How to use this checklist
Work through the 16 items across four sections — foundations, accounts, tax shape, safety margins. Check only what's genuinely true today; the unchecked items are your priority list. Most gaps close with a planning afternoon rather than a savings marathon, which is the point of separating them.
What your result means
"Ready" (85%+) means the foundations, tax shape, and margins are all addressed — keep it that way by re-running yearly. "Solid with gaps" (60–85%) is the most common result: the unchecked items name exactly where to spend the next planning session. "Early days" means start with Foundations — a real spending number and a target make every other decision concrete.
When to trust it
The checklist covers the decisions most early-retirement plans share; it can't see your stock-option vesting, pension, business exit, or family obligations. Figures cited (2026 contribution limits, RMD ages, IRMAA cliffs) are year-specific and verified as of late 2026 — re-check them annually. For dollar-level certainty, pair this with the FIRE calculator and the Roth conversion planner.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do I actually need for early retirement?
Start from spending: annual spending ÷ withdrawal rate. $60,000 at the classic 4% means $1.5M; at the more conservative 3.5% for long horizons, about $1.71M. Add a pre-65 healthcare line (commonly $10–20k/year) and a bridge strategy for accessing funds before 59½. The FIRE calculator runs all of it in one pass.
What do people forget most often in FIRE plans?
Three things: healthcare premiums before Medicare at 65, the tax torpedo once Social Security starts (up to 85% of benefits taxable), and sequence-of-returns risk in the first decade. All three are in the checklist's Foundations and Tax shape sections — which is why they're checked items, not footnotes.