Every dollar you've sent home has two stories: what it bought, and what it could have become. This audit reveals both — and shows the true cost of remittance fees over years abroad.
Your remittances
What you pay per transfer
Banks: 3-7%, Wise: 1-2%
Destination currency & exchange rate
Currency of your home country
Enter the exchange rate
S&P 500 historical: ~7-10%
Transfer fees optimized
At 2.5% fees, you're likely using a specialist service. Keep it up.
Significant opportunity cost
If these transfers had been invested at 7%, you'd have 73,382.724 today. Family needs are real — but this is the full picture.
These insights are educational and do not constitute financial advice.
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Understanding the numbers
Remittances are the lifeblood of many families back home — but they come with hidden costs. The average diaspora loses 5-12% of every transfer to combined fees and FX spreads. Over 5+ years, that compounds into thousands of dollars.
This calculator also reveals the "opportunity cost" — what those remittances would be worth today if invested in a diversified portfolio instead of sent home. We're not suggesting you stop sending money home; we're showing you the full picture so you can make informed decisions.
The two perspectives
- What you sent: Total amount transferred, total fees paid, and what those transfers were worth in home currency at the time.
- What if invested: If you'd kept the same amounts in a diversified investment portfolio earning 7% annually, this is what you'd have today. Note: this is hypothetical — family needs are real and not optional.
How to use this number
If your "what if invested" number is much higher than your current net worth, it means your savings rate is being eaten by family obligations. That's not a moral failing — it's reality for most diaspora. But it tells you that to fund your return, you'll need either: higher income, lower family burden, or a longer timeline.