About Nest Egg Numbers

Updated Reviewed by Charlie

Nest Egg Numbers provides free, browser-based FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) calculators and retirement planning tools. Every calculation runs entirely in your browser. We don't collect, store, or transmit any of your financial data.

Who Writes This

Nest Egg Numbers is written by Charlie. One name, on purpose. This site is not a personal brand project.

I reached financial independence and retired in early 2025, in my late 30s. The math on this site is the math I ran on myself first. The calculators, the assumptions, the stress tests, all of it went against my own numbers before it went out to yours.

I don't sell courses. I don't run a newsletter funnel. I don't have a book. I don't take referral fees from brokerages or custodians. The site is free because compound interest isn't a secret, and nobody should have to pay to learn it.

I'm not here to pull the ladder up and steal from you. I'm here to put the ladder down and help you up. A rising tide lifts all ships, and that's what the world needs right now.

The grifters can pound pavement. I won't participate. Period. All game is free, I'll leave the trail of crumbs, it's up to you to follow it.

What I care about here:

  • Numbers that are honest about uncertainty
  • Plain language instead of advisor jargon
  • Math you could do on paper if this site ever goes down
  • No upsell, ever

If you spot a bug in a calculator or a flaw in a methodology, tell me. I'd rather be correct than look smart.

Our Calculators

FIRE Number Calculator

Calculates your financial independence target using the formula: FIRE Number = Annual Expenses / Withdrawal Rate. Portfolio projections use inflation-adjusted (real) returns with year-by-year compounding.

Coast FIRE Calculator

Finds the present value of your FIRE number: Coast FIRE = FIRE Number / (1 + Real Return)^Years. This tells you how much you need saved today so compound growth alone reaches your retirement target.

Safe Withdrawal Rate Analyzer

Runs 1,000 Monte Carlo simulations using normally distributed annual returns calibrated to historical stock/bond allocations. Each simulation generates a unique sequence of returns, capturing sequence-of-returns risk that deterministic calculators miss.

City Retirement Calculator

Adjusts your baseline spending using city-specific cost-of-living indices across six categories: housing (35%), food (15%), healthcare (15%), taxes (15%), transportation (10%), and utilities (10%). Data is calibrated against BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey and C2ER COLI reports.

Sequence of Returns Risk Calculator

Stress-tests a retirement plan by dropping historical crashes (Great Depression, stagflation, dot-com, GFC, COVID) onto your personal timeline. Compares a baseline projection against the stressed path so you can see the permanent cost of a crash landing near your retirement date.

Data Sources & Assumptions

  • Historical return distributions from Ibbotson/Morningstar SBBI data
  • Cost-of-living indices from BLS CES, C2ER COLI, and state tax tables
  • Default inflation rate: 2.5% (approximate long-term CPI average)
  • Default nominal return: 7% (approximate long-term S&P 500 average)

Limitations

  • Returns are modeled as normally distributed; real markets have fat tails
  • Tax implications are simplified via state tax multipliers, not full tax modeling
  • Cost-of-living data is approximate. Actual costs vary by neighborhood and lifestyle
  • Social Security, pensions, and other income sources are not modeled

Editorial Standards

Long-form versions of how we work live on dedicated pages:

Disclaimer

This is educational content, not financial advice. Nest Egg Numbers is not a registered investment advisor. The calculators and articles are for informational purposes only. Consult a qualified financial professional before making investment or retirement decisions. See the full disclaimer & limitations page for details.

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