facebookIs it normal for the fees for my Endowus portfolio to be different from the rates mentioned? - Seedly

Anonymous

23 Feb 2021

Robo-Advisors

Is it normal for the fees for my Endowus portfolio to be different from the rates mentioned?

I'd recently set up an Endowus account. But the fees that was for my portfolio is 1.04% (0.6% access fee & 0.44% fund-level fees) which is different from the rates mentioned here, is it normal?

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Zac

23 Feb 2021

Noob at Idiots Invest

Endowus charges a tiered access fee as illustrated on their website. A flat fee of 0.4% is charged for CPF. The access fee for cash is 0.6% up to $200k, and then it gets stepped down all the way to 0.25% for AUM in excess of $5M.

The access fee, aka annual management fee, is separate from the fund-level fee, aka the fund management fee. You pay Endowus an access fee for advising you where to put your money. You pay the fund manager a fund-level fee for investing your money.

  • For context, a 0.44% fund level fee is pretty decent considering there is some active management involved (most of their advised portfolios contain at least one or two actively managed funds, for whom fund management fees are supposedly higher by norm).

  • You're probably paying a 0.6% access fee because your total AUM is <$200k.

You might find other digital platforms have marginally cheaper fees. However, understand also that other platforms invest your money in fundamentally different instruments - so it's not an apples to apples comparison. Rather, you need to decide what you want in your portfolio. Fees are important but frankly, they aren't the end-all. Endowus also makes sure that the portfolios they offer are low-cost and efficient.

What's special about Endowus is they rebate this thing called the trailer fee. So if a fund manager pays them a commission to sell you a product, Endowus will arrange for the commission to be refunded to you so effectively, you're only paying the fund management fee.

If you still have queries, drop them an email. I find Endowus is very responsive with client assistance.

Open disclosure: I found all this information from reading Endowus' website because I invest with them.​​​

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