Week 51 Day 4: Paying Too Much in Fees: The 1% That Costs You Millions

The difference between a 0.03% expense ratio index fund and a 1.0% actively managed fund seems small. Over 30 years on a $500,000 portfolio earning 8%, the index fund grows to $4,660,000. The active f...

The difference between a 0.03% expense ratio index fund and a 1.0% actively managed fund seems small. Over 30 years on a $500,000 portfolio earning 8%, the index fund grows to $4,660,000. The active fund grows to $3,745,000. That 0.97% fee difference costs you $915,000 -- nearly a million dollars. Fees are the single most reliable predictor of future fund performance: lower fees mean higher returns.