Investment Fee Impact Calculator
See exactly what expense ratios, advisory fees and trading costs take out of a portfolio over time. Fees are compounded month by month, so the headline number is always larger than the fee percentage suggests.
Modelled as extra %/yr — a constant monthly drag on the balance, not a flat dollar charge.
Every rate is charged monthly on the month's starting balance; contributions are added at the end of each month.
Final balance with fees
$599,656.81
after 30 years
Final balance with no fees
$660,848.85
gross return, same contributions
Difference (fees + lost growth)
$61,192.04
what the fee drag costs you
Total fees charged
$32,366.08
expense + advisory + trading charged
What the fees consumed
You end with $599,656.81, which is 9.3% less than the $660,848.85 you would hold with no fees. That $61,192.04 shortfall is $32,366.08 of fees actually charged plus $28,825.96 of growth those fees would themselves have earned.
- Expense ratio
- $32,366.08
- charged at 0.5%/yr on the balance
- Advisory fee
- $0.00
- No advisory fee entered
- Trading costs
- $0.00
- No trading costs entered
The three figures add up to the $32,366.08 of fees actually taken out. The other $28,825.96 of the shortfall is the growth that money would have earned plus the extra drag from each fee shrinking the balance the other fees charge on — an interaction that cannot honestly be pinned on one fee, so it is not split above.
Portfolio value over time
With fees, with no fees at the same gross return, and contributions alone.
Fee level comparison
All other inputs are held constant — only the expense ratio changes, measured against a 0.00% baseline with the same contributions and the same 7% gross return.
| Expense ratio | Final balance | Cost vs 0.00% |
|---|---|---|
| 0.00% (no fees) | $660,848.85 | — |
| 0.03% | $656,988.89 | −$3,859.96 |
| 0.50% | $599,656.81 | −$61,192.04 |
| 1.00% | $544,691.40 | −$116,157.45 |
| 2.00% | $450,907.38 | −$209,941.47 |
Year by year
| Year | Contributions | No-fee value | With fees | Fees this year | Cumulative fees | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $16,000 | $16,890 | $16,827 | $65 | $65 | $63 |
| 2 | $22,000 | $24,263 | $24,097 | $100 | $166 | $165 |
| 3 | $28,000 | $32,151 | $31,840 | $138 | $303 | $311 |
| 4 | $34,000 | $40,592 | $40,087 | $177 | $481 | $505 |
| 5 | $40,000 | $49,623 | $48,869 | $220 | $701 | $755 |
| 6 | $46,000 | $59,287 | $58,222 | $265 | $966 | $1,065 |
| 7 | $52,000 | $69,627 | $68,183 | $313 | $1,279 | $1,444 |
| 8 | $58,000 | $80,692 | $78,792 | $364 | $1,643 | $1,900 |
| 9 | $64,000 | $92,530 | $90,090 | $419 | $2,061 | $2,440 |
| 10 | $70,000 | $105,197 | $102,123 | $477 | $2,538 | $3,075 |
| 11 | $76,000 | $118,751 | $114,937 | $538 | $3,076 | $3,814 |
| 12 | $82,000 | $133,254 | $128,585 | $604 | $3,681 | $4,669 |
| 13 | $88,000 | $148,772 | $143,120 | $674 | $4,355 | $5,652 |
| 14 | $94,000 | $165,376 | $158,599 | $749 | $5,104 | $6,777 |
| 15 | $100,000 | $183,143 | $175,085 | $828 | $5,932 | $8,058 |
| 16 | $106,000 | $202,153 | $192,642 | $913 | $6,845 | $9,511 |
| 17 | $112,000 | $222,494 | $211,341 | $1,003 | $7,849 | $11,153 |
| 18 | $118,000 | $244,258 | $231,254 | $1,099 | $8,948 | $13,004 |
| 19 | $124,000 | $267,547 | $252,463 | $1,202 | $10,150 | $15,084 |
| 20 | $130,000 | $292,465 | $275,049 | $1,310 | $11,460 | $17,416 |
| 21 | $136,000 | $319,128 | $299,104 | $1,426 | $12,887 | $20,023 |
| 22 | $142,000 | $347,657 | $324,723 | $1,550 | $14,437 | $22,934 |
| 23 | $148,000 | $378,183 | $352,007 | $1,682 | $16,118 | $26,176 |
| 24 | $154,000 | $410,846 | $381,064 | $1,822 | $17,940 | $29,782 |
| 25 | $160,000 | $445,795 | $412,010 | $1,971 | $19,911 | $33,786 |
| 26 | $166,000 | $483,191 | $444,967 | $2,130 | $22,041 | $38,224 |
| 27 | $172,000 | $523,205 | $480,066 | $2,299 | $24,340 | $43,138 |
| 28 | $178,000 | $566,019 | $517,447 | $2,479 | $26,819 | $48,572 |
| 29 | $184,000 | $611,831 | $557,258 | $2,671 | $29,490 | $54,572 |
| 30 | $190,000 | $660,849 | $599,657 | $2,876 | $32,366 | $61,192 |
About this tool
This calculator projects a portfolio month by month with a gross return, then subtracts an expense ratio, an advisory fee and trading costs to show how much of the final balance a constant annual fee drag consumes — including the growth those fees would themselves have earned. It runs entirely in your browser: nothing is uploaded, and every figure is computed locally. Fees are modelled as a constant annual drag charged monthly on the balance, so the tool ignores taxes and inflation.
- 100% free — no account needed
- Runs in your browser
- Nothing is uploaded
Frequently asked questions
Is Investment Fee Calculator really free?
Yes. Investment Fee Calculator is completely free on PureBrowser — every feature, with no account, no trial, and no credit card.
Does Investment Fee Calculator upload my data?
No. Investment Fee Calculator runs entirely inside your browser, so anything you type, paste, or open stays on your own device.
Do I need to sign up or install anything?
Neither. There is no account and nothing to download — open the page and Investment Fee Calculator is ready to use on desktop or mobile.
Does Investment Fee Calculator work offline?
Once the page has loaded, yes. All of the processing happens locally in your browser, so it keeps working without a connection.
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