TQQQ's daily reset mechanic delivered just 178% over five years when a true 3x of QQQ's 107% gain should have produced 323%.
QQQ and QQQM offer identical Nasdaq-100 exposure without volatility decay, at expense ratios of 0.20% and 0.15% versus TQQQ's 0.82%.
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If you bought ProShares UltraPro QQQ (NASDAQ:TQQQ) expecting a clean 3x version of the Nasdaq-100, look at the last five years. The index proxy Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ:QQQ) returned 107.69%. Triple that is 323%. TQQQ actually returned 177.7%. That gap, roughly 145 percentage points of missing upside on a rising index, is the hidden cost the fact sheet won't frame for you.
Start with the sticker. TQQQ's expense ratio is 0.82%, both gross and net, as of the March 6, 2026 prospectus. On a $10,000 position, that is $82 a year quietly skimmed off the top. QQQ carries a stated 0.20% expense ratio and QQQM runs at 0.15%. On the same $10,000, that is $20 or $15 a year. Compounded over 20 years, the fee difference alone (before returns) is more than $1,200 per $10,000 versus QQQM, without any leverage math attached.