What the Freedom Watch shows

The main dial reads the age you could reach financial independence: the point where 25 times your yearly spending is invested, so a safe 4% withdrawal covers your life. The two lower dials show how many years that is from today and the FIRE number you are aiming for.

Every figure is projected at a real return, after inflation, and shown in today's dollars. That keeps the target honest, because a number that ignores inflation always looks smaller than it really is. Move the return between We default to 5%, the long-run real return of world equities; try 6% or 7% to see how much the timeline shifts.

The age is an estimate, not a promise. Real returns vary year to year, and a rough patch early in retirement can change the result. Use it as a starting point, then dig into the detail with the calculators above.