Compare similar life situations, assumptions, and retirement tradeoffs.
United States
Housing
Seattle family Barista FIRE: can one parent go part-time?
For: Seattle metro family (38), 2 children, homeowner; deciding whether one parent can go part-time without derailing a Barista FIRE-style plan
For a Seattle family with two kids, cutting back to part-time can still work for Barista FIRE, but only if housing and health coverage stay manageable.
Australia: part-time parenting and retirement saving
For: Australian dual-income family, parents age 38, one young child, mortgage-sized household costs; deciding whether one parent should reduce hours and later catch up super
One parent works 0.6 FTE during early child years; compare lower modeled saving with a defined catch-up schedule that nearly restores retirement capital.
For: Single US professional (35), high-cost-city renter, deciding whether to buy alone, rent and invest, or delay buying
Buying alone can work only if the mortgage does not crowd out your emergency reserve and retirement saving; this scenario shows when renting stays stronger.
In this illustrative couple's plans, keeping the savings pool invested while renting produces the largest retirement balance, but also requires substantially more saving. The comparison is between complete housing and saving paths. It does not measure the isolated cost of a KiwiSaver withdrawal or establish that a purchase is affordable.
The couple are 35, start with NZ$190,000 across KiwiSaver, cash and investments, retire at 65 and plan to 90. The calculator combines those assets into one balance. Each purchase and later expense therefore assumes enough permitted withdrawal money or accessible cash exists when needed. Check that assumption separately before using a path for a real purchase. Mortgage payments and everyday working-age costs are reflected in assumed net saving, rather than calculated from a loan and full household budget.
Buy now is the Base. Keep renting and buy at 39 are what-ifs. All figures are in today's dollars, using real returns after inflation. Capital means financial assets; the house itself is outside the reported balance. The owner paths include an illustrative later downsizing receipt.
Saving is the average amount added to the pool over the 30 working years, before the separately entered irregular costs. The central return is 3.2%, the lower case 2.4% and the higher case 3.3%. The monthly budget estimate includes the modeled NZ Super income and aims to leave 60 months of spending at 90; it is not a guaranteed withdrawal rate.
The central renter path adds NZ$450,000 more to the pool before 65 than buying now, and retains the capital that the buyer spends at settlement. Its advantage also reflects different repairs, housing costs, retirement budgets and later equity receipts. The result cannot be attributed entirely to keeping KiwiSaver untouched.
The Base spends NZ$170,000 on the first-home cash requirement and setup at 35. The lowest pooled balance is about NZ$21,699 immediately after those entries. That balance can contain locked KiwiSaver; it is not evidence of an emergency cash reserve or a deposit approval.
Net saving rises later as the household assumes it can absorb the mortgage and owner costs. Repairs, a car and renovation are additional outflows. A NZ$160,000 downsizing receipt at 75 and NZ$90,000 care expense at 82 also affect the result. The downsizing figure is an assumed net receipt, not a valuation or a calculated mortgage payoff.
The planned retirement budget is NZ$6,800/month. At the lower return, its reserve-based limit is NZ$6,937: only NZ$137/month of modeled headroom. This makes the saving rebuild and assumed future equity receipt material to the conclusion.
The renter keeps the starting pool invested and contributes more throughout working life. A rent reset, furniture move, vehicle, family support and later housing/care expense remain separate outflows. Its retirement spending target is NZ$10,000/month, including rent.
At the lower return, the pool stays positive but the ending NZ$578,995 falls short of the NZ$600,000 reserve target. The budget exceeds its estimated limit by NZ$43/month. It has the largest low-return financial balance, yet fails this particular reserve objective.
The Higher return + care case changes two assumptions: return rises to 3.3% and the age-82 housing/care cost rises from NZ$90,000 to NZ$260,000. It is a combined stress case, which explains why its estimated monthly limit is below the central renter case. The larger care cost is preserved as an explicit household assumption.
The delayed buyer saves more before purchase, spends NZ$200,000 at 39, then uses a different net-saving schedule. Repairs, renovation and a NZ$150,000 downsizing receipt also differ from the Base. This is a complete delayed-purchase plan, rather than a controlled four-year timing test.
Its planned retirement spending is NZ$7,300/month. The lower-return case finishes at NZ$437,551, just below the NZ$438,000 reserve target; the estimated spending gap is less than NZ$1/month. The central and higher-return cases pass that reserve test. All nine paths retain positive pooled capital through 90, but the lower-return renter and delayed buyer miss their reserve objectives. The corresponding central-return cases pass under different return assumptions; no independent repair of saving or spending has been tested here.
IRD's first-home withdrawal guidance requires at least three years in KiwiSaver, NZ$1,000 left in each account, and excludes Australian complying-super transfers. Provider and purchase details still require checking. Ordinary retirement withdrawal is currently available from 65. The pooled calculation does not enforce these restrictions or assign repairs and care costs to a particular account.
All cases assume NZ$3,700/month of NZ Super from 65 for a qualifying couple. This rounds the Work and Income rate effective April 2026 at tax code M. Individual eligibility and future rates remain assumptions.
The preview opens Buy at 39 against the original Buy now Base. Lower-return cases and the two owner higher-return cases initially compare with their own housing path at central returns. The higher-return renter also increases care costs and initially compares with Buy now. Use Compare with to choose another results reference; the what-ifs still inherit from the original Base. The reserve-based monthly budgets and targets in this article are separate calculations and do not update in the preview. Check accessible cash and provider-confirmed withdrawals outside the pooled balance, then replace purchase costs and net saving after mortgage, rates, insurance and everyday expenses. Remove or revise downsizing if you expect to stay in the home.
Choose Use this plan to save an independent copy of your edited plan. Change common assumptions in Base and housing-specific choices in the selected what-if. Use Reading your results to distinguish a positive balance from meeting the reserve target. Constant-return cases do not measure market-sequence risk or the probability of success.
Educational examples with illustrative household assumptions. The calculation does not determine KiwiSaver eligibility, mortgage serviceability, purchase funding access or tax treatment.
