Purchase Impact
Every purchase has a hidden cost — the compound growth you give up and the freedom days it takes from you. Enter a price and your FIRE profile to see the real cost.
Your FIRE profile
Every dollar you spend has two costs: the price on the tag, and the compound growth it would have earned between now and your freedom date. This calculator makes both visible so you can make the tradeoff consciously — not accidentally.
Start with your freedom date calculator to find your FIRE number and timeline, then come back here to test individual purchases against your plan.
When you spend money instead of investing it, you reduce your current savings. That means compound growth starts from a lower base, so it takes longer to reach your FIRE number. The delay is the difference in time-to-FIRE with and without the purchase removed from your savings.
Compound growth is exponential. A $1,000 purchase 20 years before your FIRE date at 7% annual returns becomes roughly $3,870. The longer your time horizon, the more dramatic the compounding effect.
The S&P 500 has historically returned around 7% annually after inflation. For a conservative estimate use 5–6%; for an optimistic estimate use 8–10%. The default 7% is a widely used real-return assumption for long-term index investing.
No. The calculator shows the opportunity cost, not a verdict. Some purchases improve your quality of life, productivity, or income enough to more than offset the delay. The goal is to be aware of the tradeoff, not to avoid all spending.