AUM vs flat-fee calculator for advisor fee drag
Model how a percentage-of-assets fee compares with a flat annual fee on your portfolio over 1 to 30 years. Same expected return under both models. Fees reduce the balance each year.
Sum of each year's AUM fee after growth
Sum of the fixed annual fee over the horizon
Positive means the AUM model costs more in fees over this period.
After 10 years of growth and AUM fees
After 10 years of growth and flat fees ($138,356 higher than AUM)
Total fees paid to advisor
Ending value of portfolio
Year-1 break-even balance. At 1% AUM and a $3,600 flat fee, the fees match at about $360,000 of portfolio value in year 1. Above that balance, the AUM fee costs more in year 1 dollars. Below it, the flat fee costs more in year 1 dollars.
Estimates only, not advice. Each year the model applies your expected return, then deducts the AUM percentage or the flat annual fee from that post-return balance. It does not model taxes, contributions, or withdrawals. Your actual costs depend on the advisor's fee schedule and what the fee includes.
When a flat fee tends to cost less as balances grow
The calculator is a starting point. These are the decision points most people check after they run their own numbers.
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Watch the dollar fee as the balance grows
A 1% fee is $5,000 on $500,000 and $25,000 on $2.5 million. Unlike an AUM fee, an Advisor Plan fee is not calculated as a percentage of your balance. If you expect the portfolio to grow, run the calculator at today and at a larger future balance.
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Compare multi-year totals, not only year 1
Year 1 can look close when the balance is near break-even. Over 10 or 20 years, AUM fees often pull ahead in total dollars paid because they scale with growth. The ending-balance tiles show how that fee drag compounds.
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Match the fee model to what you need
Fee drag is one input. Also ask what is included: tax planning and filing, equity or crypto complexity, and whether you want a dedicated CPA and CFP on one team. Pricing and the flat-fee CFP and CPA page spell out Nino's scope.
How AUM and flat fees compare
A percentage-of-assets fee scales with your portfolio. A flat fee does not. On smaller balances an AUM fee can be lower in dollars than a flat retainer. As savings grow, the AUM fee in dollars usually rises while a flat fee stays fixed unless you change plans. This page models that fee drag with the same return assumption under both models so you can see total fees paid and ending balances side by side.
For published plan prices and what each tier includes, see pricing . For how a coordinated CPA and CFP team works under one flat fee, see flat-fee CFP and CPA and tax and financial advisor . For broader context, read how much a financial advisor costs and what a flat-fee financial advisor is .
Ready to talk through fee structure and planning for your household? Book a demo .