Financial independence variant where retirement savings are sufficient to grow (without additional contributions) to traditional retirement age, allowing person to “coast” in lower-stress job covering only living expenses.
The Math
Example: Age 30, want $1M at 65
- Need $142K today at 8% growth to reach $1M in 35 years
- Once you hit $142K, you’ve reached Coast FIRE
- Can quit stressful corporate job, work part-time barista/nonprofit/passion project
- Live off reduced income, let nest egg compound untouched
Calculator: FV = PV × (1 + r)^t
Why People Choose It
Escape:
- Burnout industries (finance, law, consulting)
- Toxic work cultures
- Golden handcuffs (high pay, miserable work)
While maintaining:
- Health insurance (via part-time work)
- Social engagement
- Sense of purpose
“I’m not retired, I’m just not optimizing for money anymore.”
Barista FIRE Variant
Specifically working part-time at Starbucks (or similar) for:
- Health benefits (Starbucks offers benefits at 20 hours/week)
- Light spending money
- Social interaction
Some confuse Coast FIRE and Barista FIRE; key difference is health insurance dependency.
Sources:
- r/coastFIRE subreddit (80K+ members)
- Coast FIRE calculators (Walletburst, FI Calc)
- FIRE movement taxonomy