Free Calculator
Advisor Fee Calculator
See how index fund fees, robo-advisor fees, and financial advisor fees compound over time — and what they actually cost you.
Fee Impact Calculator
See how different fee levels affect your portfolio over time. Same gross return — different outcomes.
Starting Portfolio
Monthly Addition
Time Horizon
30 yearsGross Annual Return
7%Cost of fees after 30 years
Assumes identical gross returns before fees. Monthly compounding. For illustration only.
What this calculator shows
The calculator compares five common fee levels — all earning the same gross return before fees. The difference is purely the compound cost of each fee structure over time.
Index Fund (0.03%)
Lowest cost. Funds like VTI, VXUS, BND.
Target-Date Fund (0.12%)
Set-it-and-forget-it. Common 401(k) default.
Robo-Advisor (0.25%)
Wealthfront, Betterment. Adds tax-loss harvesting.
AUM Advisor (1.00%)
Typical financial advisor. Full-service management.
High-Fee Fund (1.50%)
Actively managed mutual funds with load fees.
Key takeaways
- •A 1% annual fee reduces your portfolio by roughly 24% over 30 years compared to a low-cost index fund.
- •The cost isn't just the fee itself — it's the lost compounding on every dollar paid in fees.
- •94% of actively managed funds underperform their index over 20 years (SPIVA 2024).
- •Advisors add the most value through behavioral coaching and tax optimization, not investment selection.
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