Housing CA Realtors 2026
↑ Bay Area median: $6,100 (based on $1.3M median home)
↑ Bay Area median: $1,400/mo
↑ $600/mo avg
↑ 40% above national avg
Childcare & Education CA Child Care Network 2026
↑ Bay Area median: $4,000–$6,000/mo for 2 children
↑ $900/mo avg
↑ Recommended $500/mo
Transportation MIT Living Wage Feb 2026
Est. reference: ~$900 · replace with your actual
Est. reference: ~$1,242/mo · replace with your actual
Food & Dining Silicon Valley Cost Study 2026
Est. reference: ~$1,400/mo · replace with your actual
Est. reference: ~$1,100/mo · replace with your actual
Est. reference · replace with your actual
Healthcare Kaiser Family Foundation 2025
Est. reference: ~$900/mo · replace with your actual
Est. reference · replace with your actual
Est. reference: ~$350/mo · replace with your actual
Subscriptions & Personal
Est. reference: ~$525/mo · replace with your actual
Est. reference · replace with your actual
Entertainment & Travel C2ER 2026
Est. reference · replace with your actual
Est. reference · replace with your actual
Insurance & Other
↑ High earner family avg
Est. reference · always include a buffer
Benchmarks verified against 2026 Bay Area data: CA Association of Realtors · MIT Living Wage Calculator Feb 2026 · CA Child Care Resource & Referral Network May 2025 · Kaiser Family Foundation 2025 · Silicon Valley Cost of Living Study July 2026 · C2ER Cost of Living Index 2026. All figures reflect median costs for a family of 4 in San Jose / Bay Area.
Your FI Number
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Complete spending audit to calculate
Monthly spending
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Annual spending
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Min. emergency fund (6 months of spending)
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Spending breakdown
How the 4% rule works
In 1994, financial researcher William Bengen studied decades of market data and found that withdrawing no more than 4% of your investment portfolio per year means your money lasts at least 30 years — through recessions and market crashes. Your FI number = annual spending ÷ 4% = annual spending × 25. Cross that line and work becomes optional.
Investment accounts — count toward FI
Your FI Number
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Total invested
$0
Gap to FI
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Progress to FI
0% there
$0 invested
Only investment accounts count toward your FI number — not your home equity, not your emergency fund. Your primary residence is not a retirement income source unless you plan to sell it.
Your inputs
↑ Auto-filled from your Net Worth tab
↑ ~7.7% real return: S&P 500 45-yr avg (1980–2025), inflation-adjusted, dividends reinvested (NYU Stern / Macrotrends)
Projected FI year
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Years to FI
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Age at FI
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Year-by-year projection