Retirement Savings Erosion Calculator
This calculator shows not just the dollars lost to fees, but the share of your final retirement balance that fees quietly erode over a career — often a surprisingly large slice of what should have been yours.
Is your 401(k) quietly costing you money?
Most people have no idea what their workplace retirement plan charges them — or how much it quietly adds up to over the years. These free tools spell it out in plain English. No jargon, no cost, and nothing you need to look up.
Retirement Savings Erosion Calculator
Fees don't feel like much year to year — that's exactly why they're so costly. This flips the dollars into something clearer: the share of your entire retirement nest egg that quietly disappears to fees over a career. It's often a bigger slice than people imagine. No numbers to look up — typical ones are pre-filled.
When you see it as a percentage of everything you've saved, the cost of high fees gets real. If that share looks steep, it's worth a free, no-pressure look.
Worried by what you see? Talk to an attorney — free.
You don't have to understand any of this. If these numbers look off, a free, confidential review will tell you in plain English whether your employer's plan may owe you money. You pay nothing unless money is recovered, and your employer is never contacted without your okay.
A quick note. These tools give rough, illustrative estimates based only on what you enter and on simple assumptions (steady yearly growth, no taxes). They are not financial or legal advice, not a prediction of any outcome, and they don't prove that anyone did anything wrong or that any money can be recovered. Any actual recovery is decided by a court and depends on facts these tools can't capture. Using this tool doesn't make us your lawyers, and prior results don't guarantee a similar outcome. Attorney Advertising.
How to read your result
- The result is expressed as a percentage of your final retirement balance.
- Even modest annual fee differences erode double-digit percentages over a career.
- Erosion is a useful framing for a free review — it puts a number on a quiet drag.
Common reasons plans get reviewed
If your result looks concerning, these are the practice areas that most often line up with what this tool measures.
Frequently asked questions
Does this tool cost anything?
No. It's free, anonymous, and there's no obligation. You don't have to share your contact info to use it.
Is this a guarantee of how much I can recover?
No. It's an illustrative estimate, not legal advice or a prediction of any individual outcome. Actual results in ERISA cases depend on the facts of the plan and the court.
What should I do if my result looks concerning?
Request a free, confidential case review. An ERISA attorney will tell you honestly whether your situation looks like a case.
How are the figures calculated?
Using transparent, illustrative formulas — compounding projections, published fee benchmarks, or weighted self-assessment scoring. The component shows its assumptions inline.
Is 20% erosion really plausible from fees alone?
Yes. Over a 30- to 40-year career, even a 1% annual fee gap commonly erodes 20%+ of final value due to compounding.
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All calculators →Was your 401K plan named in a lawsuit?
A licensed ERISA attorney from ERLG will respond within one business day. Confidential. No cost to consult.
- Speak directly with an ERISA attorney.
- Contingency representation — no fee unless we recover.
- Confidential. Your employer is never contacted without your consent.
A few quick questions — no legal or financial know-how needed. We'll give you an honest read on whether your situation is worth a closer look.
What kind of retirement plan do you have through work?
Don't worry if you're not sure — just pick the closest one.