Meet the author
Maya Bennett
Coast FIRE concepts & planning
Explore Coast FIRE fundamentals, planning milestones and the differences between FIRE approaches.
Background
About Maya
The guides in this collection explain how the build, coast and retirement phases connect, what a modeled milestone means, and how different FIRE approaches compare. The focus is on clear explanations, practical examples and the tradeoffs behind each planning approach.
Areas of focus
Topics covered
- Coast FIRE fundamentals
- Planning milestones
- FIRE comparisons
- Lifestyle tradeoffs
Editorial standards
Clear sources. Visible assumptions.
These guides explain educational models and the assumptions behind their results. Read the site’s methodology and source register alongside each article’s examples and references.
Explore the library
Guides by Maya
What Is Coast FIRE?
A complete introduction to Coast FIRE — what it means, how it works, and why it matters for your financial independence journey.
Read guide →fundamentalsHow Coast FIRE Works
Understand the three phases of Coast FIRE: Build, Coast, and Retire. Learn how compound growth does the heavy lifting.
Read guide →strategyIs Coast FIRE Worth It?
There is no universal yes-or-no answer to whether Coast FIRE is “worth it.” A Coast FIRE calculator can measure what happens when current invested assets are projected toward a future retirement target under selected assumptions.
Read guide →strategyWhat Happens After Reaching Coast FIRE?
What happens after reaching Coast FIRE? See how continued contributions, market changes, spending, work, benefits, and changing assumptions affect the modeled Coast FIRE scenario.
Read guide →comparisonsCoast FIRE vs Barista FIRE: What's the Difference?
Compare Coast FIRE vs Barista FIRE, including portfolio growth, part-time income, current spending, withdrawals, health coverage, and why the two models produce different numbers.
Read guide →comparisonsCoast FIRE vs Lean FIRE: What's the Difference?
Compare Coast FIRE vs Lean FIRE and see why one describes a future-growth milestone while the other describes a lower-spending portfolio target. Includes consistent examples.
Read guide →comparisonsCoast FIRE vs Fat FIRE: What's the Difference?
Compare Coast FIRE vs Fat FIRE and see how timing, higher retirement spending, portfolio targets, taxes, healthcare, and assumptions change the mathematical model.
Read guide →comparisonsCoast FIRE vs FIRE: What's the Difference?
Coast FIRE vs FIRE explained using one consistent example. Compare the modeled targets, contributions, retirement timing, current spending, and what each calculation actually measures.
Read guide →strategyWhen Have You Reached Coast FIRE?
You have reached the modeled Coast FIRE target when your current invested assets are at or above the Coast FIRE number calculated for your current age, selected retirement age, retirement spending, and calculation assumptions.
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