Fat FIRE

Fat FIRE means reaching financial independence with enough to keep spending the way you like: travel, a nice home, help with the children, and a cushion for surprises. The maths is the same as any FIRE plan, with a much bigger number.

There is no official threshold. On r/fatFIRE people often talk about spending $100,000 a year or more, but that's a community habit. What counts as fat depends on where you live and how you live now.

A worked example

At €80,000 a year and a 4% withdrawal rate you need €2,000,000. Starting from €50,000 invested and earning 7% a year before 2% inflation, here's how long the three budgets take:

Going from €30,000 to €80,000 a year adds 13 to 15 years of work at the same saving rate. That's why Fat FIRE usually goes with a high income. You need to save a lot each month and still live well.

Chubby FIRE

Chubby FIRE is the budget between lean and fat. In the table that's roughly the €50,000 row. It's a common landing point for people who start out aiming for fat and decide a few extra years at work aren't worth it.

The trade-off

Every extra €1,000 a year you plan to spend needs €25,000 more invested at 4%. With that margin, a bad market year means skipping a holiday while the essentials stay covered. It costs you more years at work, often in a demanding job.

Lifestyle creep runs the other way. If your spending grows with every raise, the number keeps moving away. Decide what fat means for you, write the number down, and check it once a year.

For the opposite approach, read Lean FIRE. If you'd rather slow down before you reach a fat number, Coast FIRE and Barista FIRE are worth a look.