Your coast FIRE number, with the state pension counted
Your coast FIRE number is the sum that lets you stop saving for retirement and carry on working. Count the state pension, work until it starts, and the sum shrinks.
Financial Independence
Saving enough that work becomes optional, a finish line you walk towards one boring transfer at a time.
Latest
The hedonic treadmill: why you get used to being richer
You got the raise. The new flat. The gym upgrade. And six months later, none of it feels like anything. That is the hedonic treadmill.
What is financial independence? Not a permanent holiday
Financial independence is a coverage test, not a wealth level: non-work income covers your costs, so work turns optional. Europe changes the maths.
What is your 'enough' number? How to define your financial finish line
Your enough number is the pot that replaces a wage. Europe's version beats America's 25x rule, and even hitting it will not feel like enough.
The 4% rule for European retirees: does it still hold up in 2026?
3% to 3.5%, not 4%: that's the realistic safe withdrawal rate for a European retiree living off a portfolio. Here's what moves it, and why.
Why retirement planning matters: the real cost of waiting
About 41% of Europeans surveyed pay into no private or workplace pension, and each year you wait costs more than the payments you skip. Here's that cost, in euros.
When did your bank balance start grading you?
Self worth vs net worth is a real, studied tension, mostly working against you. The named research on why your balance feels like a verdict, and how to stop it.