Free tool
The 30-Year Fee Audit
Enter your portfolio balance and expense ratio. We'll show you exactly how much the fee will cost you in dollars - over 10, 20, and 30 years - assuming a 7% annual return before fees.
For research and context only - not investment advice.
Find this in your fund's prospectus or factsheet
You pay per year
$1,875
Lost over 10 years
$33,404
Lost over 30 years
$362,044
| Year | Cost of fee | With fee | Without fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | $1,875 | $265,625 | $267,500 |
| Year 5 | $12,118 | $338,520 | $350,638 |
| Year 10 | $33,404 | $458,384 | $491,788 |
| Year 20 | $126,958 | $840,463 | $967,421 |
| Year 30 | $362,044 | $1,541,020 | $1,903,064 |
Why the 30-year number is the one that matters
A 0.75% expense ratio sounds small. But because fees are charged on your total balance, not just your gains - they compound against you every year. The fund charges you when you're up. And when you're down. And the money that leaves as fees can no longer compound for you.
A low-cost index fund charging 0.03% and an actively managed fund charging 0.75% have a 0.72% annual difference. On a $250K portfolio over 30 years, that difference compounds to roughly $345,000 in forfeited wealth - whether or not the active fund ever outperforms.
Methodology: Assumes a constant 7% nominal annual return before fees. Fees are subtracted from the return each year. No contributions or withdrawals modeled. This is illustrative - actual results depend on return variability, tax treatment, and holding period.
See the exact fees in your real portfolio
The Prismfolio extension reads your expense ratios directly from your brokerage's positions page - no manual entry, no CSV exports, no sharing credentials.