The Investment Fee Calculator from Edward Jones Investments shows how much a higher annual fee costs you in dollars over the years you choose, compared with a lower one on the same portfolio.
Enter your portfolio value, two fee levels, a return before fees and a number of years. The result is an illustration with a steady return, not a forecast, and real markets won't move in a straight line.
How the investment fee calculator works
The calculator grows your balance twice. One run uses your return minus the higher fee, the other uses your return minus the lower fee. The gap between the two ending balances is what the higher fee costs you.
Take a hypothetical engineer with $1,500,000 earning 6% before fees. At a 1.25% fee the balance grows at 4.75% a year, and at 0.5% it grows at 5.5%. After 25 years that is $4,785,662 versus $5,720,089, a difference of $934,426.
Notice that the cost isn't linear. The gap is $52,280 after 4 years but passes $581,985 by year 20, because every dollar of fee also loses the growth it would have earned.
| After years | Balance at higher fee | At lower fee | You keep extra |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | $1,805,957 | $1,858,237 | $52,280 |
| 8 | $2,174,320 | $2,302,030 | $127,710 |
| 12 | $2,617,819 | $2,851,811 | $233,992 |
| 16 | $3,151,779 | $3,532,894 | $381,115 |
| 20 | $3,794,651 | $4,376,636 | $581,985 |
| 24 | $4,568,651 | $5,421,885 | $853,233 |
| 25 | $4,785,662 | $5,720,089 | $934,426 |
What does a worrying result look like for RSU and ESPP holders?
A worrying result is a gap above roughly 10% of your starting balance within 10 years. On $1,500,000 that is $150,000. If you see that, your total costs are probably stacked: fund expenses, an advisory fee and a platform charge.
Here is a quick test. Run the calculator on the diversified part of your portfolio only, then run it again with your vested shares included. If the fee gap is small next to the swing a 30% drop in one stock would cause, fees are not your biggest problem.
If more than a fifth of your net worth sits in one stock, diversification usually comes before fee shopping. A lower fee on a portfolio that can lose a third of its value in a bad year is a small win.
What the calculator leaves out, and how a spending playbook fills it in
The calculator assumes one steady return and no taxes. It also assumes you add and withdraw nothing. Your real life has none of those traits.
Edward Jones Investments starts from risk capacity: how much the portfolio can afford to lose is set by what you plan to spend, not by a questionnaire about how brave you feel. We write that into a playbook, then price the fees against it.
Before Edward Jones Investments suggests selling company stock to cut concentration, it estimates the tax from each sale. A lower fee never justifies a sale that triggers a bigger tax bill. The fee is talked through openly in the first conversation and confirmed in writing before work begins.
The calculator leaves these out:
- Taxes on selling vested RSUs or exercising options
- Market swings and the order of good and bad years
- Withdrawals, new contributions and ESPP purchases
- Fund costs that differ across holdings
Check the fee you type in
Entering only the advisor's fee is the input error that skews results most. Fund expense ratios sit on top. A 0.5% advisory fee plus a 0.6% fund cost is a 1.1% total, so typing 0.5% understates the cost by more than half.
Look at your statements or fund fact sheets, add the numbers, and enter the sum.
Your questions about Edward Jones Investments, answered
How much does a 0.75% fee difference cost over 25 years?
A fee difference of 0.75 percentage points a year on $1,500,000 costs $934,426 over 25 years in the page's illustration, assuming 6% before fees. Your number will differ with balance, return and years. Run your own inputs, and treat the answer as an illustration, not a forecast.
Which fee number should I enter for my own portfolio?
Enter the annual percentage your current fund and advisory costs add up to, not just the advisor's line. Include fund expense ratios and any platform charge. Your statements or the fund's prospectus list them. If you can't find one, use your best estimate and rerun the calculator with a slightly higher figure.
Does the investment fee calculator predict my future balance?
No. The calculator uses one steady return and no taxes, so it can't show what happens in a down year or a taxable sale. Real returns vary, and every investment carries the risk of loss, including the money originally invested. Use the output to compare fee levels, not to predict a balance.
Should I include my company stock in the portfolio value?
Enter only the value you'd actually hold in diversified investments, and run a second case with the whole amount including company stock. Fees on a concentrated position are usually low, but the single-stock risk is not. The calculator measures cost, so it won't show that risk.
Is the calculator free to use without an account?
Yes. The calculator is free, needs no sign-up and doesn't ask for account numbers. It runs on the numbers you type in the form. If you want a person to check your inputs, use the request form and Edward Jones Investments will set up a video or phone meeting.
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This material is general information only and does not address any individual's investment, tax or legal situation. Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. Before acting on any information here, speak with a financial advisor, tax professional or attorney about your circumstances.