home equity strategies, and behavioral spending
A clean Coast or FIRE number can still be wrong for decisions if taxes, healthcare, or bad early returns dominate. Use ranges, not single-point confidence.
4. Roadmap teaser (transparent)
| Horizon | Focus | Access |
|---|---|---|
| Now | Deterministic suite, share URLs, CSV export, methodology, and free basic sequence stress test (1,000 paths) on Coast & Years | Free |
| Later | More paths, regimes, historical cycles, saved scenarios, detailed reports, optional tax/SS modules | Free core + optional Pro |
If Pro ships, the promise is simple: core calculators and a useful basic stress test remain free. Paid features must add clear value — not gate the essentials. Pricing will be published for approval before launch; nothing is final until then.
5. How we talk about results
- Prefer “under these assumptions” over “you will.”
- Prefer ranges and sensitivity over false precision.
- Label research lineage (e.g. 4% starting points) as history-based, not guaranteed.
- Never promise lifestyle, market, or tax outcomes.
6. Feedback loop
If a formula is unclear, an assumption is buried, or a result encourages overconfidence, that is a product bug. Use the on-site feedback control or compare notes against Methodology.