Case 1
- Starting capital
- 100000
- Assumed gross annual return
- 4%
- Whole years
- 20
- Annual fee A
- 0.25%
- Annual fee B
- 1%
29,199.55
- Ending balance A
- 208,413.03
- Ending balance B
- 179,213.48
- Modeled cash fees A
- 7,536.73
- Modeled cash fees B
- 27,831.76
Investment Fee Calculator
Change any value to update the result.
29,199.55currency
Ending balance difference: A − B: 29,199.55 currencyEnding balance A: 208,413.03 ; Ending balance B: 179,213.48 ; Modeled cash fees A: 7,536.73 ; Modeled cash fees B: 27,831.76
- Ending balance A
- 208,413.03
- Ending balance B
- 179,213.48
- Modeled cash fees A
- 7,536.73
- Modeled cash fees B
- 27,831.76
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Examples
Compare fees A and B with the same capital, gross return and whole-year horizon. Each year grows first, then pays the fee on that balance. The main result is A minus B; the balance gap also includes later growth effects and differs from cash fees.
The numbers at a glance
Held fixed: Starting capital 100,000.00 currency, Assumed gross annual return 4.00 %, Whole years 20, Annual fee A 0.25 %.
| Annual fee B (%) | Ending balance difference: A − B |
|---|---|
| 0.00 | -10,699.28 |
| 0.25 | 0.00 |
| 0.50 | 10,201.74 |
| 0.75 | 19,927.90 |
| 1.00Your value | 29,199.55 |
| 1.25 | 38,036.85 |
| 1.50 | 46,459.14 |
| 1.75 | 54,484.91 |
| 2.00 | 62,131.90 |
Worked examples
Case 2
- Starting capital
- 100000
- Assumed gross annual return
- 4%
- Whole years
- 20
- Annual fee A
- 0.5%
- Annual fee B
- 1%
18,997.81
- Ending balance A
- 198,211.30
- Ending balance B
- 179,213.48
- Modeled cash fees A
- 14,675.25
- Modeled cash fees B
- 27,831.76
Case 3
- Starting capital
- 1000
- Assumed gross annual return
- 10%
- Whole years
- 1
- Annual fee A
- 1%
- Annual fee B
- 0%
-11.00
- Ending balance A
- 1,089.00
- Ending balance B
- 1,100.00
- Modeled cash fees A
- 11.00
- Modeled cash fees B
- 0.00
How it's calculated
balance[k] = balance[k−1] × (1 + gross return/100) × (1 − fee/100); difference = A − B
- StepEnter one starting amount and an assumed return before the modeled fees.Starting capital=100,000currency·Assumed gross annual return=4%
- StepChoose whole years and annual percentage fees A and B.Whole years=20
- StepCompare both ending balances and A minus B, keeping the scenario order.
- ResultRead cash fees separately: lost ending wealth also includes later growth effects.29,199.55currency
Each year applies gross growth, then a fee on the resulting balance, without intermediate rounding.
No contributions, withdrawals, taxes or currency conversion; both scenarios start with the same capital.
What this number means
Each year grows the existing balance by the assumed gross return and charges the fee on the resulting amount. No contributions or withdrawals occur. For a synthetic one-year example, 1,000 at 10% grows to 1,100; a 1% fee costs 11 and leaves 1,089.
Enter gross return before these fees, so an already-net return does not subtract the same charge twice. Negative returns down to −100% are allowed. At zero years, both balances equal starting capital and fees are zero.
The SEC publishes approximate balances of 208,000, 198,000 and 179,000 for a hypothetical 100,000 investment at 4% over 20 years with fees of 0.25%, 0.50% and 1%. Its illustration does not specify fee timing. Our annual convention is explicit; it is neither daily expense-ratio accounting nor a forecast. Both scenarios use the same currency, without taxes or conversion.
Questions
Is the balance gap the cash fee total?
No. Charges also change the capital available for later growth; the page shows cash fees separately.
What does a negative difference mean?
Scenario A ends below scenario B. The calculator always keeps your A/B ordering.
Does this model a fund's actual expense ratio?
It models one fee after each year's gross growth. Daily accrual, changing returns, taxes and contributions are outside this convention.
Sources and last check
- SEC Investor.gov: Understanding FeesInterpretation
Information, not financial advice.