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FI-JOURNEY · STRATEGY BLUEPRINTS

Strategy Blueprints

In-depth playbooks for the FI journey. Each one is free, no signup required, and includes an embedded interactive calculator.
All strategies
Sprinter
Accumulator
Strategist
Just starting · Sprinter
Build the foundation. Understand compounding, set a target, automate savings.
9 min read
The Worth-It Equation

Before you spend, ask: is it worth it? How skipping what you won’t remember lowers your FIRE number by 25× and pulls freedom closer.

is it worth it spending
7 min read
The Compounding Engine

How small savings build fortunes — savings rate, compound interest, FI timeline.

savings rate calculator
7 min read
Setting the Target

Your FIRE number, derived from spending × withdrawal rate. Lean, Standard, and Fat tiers.

fire number calculator
Saving aggressively · Accumulator
Make the big decisions. Rent, buy, debt, kids, wedding — opportunity cost everywhere.
10 min read
The Decision Matrix

Rent vs. buy. Debt vs. invest. The accumulation-phase opportunity-cost playbook.

rent vs buy calculator
7 min read
The Coast FIRE Checkpoint

When you can stop saving and let compounding finish the job.

Coast FIRE calculator
8 min read
Barista FIRE

Semi-retire to a part-time job that covers most expenses while the portfolio funds the gap and grows to full FI.

Barista FIRE calculator
7 min read
The Wedding Equation

What a $35,000 wedding really costs across a 30-year horizon.

wedding opportunity cost
8 min read
The Traditional Retirement Track

Are you on track to retire at 65? Income replacement, the 15% rule, and the match.

am I saving enough for retirement
9 min read
The Debt Untangler

Consolidate or refinance? The weighted-average math and the protections you trade away.

student loan refinance calculator
9 min read
The Late-Start Accelerator

Starting late? Maximize tax-advantaged catch-up contribution limits and accelerate your timeline.

late start retirement calculator
8 min read
The Prepayment Playbook

Pay off debt or invest? The Snowball vs. Avalanche payoff models and risk-free returns.

early payoff calculator
Close to FI · Strategist
Tax-optimize and draw down. Roth conversions, harvesting, sequence risk.
11 min read
The Drawdown Stress Test

Will your portfolio survive a 2008? Safe withdrawal rate, sequence-of-return risk.

safe withdrawal rate
11 min read
The Roth Conversion Playbook

Access your 401(k) before 59½ — the 5-year ladder, bracket fill, and traps.

Roth conversion ladder
10 min read
The 72(t) Bridge

SEPP — the no-runway way to tap a 401(k) before 59½ without the 10% penalty.

SEPP 72t bridge
10 min read
The Zero-Percent Harvest

Pay $0 in capital gains tax using the 0% LTCG bracket — step up basis annually.

0% capital gains harvesting
8 min read
The HSA Stealth Retirement Account

The only triple-tax-free account. Invest it, save receipts, and build a stealth tax-free retirement fund.

HSA retirement calculator
8 min read
The Bond Tent

Temporarily raise bonds around retirement to survive a bad first decade — the rising-equity glidepath.

bond tent calculator
10 min read
The Life Paths

Multi-scenario retirement, powered by the real engine. Sabbatical, nomad, phased — compare side-by-side.

multi-scenario retirement simulator
Model your complete picture
Free • unlimited with Pro

The full simulator chains income, taxes, and life events year by year — and resolves how each decision ripples through the others.

Launch Full Simulator