How It Works
Four simple steps to find out whether your funds are really worth what they cost.
The four steps
Entering your portfolio
An account is needed to keep the analysis. Enter the ISIN codes of your funds with the amounts invested: the included portfolio takes 2, enough to see what judgement comes out and how it is argued before you bring the rest; a paid one goes up to 25. It takes under 5 minutes and no banking details are needed.
Automatic analysis
We analyse each fund on three dimensions: information transparency, cost structure and return net of fees, comparing it with its stated benchmark and with equivalent ETFs.
Receive the judgement
Each fund receives a clear judgement — Worth it, Replaceable, Expensive, NCA, Limited info — together with an estimate of the potential saving.
Get the report
Unlock the full report: for each fund, the category of replacement ETFs, the annual saving and the long-term projection of that saving.
The three dimensions of the analysis
Step 02 assesses every fund on three dimensions. They are the same three for every fund, and they are what determines the judgement.
Transparency
Two distinct planes: whether the issuer publishes the documents on its own site, and whether those documents contain what is needed to judge.
Costs
The TER — the annual recurring cost the fund states — set against that of equivalent ETFs.
Return
Return net of fees, compared with the stated benchmark and with equivalent ETFs.
The judgements
The three dimensions produce one judgement per fund.
Keep it
An equivalent ETF exists
Costs too much for what it gives
Not classifiable
Not enough data
This is what your analysis looks like
Illustrative example — a €50,000 portfolio in two funds
Positions
| Fund | Amount | TER | Cost/year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equity fund | €25.000 | 2,10% | €525 |
| Bond fund | €25.000 | 1,10% | €275 |
Assumptions: €50,000 initial capital, 4% gross annual return, 30 years, fund TER 1.60% against 0.14% for the ETFs. Illustrative projection, not a forecast.
Net of the 26% tax on the gain: €88.370 with the funds, €128.253 with the ETFs, a difference of €39.882.
The gap does not depend on how markets perform: it depends on costs. Lowering the assumption from 6% to 4% cuts the difference in euros sharply, yet the advantage over the funds stays the same, around 52%.
Real returns vary and are not guaranteed.
Data & transparency
Value for Money has no commercial relationships with fund managers, banks or insurance companies. Our analyses are produced exclusively in the interest of investors, without commissions or incentives from third parties.
What is included and what it costs
The first portfolio is not paid for and takes 2 instruments, enough to see the method applied to funds of your own: you get the judgement on each and the savings estimate. From the second portfolio, and for the full report, payment is made in advance: €150 per portfolio, up to 25 instruments.
- A judgement on every fund in the portfolio.
- The category of replacement ETFs, where an equivalent exists.
- The cost comparison and the estimated annual saving.
- The long-term projection of that saving.
It is not personalised financial advice and does not account for your situation, goals or time horizon. It does not tell you whether to sell: it tells you what you are paying and whether an equivalent product costs less.
Ready to start?
Find out whether your funds truly create value or whether you are overpaying.
Start analysis