Scenarios
Three sample households.
Compare income, tax, annual spending, savings and retirement targets for a software developer in Seattle, a plumber in Cincinnati and a physician in Texas. Open a scenario in the calculator to change any value.
| Scenario | Income | Saves a year | Savings rate | Fat FIRE number | Median climb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle software developer Senior engineer, 32, big-tech employer, no state income tax | $260,000 | $96,000 | 50% | $4,285,714 | 17 years |
| Cincinnati plumber Owns a three-van shop, 41, Ohio state income tax | $185,000 | $55,000 | 40% | $2,933,333 | 19 years |
| Texas doctor Hospital-employed specialist, 38, no state income tax | $420,000 | $150,000 | 54% | $6,769,231 | 17 years |
Income is gross, before tax. The savings rate is what is left of take-home pay after the household spends. The Fat FIRE number is the retirement spending divided by that scenario's withdrawal rate, and the median climb is how long the saving took starting from the median year on record.
The Seattle software developer
Senior engineer, 32, big-tech employer, no state income tax
High pay, high volatility: a third of the income arrives as stock that vests, so the savings rate is real but the paycheque is not the whole story. Washington charges no state income tax, which is worth roughly a year of extra saving over a decade.
| What comes in | A year |
|---|---|
| Base salary | $175,000 |
| Annual bonus | $25,000 |
| Vesting stock Taxed as income when it vests | $60,000 |
| Tax and payroll Federal, payroll and state where there is one | −$68,000 |
| Take-home | $192,000 |
| What goes out | A year |
|---|---|
| Housing — mortgage, tax, insurance | $42,000 |
| Food and eating out | $12,000 |
| Transport | $6,000 |
| Travel | $9,000 |
| Health and insurance | $7,200 |
| Everything else | $19,800 |
| Saved and invested | $96,000 |
Already invested: $310,000. 401(k), brokerage and vested stock, not counting home equity.
Retirement spending: $150,000 a year at a 3.5% withdrawal rate. More than the current budget, because the plan is to travel properly and to stop optimising groceries.
Allocation: All stocks. Saving grows 1.5% a year above inflation — Raises and promotions, net of lifestyle creep.
The Cincinnati plumber
Owns a three-van shop, 41, Ohio state income tax
A trade business is the quiet Fat FIRE route: the income is lower than a tech salary but the cost of living in Cincinnati is well below the national average, so the gap between earning and spending is wider than the headline numbers suggest. Health insurance is bought, not given.
| What comes in | A year |
|---|---|
| Owner's wages | $95,000 |
| Business profit After paying two employed plumbers | $90,000 |
| Tax and payroll Federal, payroll and state where there is one | −$48,000 |
| Take-home | $137,000 |
| What goes out | A year |
|---|---|
| Housing — mortgage, tax, insurance | $21,600 |
| Food and eating out | $10,800 |
| Two trucks | $8,400 |
| Family health insurance | $14,400 |
| Travel | $6,000 |
| Everything else | $20,800 |
| Saved and invested | $55,000 |
Already invested: $240,000. SEP-IRA and brokerage. The business itself is not counted — selling it is a bonus, not a plan.
Retirement spending: $110,000 a year at a 3.8% withdrawal rate. Comfortable in Cincinnati, where the cost of living runs below the US average.
Allocation: 80 / 20 stocks and bonds. Saving grows 1.0% a year above inflation — A third van, eventually.
The Texas doctor
Hospital-employed specialist, 38, no state income tax
The classic late start: nothing was saved until 31, and the loans are still being paid. Very high income makes the climb steep and short, but the target is high too — a Fat FIRE number scales with the life you intend to keep, and this one is expensive.
| What comes in | A year |
|---|---|
| Base compensation | $380,000 |
| Productivity bonus | $40,000 |
| Tax and payroll Federal, payroll and state where there is one | −$140,000 |
| Take-home | $280,000 |
| What goes out | A year |
|---|---|
| Housing — mortgage, tax, insurance | $39,000 |
| Student loans Six years left | $33,600 |
| Food and eating out | $15,600 |
| Childcare and schooling | $18,000 |
| Transport | $7,200 |
| Everything else | $16,600 |
| Saved and invested | $150,000 |
Already invested: $520,000. Started at 31. Residency pays, but not like this.
Retirement spending: $220,000 a year at a 3.3% withdrawal rate. The current life minus the loans, plus the travel that never happened during residency.
Allocation: 80 / 20 stocks and bonds. Saving grows 2.0% a year above inflation — The loan payment becomes savings once the loans clear.
About these figures
These are illustrative composites, not records of real people. Pay figures draw on federal wage data for trades and compensation surveys for engineering and medicine. Household budgets are estimates for the stated cities and incomes. Gross and take-home figures are labelled separately, and all calculator inputs can be changed.