Investment Fee Drag

Quantify exactly how much high-fee funds cost you over a lifetime versus low-cost index alternatives.

Starting Investment ($)

Annual Contribution ($)

Investment Horizon 30 years

Expected Annual Return (before fees) 8.0%

High-Fee Fund Expense Ratio 1.00%

Low-Fee Index Fund Expense Ratio 0.05%

Total Cost of Fees

—

High-Fee Ending Balance

—

after all fees

Low-Fee Ending Balance

—

after all fees

Portfolio Growth — High Fee vs Low Fee

A seemingly small fee difference of — per year compounds into — lost over your investment lifetime. Every year matters.

Investment Fee Drag Calculator

Most investors never realize how much of their retirement wealth quietly disappears into fund fees. Our Investment Fee Drag Calculator shows you exactly how much a high-fee mutual fund or actively managed fund costs you compared to a low-cost index fund alternative over your full investment horizon. Enter your starting balance, annual contributions, time horizon, and the expense ratios you want to compare, and the calculator projects both portfolios side by side. You'll see the final balance of each, the total dollars lost to fees, and the percentage of your potential wealth consumed by expense ratios. Small differences of even half a percent compound into hundreds of thousands of dollars over a 30 year career, which is why fee awareness is one of the highest leverage decisions a long term investor can make.