Small fees are a big deal and also mostly a distraction. Both true. The fee is the one guaranteed negative return, so respect it, but it is not the total cost.
- SPLG 0.02%, VOO and IVV 0.03%, SPY 0.09%: on a big portfolio over decades, that gap is tens of thousands - Tracking difference, spreads, and securities lending move the real number too - A 0.03% fund that tracks tightly can beat a 0.02% fund that tracks sloppily - Rule of thumb: under 0.10% for core index exposure; above 0.50% is guilty until proven innocent - The fee is invisible, never billed, quietly shaving returns; that is why it compounds so destructively
Overlap ($4.99 one-time) lines up expense ratios and long-term cost across 108 funds, side by side.