User Guide — Rat Racer

What you need

You need **25× your annual spending** invested to leave the rat race (the inverse of the

4% withdrawal rule). Rat Racer shows how close you are and whether you're running

**toward** or **away** from that finish line.

Every field is editable

Nothing is locked. Change any input on **Your Numbers** or **Assumptions** and the

track, KPIs, and finish date recalculate immediately. Your plan saves to browser

localStorage automatically.

Step by step

1. **Last month spend** — what you actually spent last month (× 12 × 25 = default finish line).

2. **Assets & debts** — enter every category you have; net worth updates live.

3. **Income & expenses** — fixed + variable; savings rate drives your pace.

4. **Race Track** — rat position = progress toward finish; read direction and finish year/age.

5. **Your Levers** — see how +1% savings rate or −$500/mo variable spend shifts the finish date.

Finish line multiplier

Default **25** matches the classic 4% rule. You can raise or lower it on the

Assumptions tab if your target differs.

Export

Use **Export JSON** to back up your plan or move it to another browser.

Limitations

- Deterministic math only — not Monte Carlo probability.

- No tax buckets or account linking in v1.

- Planning estimate — not financial advice.

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