Direct vs Regular Mutual Fund

How much the distributor commission costs you over time.

Monthly SIP

₹

₹0₹5 L

Lumpsum invested today

₹

₹0₹5 Cr

Fund return before costs (p.a.)

1%25%

Direct plan expense ratio

0%2.5%

Regular plan expense ratio

0%3%

Time period

yrs

1 yr40 yrs

Total invested: ₹24,00,000
Direct plan value: ₹1,05,50,095
Regular plan value: ₹92,15,172
Lost to commission: ₹13,34,924
Share of final corpus: 12.65%

How it works

Regular plans pay a trail commission to the distributor, so their expense ratio is usually 0.5–1.5% higher than the direct plan of the same fund. The portfolio is identical — only the cost differs, and it compounds against you every year.

For education only. Returns are assumptions, not guarantees.

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