About this product

THE OUTCOME

Answer "am I actually getting closer to financial independence?" with a number: one honest workbook holding your monthly net worth, your FI number computed from YOUR spending and YOUR withdrawal rate, your progress %, a years-to-FI estimate — and three side-by-side scenarios so you can compare real decisions, like saving $500 more a month versus spending $500 less. The math answers, without hype.

WHO IT'S FOR

Future-focused savers who want the FIRE math in their own hands: spreadsheet people, index-fund investors, high-savings-rate households, and anyone who has ever wondered "what's my number?" — beginner-friendly (yellow cells = your inputs, grey cells = formulas) with a DEFINITIONS sheet showing the exact math behind every figure.

THE PROBLEM

"Am I actually getting closer to financial independence?" Most people can't answer that with a number. Net worth lives in six different apps, the "FI number" is a vague rumor from the internet, and every FIRE calculator online asks for your email before it shows you a black-box result you can't audit.

THE SOLUTION

FI Navigator gives you one honest, fully auditable workbook: a monthly net-worth log that shows exactly where your money stands, an FI number computed from your own inputs, a Coast FI number, your FI progress %, and a closed-form years-to-FI estimate — plus three side-by-side scenarios (Conservative / Base / Optimistic) for comparing real decisions.

FEATURES → WHAT THEY DO FOR YOU

• 100% live formulas — zero macros, zero add-ins, nothing leaves your device → your financial data never touches a server.
• Closed-form years-to-FI math (future-value solve for n), documented step-by-step in DEFINITIONS — no black boxes → you can audit every figure instead of trusting a website.
• IFERROR guards throughout → blank cells and edge cases never produce error cells.
• Works in Excel, Google Sheets (File → Import), and LibreOffice.
• Print-ready: every sheet fits its page width.

HOW IT WORKS

• Delete the fictional sample rows and log your first month from real statements (yellow cells only).
• Fill in the FIRE NUMBER inputs — your spending, withdrawal rate, growth assumption, monthly savings.
• Read your FI number, progress %, and years-to-FI estimate.
• Use SCENARIOS to test decisions: higher savings, lower spending, a more cautious withdrawal rate.
• Log monthly; review your assumptions yearly.

IDEAL CUSTOMER — PICTURE THIS

A saver putting away 30% of income wonders whether they're on track. They log three months of statements, learn their FI number is $1.2M with 13 years to go at current pace — then use the scenarios to see that an extra $500/month shaves off two full years.

WHO IT IS NOT FOR

• Anyone looking for investment, tax, or financial advice — this is an educational estimating tool, not advice; consult a licensed professional for real money decisions.
• People who want a guaranteed retirement date — projections are estimates under stated assumptions (constant growth, savings, spending), not promises or predictions.
• Savers unwilling to log their numbers monthly — the log only works if you feed it from your statements.
• Anyone who needs taxes, healthcare costs, inflation, or lumpy expenses modeled — those are explicitly NOT in the model (the guide explains each gap honestly).

FORMATS

XLSX spreadsheet (Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice) + PDF guide + TXT readme. No macros.

PREREQUISITES

A spreadsheet app (Excel, Google Sheets, or LibreOffice) and your account statements for the first month's log. No spreadsheet expertise needed.

LIMITATIONS (READ BEFORE BUYING)

• Projections are ESTIMATES from your own inputs under stated assumptions (constant growth, savings, spending) — not predictions, guarantees, or promises of any retirement timeline.
• Taxes, healthcare costs, inflation, and lumpy expenses (home repairs, college, elder care) are NOT modeled — the guide's "common mistakes" section explains each gap honestly.
• This is an educational tool, NOT financial, tax, or investment advice. For real money decisions, consult a licensed professional.
• The 4% withdrawal-rate default is a historical rule of thumb, not a guarantee — the sheet lets you test 3% and 5% too.
• Sample data is fictional ("Jordan Lee").

DELIVERY

Instant download: FI-Navigator-v1.zip containing FI-Navigator.xlsx, Quick-Start-Guide.pdf, and README-license.txt.

LICENSE

Personal use only — no redistribution, resale, or sharing. See README-license.txt.

FAQ

• Is this financial advice? — No. It's an educational estimating tool. The disclaimers in the workbook and guide say so explicitly, and the guide lists what the model does NOT cover (taxes, healthcare, inflation).
• Will this tell me when I can retire? — It gives you an estimate based on your inputs and stated assumptions — a compass heading, not an appointment. Anyone promising you a retirement date is selling something.
• Does it work in Google Sheets? — Yes. Upload the .xlsx via File → Import. All formulas are standard; no macros.
• I'm starting from zero (or below). Is this for me? — Yes. The log's most important job is showing the truth, and the guide's FAQ covers negative net worth explicitly.
• Why is the withdrawal rate adjustable? — Because 4% is a historical rule of thumb, not a law. The sheet is built for you to test 3%, 4%, and 5% and decide your own caution level.

SUPPORT & UPDATES

Questions? Contact us through the Gumroad product page. Free updates to v1.x.

What's included

• START HERE sheet — what FIRE means in plain English (no hype), 5-step how-to, input-cell key, and the assumptions-and-limits box: projections are estimates, not promises.
• NET WORTH LOG sheet — 36 pre-formatted monthly rows: Date, Cash, Investments, Retirement accounts, Home equity, Other assets, Debts → auto-summed net worth with month-over-month change in $ and %. Ships with 12 months of fictional sample data ("Jordan Lee") demonstrating every formula.
• FIRE NUMBER sheet — yellow inputs (age, spending now/at FI, other income at FI, withdrawal rate default 4%, growth rate, monthly savings) drive live outputs: current net worth (pulled from your latest log row), FI number, FI progress %, Coast FI number (with the formula shown), savings rate, closed-form years-to-FI estimate, and estimated FI date.
• SCENARIOS sheet — Conservative / Base / Optimistic columns each computing their own FI number, years-to-FI, progress %, and Coast FI from the same net worth, with fastest/slowest flags and conditional formatting.
• DEFINITIONS sheet — every metric in plain English plus the exact math used, so you can verify everything.
• Quick-Start-Guide.pdf (4 pages) — FIRE concepts without hype, logging your first month, reading your FI number, using scenarios for decisions (the savings-rate lever), common mistakes (ignoring taxes and healthcare — honest caveats), FAQ, and full disclaimers.
• README-license.txt — contents, formats, license, disclaimers.

Key features

• 100% live formulas — zero macros, zero add-ins, nothing leaves your device → your financial data never touches a server
• Closed-form years-to-FI math (future-value solve for n), documented step-by-step in DEFINITIONS — no black boxes → you can audit every figure instead of trusting a website
• IFERROR guards throughout → blank cells and edge cases never produce error cells
• Works in Excel, Google Sheets (File → Import), and LibreOffice
• Print-ready: every sheet fits its page width