Enter a starting amount, monthly deposit, years, expected return, and expense ratio. The calculator compares a no-fee illustration with an after-fee illustration so the cost is easy to see.
What this calculator can tell you
A calculator can show the relationship between time, deposits, returns, and fees. It cannot predict what a fund will earn. Markets do not deliver the same return every month, and a fund’s past result does not promise its future result.
The expense ratio is taken from fund assets. You do not normally receive a separate bill. This calculator subtracts the expense ratio from the assumed yearly return as a simple estimate. Real fund costs and returns do not arrive in such a smooth line.
Mutual fund growth and fee calculator
Use any reasonable dollar amount. We do not cap your balance just to make the form tidy.
You put in $175,000. The rest of this smooth illustration comes from the return assumption.
Assumptions: deposits happen monthly; the return is smooth; the expense ratio is subtracted from the return; and taxes, inflation, sales loads, trading costs, account fees, and advisor fees are not included. Real investments rise and fall.
A useful way to test it
Start with $25,000, add $500 a month for 25 years, and assume a 6% return before fund costs. Compare a 0.10% expense ratio with a 1.00% ratio. The gap is not only the fee taken each year. It also includes growth that the fee money never gets to earn.
Change one input at a time. First compare expense ratios. Then change the monthly deposit or number of years. This makes it easier to see which choice moves the result and by how much.
Assumptions and limits
The result is in future dollars and does not remove inflation or taxes. It also does not include sales loads, trading costs, adviser fees, or account fees.
A low cost does not make a fund safe or suitable. Check what it owns, how much risk it takes, and whether it fits your goal.
Three questions to carry forward
- Which return is a cautious planning assumption?
- What does the expense ratio cost over my full time period?
- Are there other fees outside the fund?
Quick answers
Does this calculator predict my mutual fund return?
No. It is an illustration using a smooth return you choose. Actual returns move up and down and can be negative.
Does the calculator include every fee?
No. It models the expense ratio only. Sales loads, trading costs, adviser fees, account fees, and taxes are outside the result.
Checked against primary sources
This explanation was checked against the sources below. Rules and limits can change, so check the source before making a decision.
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