Fees Impact on Investment: Watch Out!

Why I Made This

When I started investing, I focused on returns. Which ETF performed better, which stock had more upside. What I completely ignored was the other side of the equation: fees. Management fees, transaction costs, spreads, custody charges, performance fees, TER (Total Expense Ratio), broker fees, advisory costs. They all compound against you over time.

A 1% annual fee doesn't sound like much. But run the numbers over 20 years and it can eat more than 18% of your total portfolio value.

So I put together a model that breaks down how different fee structures actually impact your wealth over time. No theory, just numbers you can play with.

Open the Spreadsheet

→ View the spreadsheet on Google Sheets

The spreadsheet is read-only. If you want your own copy to play with, click File → Make a copy inside Google Sheets.