Enough

Alternative to Suze Orman's retirement calculator

Suze Orman says you need $5-10 million to retire. Let's check.

Suze Orman famously told early retirees they need at least $5 million, and ideally $10 million, to retire safely. Here's the math behind her number — and where it lands for your spending level.

Assumed return

7.0%

Withdrawal rate

3.0%

Savings rate

—

financial advisor, author of The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous & Broke

What Suze Orman's Numbers Mean For You

Using Suze Orman's assumed 3.0% withdrawal and 7.0% return. "Years to FI" assumes a $50,000 starting portfolio and $2,000/month contributions.

Annual SpendingFIRE # (Suze Orman)FIRE # (4% rule)Years to FI
$40,000$1,333,333$1,000,00021.1y
$70,000$2,333,333$1,750,00028.0y
$120,000$4,000,000$3,000,00035.1y

The Methodology

Suze Orman is skeptical of the FIRE movement. On the Afford Anything podcast (2018) and her own show, she argued that $2-3 million is not enough to retire early. Her reasoning: unexpected healthcare costs before Medicare eligibility (age 65), long-term care in later years, and inflation over a 40+ year horizon require a much larger buffer. Her recommended withdrawal rate is closer to 3%, reflecting a longer retirement and more conservative return assumptions.

Citations

  • “You need $5 million minimum (and $10M preferably) to retire early” — Afford Anything podcast with Paula Pant, 2018
  • “Healthcare before Medicare is the biggest unaccounted-for cost” — Suze Orman's Ultimate Retirement Guide
  • “Conservative withdrawal rate for 40+ year retirement” — The Money Class (2011), Chapter 8

Our Honest Take

Where Suze Orman is right

Orman is right that US healthcare costs before age 65 are a real and often-underestimated risk, and that longer retirements should use lower withdrawal rates than the traditional 4% rule. A 40-year horizon genuinely does need a safer buffer than 30 years.

Where we differ

Her $5–10M number only makes sense if you insist on retiring in a high-cost US city. Geo-arbitrage changes everything: Portugal offers D7 visa healthcare at a fraction of US costs; Thailand's DTV visa and expat health plans run $1-3K per year. Most of Orman's 'too expensive to retire' math dissolves when you model cost of living in Lisbon, Valencia, or Chiang Mai instead of Brooklyn or San Francisco. We'd rather you pick a safe withdrawal rate (3.25-3.5% for 40+ year horizons is reasonable) and a livable city, not scare you into working another decade.

Try the Enough FIRE Calculator

Set your own return and withdrawal rate assumptions. Pick any city in the world to adjust your FIRE number for local cost of living.

Open FIRE CalculatorSafe Withdrawal Rate Tool

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Where You Retire Changes Your Number

Suze Orman's math assumes a generic US cost of living. The state or country you retire in can move your FIRE number by 30-70%. Start with a tax-friendly state or an international destination:

Florida

No income tax

Texas

No income tax

Portugal

D7 + NHR

Thailand

Territorial

Browse all 50 US states → · International retirement guides →

This page is an independent educational analysis of Suze Orman's publicly stated retirement methodology. It is not officially endorsed by or affiliated with Suze Orman or their organization. Retirement planning involves significant uncertainty — consult a qualified fiduciary advisor before acting on any calculation.