Updated September 5, 2026. Quick answer: Empower’s advisory service (Personal Strategy and Private Client, not its separate retirement-plan recordkeeping business) publishes two tiers on its own site today: Personal Strategy needs $100,000 and charges 0.89% at the $100,000 to $249,999 band; Private Client needs $1,000,000 and charges 0.79% on the first $3 million, declining to 0.49% above $10 million. Both include a dedicated advisor team. Empower’s own figures for its average underlying ETF expense ratio are 0.06% at Personal Strategy and 0.08% at Private Client, on top of the advisory fee. We were not able to confirm from Empower’s own pages exactly which SEC-registered entity is legally responsible for these two consumer products, as distinct from Empower’s separate retirement-plan business, so treat that specific detail as unresolved.
Empower Personal Wealth at a glance
| Fact | What the company’s own pages say |
|---|---|
| Personal Strategy | $100,000 minimum; 0.89% at the $100,000 to $249,999 band (full tiered schedule not shown on the page we read) |
| Private Client | $1,000,000 minimum; 0.79% on the first $3 million, 0.69% on the next $2 million, 0.59% on the next $5 million, 0.49% above $10 million |
| Human advisor access | Included at both tiers; a dedicated team, though the CFP credential itself is not stated on either page |
| Other fees | Average underlying ETF expense ratio 0.06% at Personal Strategy and 0.08% at Private Client (Empower’s own figures), separate from the advisory fee |
The two tiers
Personal Strategy is Empower’s entry advisory tier at a $100,000 minimum; Private Client, at $1 million, layers in a declining fee schedule that rewards larger balances, dropping to under half a percent above $10 million. Both are described as advisor-led, not self-directed, which distinguishes them from a pure robo-advisor at a similar starting balance.
What’s not disclosed
Multiple SEC-registered Empower entities exist, and the pages we read did not clearly state which one is the investment adviser of record for Personal Strategy and Private Client specifically, as opposed to Empower’s separate employer-retirement-plan managed-account business. If the exact legal entity and its Form ADV matter to you, confirm it directly with Empower before opening an account rather than assuming it from the marketing pages.
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Bottom line
A conventional two-tier, human-advisor-led wealth management ladder with a declining fee schedule at higher balances; the legal-entity detail behind the product is worth asking about directly since the public pages don’t settle it.
Sources
- Empower Personal Strategy product page: https://www.empower.com/products-solutions/personal-strategy
- Empower Private Client product page: https://www.empower.com/products-solutions/private-client
Methodology. This page was materially reviewed on September 5, 2026. Figures came directly from the company’s own current pricing pages, Form CRS, or Form ADV brochures where noted, with sources linked inline; any figure we could not independently confirm this session is named as such above rather than presented as verified.
Independent analysis based on the reviewed company’s own published pages, pricing, and SEC filings where applicable, cited inline with the date we read them. We have not used any of these services as a client. Nothing here is personalized financial, tax, or legal advice. Companies did not pay for, review, or influence this content. See our Editorial Policy, Corrections, Affiliate Disclosure, and Disclaimer.
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