Cost truth calculator

Fees are the one part of investing you can actually control. Put your own numbers in and see what they add up to. Most people are surprised — that's rather the point.

Your numbers

How much you're investing £

The amount sitting in the account.

Platform charge % a year

What the broker charges yearly for holding it.

Flat platform charge £ a year

Some providers charge a fixed amount instead.

Dealing fee £ per trade

Charged each time you buy or sell.

Buys and sells a year trades

Be honest about how much you'll fiddle.

Fund / ETF ongoing charge % a year

Taken quietly out of the fund.

Buy/sell spread % per buy

The gap between buying and selling price.

Currency conversion % per buy

Only for things priced in another currency.

This is a UK share purchase (0.5% stamp duty)Funds and most ETFs are exempt, so leave this off for those.

Over 1 year£43.00about 4.3% of what you put in

Over 5 years£215.00about 21.5% of what you put in

Over 10 years£430.00about 43.0% of what you put in

Where it goes, in year one

Platform charge
Charged every year just for holding your investments.
£2.50
Dealing fees
6 buys and sells at 5.00 each.
£30.00
Fund / ETF ongoing charge
Taken quietly out of the fund value, so you never see a bill.
£1.50
Stamp duty
Not applied — funds and most ETFs are exempt.
£0.00
Buy/sell spread
The gap between the buying and selling price, paid every time you buy.
£9.00
Currency conversion
Only when you buy something priced in another currency.
£0.00

These are estimates only, worked out from the numbers you typed. Real charges differ between providers and change over time — always check the provider's own fee page before you decide anything. The projection assumes your pot and your habits stay roughly the same, which they won't. It is a sense of scale, not a prediction.