Choosing Your FIRE Variant: A Decision Workbook for Lean, Fat, Barista, and Coast FIRE

Many people talk about pursuing FIRE without ever sitting down to calculate what their chosen variant would actually require — in portfolio size, savings rate, and years. Without the numbers, the choice between Lean FIRE and Barista FIRE remains a feeling rather than a decision. This course turns the selection process into a structured, calculable exercise. By the end of this course you will be able to calculate the specific portfolio target for each of the main FIRE variants based on your actual or projected spending, compare the timelines for each variant at your current savings rate, and produce a written rationale for the variant you choose to pursue. What you will learn: - How to project annual spending under Lean FIRE, Barista FIRE, and Fat FIRE spending assumptions using a tiered expense worksheet - Calculating the FIRE number for each variant based on projected expenses and a chosen withdrawal rate - Computing a Coast FIRE number: how much you need invested today so that compound growth covers your full FIRE target without additional contributions - Modeling a Barista FIRE timeline: how much part-time income you would need, in what amount, to allow a smaller portfolio to sustain early retirement - Using a variant comparison table to see each variant's required portfolio, timeline from your current net worth, and implied annual savings needed - Testing your lifestyle assumptions: building a detailed projected retirement budget for your preferred variant and stress-testing it against realistic expense categories - Documenting your variant decision: writing a one-page rationale that records your choice, the assumptions behind it, and the conditions under which you would reconsider - How to update the analysis if your spending preferences, income trajectory, or family situation changes significantly The workbook format means every module produces a filled-in template. The tiered expense worksheet, the multi-variant comparison table, the Barista income calculator, and the Coast FIRE calculator are all provided. Worked examples follow two households — one choosing between Lean and Barista FIRE, one deciding between Fat and standard FIRE — through the full decision process. This course is suitable for individuals who have been introduced to the FIRE movement and want to get specific about which variant to pursue. No prior FIRE knowledge beyond basic familiarity with the concept is required.