Coast FIRE Career Change Calculator

Not necessarily for the calculator to model the transition. If the current portfolio is below the Coast target, the new career's contributions and retirement timeline determine how the projected path changes.

Not by itself. If retirement spending, retirement age and assumptions stay the same, the no-new-contributions Coast target is unchanged. Lower income can instead affect current cash flow and future contributions.

Treat that period separately. Enter training costs, transition living expenses and any temporary income, then specify whether the funding comes from cash outside the Coast portfolio or invested retirement assets.

The calculator can model a $0 retirement contribution. Your existing portfolio continues along the selected growth assumptions, while the result shows whether that path remains above or below the modeled retirement target.

Do not include employer retirement contributions you know would be forfeited when leaving. Check the employer plan's vesting rules and use the amount actually vested for the scenario.

Leaving a job does not automatically require cashing out the account. Available options can depend on the old and new plans, including leaving assets in the existing plan or completing an eligible rollover.

Keep the education financing decision separate from the career-transition calculation. Enter the resulting transition costs here, then use the Student Loans scenario when loan payments materially affect future cash flow.