I pay 0.03% in fees on most of our portfolio. The one exception is Vanguard Wellington, which charges 0.26% — and I consider that a bargain for what it does. Some really smart friends of ours pay 1.1% to private wealth advisors who, in most years, do not do anything a three-fund portfolio would not do on its own. On a $2M portfolio, that difference costs roughly $437,000 over 20 years. Most people underestimate what fees actually cost because they think in percentages, not dollars. One percent sounds like nothing. But compounding works both ways — it grows your money, and it grows the money your advisor takes from you. This calculator converts your fee percentage into the actual dollar amount you are losing over time, so you can see what that small number really means.
How the Calculator Works
This calculator shows the long-term impact of investment fees on your portfolio. Enter your current portfolio value, annual contributions, and compare your current fee against a low-cost alternative. The chart shows both growth curves over time and quantifies the total fee drag in dollars.
The sensitivity table shows fee impact at seven common fee levels from 0.03% (Vanguard index) to 2.00% (high-cost active management).
Related Tools
- Best Vanguard Funds — the low-cost funds we actually hold
- Best Fidelity Funds — including Fidelity ZERO fee funds
- Compound Interest Calculator — see how compounding works
- Retirement Calculator — how fees affect your retirement date