3.5% RULE (FI THRESHOLD): The tool uses 3.5% — not 4% — as the financial independence test. Someone at exactly 4% is technically FI but practically fragile. The displayed "capital needed" figure uses 4% as a standard market reference.

INFLATION ADJUSTMENT: Spend grows annually at a rate linked to your selected currency — AED/USD 3.0% (UAE/US CPI 5-year avg 2019–2024), GBP 4.5% (ONS), EUR 3.8% (ECB HICP), INR 5.5% (India MoSPI). These are 5-year trailing averages, not forecasts. The model runs year-by-year: each year your portfolio earns the selected nominal return, then your inflation-grown spend is deducted. More accurate than a simple real-return formula.

WHAT THIS DOESN'T CAPTURE: Tax, one-off capital events, healthcare cost inflation in later life, sequence-of-returns risk. This tool is illustrative. Not financial advice.