Barista FIRE is the point where your portfolio, combined with part-time or lower-stress income, covers your spending — so you can quit full-time work without waiting for full financial independence.
Barista FIRE — named after the idea of taking a part-time job with benefits, like at a coffee shop — is a middle ground between working full-time and full retirement. You save enough that your portfolio, combined with part-time income, covers your annual spending, so you can leave full-time work years before hitting your full FIRE number.
We calculate the gap between your spending and your expected part-time income. That gap, divided by your safe withdrawal rate, is the portfolio size you need before quitting full-time work — much smaller than a full FIRE number if your part-time income covers a meaningful share of expenses.
If your investment returns outpace your withdrawal rate, your portfolio keeps growing even while covering the gap — meaning many Barista FIRE journeys eventually reach full financial independence anyway, just on a gentler slope. If growth doesn't outpace withdrawals, the portfolio holds roughly steady, which is still a sustainable, indefinite position as long as the part-time income continues.
Barista FIRE assumes ongoing part-time income; Coast FIRE assumes no income at all after you stop contributing, relying purely on growth. If you're not sure which fits your plan, try both and compare the ages.