How to Use Prismfolio's Fee Detector

Most investors know fees matter. Few know exactly how much they're paying.

Between fund expense ratios, advisor fees, account maintenance charges, and transaction costs, the average actively managed portfolio pays 1–2% annually in total fees. On a $200,000 portfolio, that's $2,000–$4,000 per year - money that compounds against you rather than for you.

Prismfolio's Fee Detector surfaces fund expense ratios and estimated annual fee drag. Here's how to use it.

Step 1: Extract Your Portfolio

Before the Fee Detector can analyze anything, it needs to know what you hold.

1. Install the Prismfolio Chrome extension if you haven't already
2. Navigate to your brokerage account (Fidelity, Schwab, or Vanguard for extension extract; other supported brokers via optional Plaid read-only sync - 1 connection on Free, unlimited on Plus)
3. Go to your holdings or positions page
4. Click the Prismfolio extension icon - it will detect and extract your holdings

The extraction takes about 10–15 seconds. Your positions, share counts, and current values are captured and sent to your Prismfolio account when you are signed in.

If you have multiple accounts, repeat for each one (Free tier: up to 3 account slots). Prismfolio consolidates linked accounts into a single view.

Step 2: Open the Fees Page

Once your portfolio is loaded:

1. Sign in at prismfolio.io/login
2. Open Analysis in the web app and select the Fees tab (Fees analysis is included on Free when signed in)
3. Your consolidated holdings load automatically

You'll see the fee summary at the top: total annual fee cost in dollars, weighted average expense ratio, and a comparison to a low-cost index benchmark.

Step 3: Read the Fee Breakdown Table

The core of the Fee Detector is a line-by-line breakdown of every holding:

| Column | What It Shows | |--------|--------------| | Fund/Holding | Name and ticker | | Value | Current market value | | Expense Ratio | Annual fund fee as a % | | Annual Cost | Dollar amount you pay each year for this holding | | Category | Low cost / Moderate / High cost (color-coded) |

Color coding:

• Green (under 0.10%): Low cost - excellent
• Yellow (0.10–0.50%): Moderate - review if alternatives exist
• Red (above 0.50%): High cost - worth a closer look vs lower-cost peers

Sort by "Annual Cost" (descending) to see which holdings are draining the most money.

Step 4: Check the Compound Cost Projection

The compound cost section shows what these fees cost over time using your current portfolio:

• 5-year cost: Total fees paid if you hold as-is for 5 years
• 10-year cost: Total fees over a decade
• 20-year cost: The long-run impact

The projection also shows opportunity cost - what that fee money would have grown to if it had stayed invested. Fees don't just cost what you pay; they cost the growth on what you pay.

Toggle between time horizons using the year buttons at the top of the calculator.

Step 5: Review Common Patterns

The Fee Detector helps you spot patterns. Common findings:

High-cost mutual funds with cheaper ETF alternatives Many actively managed mutual funds charge 0.75–1.5% annually. Broad index ETFs often charge a fraction of that. Whether a switch makes sense depends on your tax situation, account type, and goals - Prismfolio shows the fee math; you decide.

Duplicate holdings at different costs You might own similar index exposure in multiple accounts at different expense ratios. Consolidating or standardizing can reduce cost and complexity.

Target-date funds inside a brokerage Target-date funds make sense in 401(k)s with limited options. Holding them in a taxable brokerage when you have access to lower-cost ETFs may mean paying an unnecessary premium.

Advisor-managed accounts If your account is managed by a robo-advisor or human advisor, their fee may not appear in the expense ratio column - it may show up as a separate advisory or account fee. Check your account documents for this layer.

Step 6: Compare Against the Low-Cost Benchmark

On the Fees page, Prismfolio shows what your portfolio would cost if holdings were replaced with a comparable low-cost index benchmark (shown as an alternative fee total in the compound-cost section).

This is your potential annual savings from lower-cost alternatives - useful context, not a recommendation to trade.

Tips for the Most Accurate Analysis

• Connect all accounts - a fee analysis of only one account is misleading if other accounts hold high-cost funds
• Use extension extract on supported brokerages - 401(k) pages vary; extract what your provider exposes on the holdings screen
• Re-run after changes - when you switch funds or rebalance, update your extraction for a fresh analysis

Fees are one of the few inputs you can control in investing. Sign in at prismfolio.io and open Analysis → Fees - most users find at least one line item worth a closer look.

For research and context. Not investment advice. Independently owned, not a registered investment advisor.