Why ProjectFi exists
ProjectFi started as a practical attempt to answer a simple question honestly: what does financial independence actually look like in Australia when tax, super, and the Age Pension all matter?
Built from a personal planning problem
The idea for ProjectFi did not begin as a brand or a content project. It began in spreadsheets, with the familiar experience of trying calculator after calculator, finding each one useful for a quick estimate, and then going back to manual work because none of them felt detailed enough to trust for real decisions.
The problem was not motivation. The problem was realism. Many FIRE tools are built for a US context, or they stay so simple that important Australian trade-offs never really show up. That leaves a gap between a nice-looking projection and a plan you would actually trust for your own life.
ProjectFi grew out of closing that gap for one person's own planning first, then turning it into something others could use as well.
Why Australian FIRE needs more realism
Australian FIRE planning has its own shape. It is not just a portfolio target with a different currency symbol. Super rules, contribution caps, preservation ages, tax, and pension settings all affect the path. So do ordinary life changes.
super and non-super money need to be modelled differently
tax, HECS/HELP, and contribution caps change the maths in real ways
part-time work, sabbaticals, downsizing, and changing expenses matter
the Age Pension can still shape the long-term picture
That is the standard ProjectFi is aiming for: a tool that helps people explore trade-offs with a bit more honesty and a lot less spreadsheet friction.
A quiet founder note
ProjectFi is built by a long-time technology professional with a long-standing interest in financial independence. That background mostly shows up in the way the product is built: careful logic, scenario modelling, and attention to edge cases.
Financial independence, in this view, is not about selling a fantasy of never working again. It is about having more control over your time, more flexibility in how you work, and more room for family, projects, contribution, or simply a calmer pace of life.
Why there is a subscription
The subscription exists to keep the product maintained, useful, and current. Tax thresholds, super rules, pension settings, and the modelling itself all need ongoing updates as Australian settings evolve and the product improves.
In other words, the subscription is meant to support ongoing stewardship of the product, not to turn financial independence into a hype cycle.
What ProjectFi is and is not
ProjectFi is a planning tool. It is designed to help you understand possible paths, assumptions, and trade-offs more clearly.
It is not personal financial advice, and it does not replace advice from a licensed professional who understands your circumstances.
Find a licensed adviser via FAAAQuestions or feedback can go to support@projectfi.com.au.
Ready to run your own numbers?
Use ProjectFi to explore your path with Australian tax, super, and pension rules built in.
Or try the free calculator first. No signup required.