Lean, Fat, Barista and Coast FIRE explained

FIRE comes in several flavors that differ mainly in how much you plan to spend and whether you'll keep earning. Lean FIRE means a frugal retirement, Fat FIRE a comfortable one, Barista FIRE covers part of spending with part-time work, and Coast FIRE stops saving early and lets compounding finish the job.

Lean FIRE

Lean FIRE is retiring on a minimal budget, commonly under $40,000 a year for a household (some define it as under $25,000 for a single person). With a 25x multiple, that's a target under about $1 million, reachable in 10 to 15 years at a high savings rate.

Pros: the fastest route out of full-time work. Cons: little margin for surprises like medical bills, a market crash, or kids. Lean FIRE works best for people who genuinely enjoy a simple life, live somewhere affordable, and have flexibility to earn a bit if needed.

Fat FIRE

Fat FIRE is retiring with plenty of room: typically $100,000 or more of annual spending, meaning a portfolio of $2.5 million or more. It usually requires a high income for years and a disciplined savings rate on top of it.

Pros: comfort and resilience; a 30% market drop doesn't threaten your lifestyle. Cons: it takes longer, and "one more year" syndrome is common when the target keeps rising.

Barista FIRE

Barista FIRE means leaving your career and covering part of your spending with part-time or lower-stress work, while your portfolio covers the rest. The name comes from the idea of working at a coffee shop for the health benefits, though any part-time work counts.

The math is powerful: earning $20,000 a year part-time removes $500,000 from a 25x target. For a household spending $50,000, Barista FIRE needs about $750,000 instead of $1.25 million.

Coast FIRE

Coast FIRE means your portfolio is big enough that, with no further contributions, it will grow to your full FI number by traditional retirement age. You keep working to pay current bills, but you no longer need to save. See Coast FIRE explained for the formula.

Side by side

Which one fits you?

Most people don't pick a label; they pick a spending level and see what timeline it gives. Start with the FIRE calculator using your real spending, then try a lean and a fat version of your budget to see how many years each costs.