Starting FIRE at 45
Not too late. At 45 your pension fund and AHV do more of the work than they would for a 25-year-old.
Education, not financial advice. Use at your own risk. Read the full disclaimer
The short answer
With these numbers you could stop needing a salary at about 52.0, in 2033.
- Independent at
- 52.0
- Needed on the day
- CHF 602’357
- Bridge from savings
- 13.0 years
- Pensions cover
- 55%
- AHV from 65
- CHF 2’730 / month
- Savings at 95
- CHF 1’321’606
Open this scenario in the calculator → Change any number and see your own answer.
Forty-five, CHF 200’000 invested, CHF 300’000 in the pension fund, spending CHF 5’000 and saving CHF 3’500 a month. A late start means fewer years of compounding, but also a shorter bridge to the pensions, which carry a large share of the plan.
Your savings over time
Age 53 (2033) Accessible CHF 568’925 Pension fund and 3a CHF 486’925
What the numbers say
From 52.0 you live on accessible savings for about 13.0 years, until pension-fund money, Pillar 3a and AHV have all started at 65.0. That stretch is the hard part of early retirement in Switzerland.
After that, AHV of about CHF 2’730 a month covers 55% of spending of CHF 5’000 a month; savings pay the rest.
On the default return, savings would still be about CHF 1’321’606 at 95 in today’s francs. A bad first decade in the markets can cut that sharply, which is why the plan uses a withdrawal rate with a margin.
The plan behind it
- Age today
- 45
- Spending per month
- CHF 5’000
- Saved per month
- CHF 3’500
- Invested today
- CHF 200’000
- Pension fund
- CHF 300’000
- Pillar 3a
- CHF 60’000
Other inputs are the calculator defaults: Pillar 3a CHF 5’000 a year, statutory pension-fund credits, full AHV, stocks 8.0% and bonds 1.5% before inflation, 4.0% withdrawal rate, taxes for Zug.
What would change it
- Spend CHF 1’000 less a month: 2.8 years earlier, independent at 49.3
- Save CHF 500 more a month: 0.4 years earlier, independent at 51.6
Frequently asked questions
Are taxes included?
Yes, in retirement: wealth tax, income tax on pensions and investment income, and the tax on lump sums, estimated for Zug with 2026 figures of the Federal Tax Administration. Check the latest rules with your canton.
What if markets do worse?
Every year earns the average return here. With one percentage point less, the date moves by about 1.0 years. The calculator’s sensitivity chart shows the other assumptions that matter.