Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated September 18, 2026. Quick answer: Empower Personal Wealth is less expensive at $500,000: $4,450 a year, versus $12,500 a year for Carson Wealth, computed from each firm’s own SEC-filed fee disclosure. See the full side-by-side table below for $250,000, $1 million and $2 million.
What each firm charges, side by side
| Account balance | Carson Wealth (annual fee) | Empower Personal Wealth (annual fee) |
|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | $6,250 | $2,225 |
| $500,000 | $12,500 | $4,450 |
| $1,000,000 | $25,000 | $7,900 |
| $2,000,000 | $50,000 | $15,800 |
Carson Wealth discloses a maximum, individually negotiated rate of 2.5% (CWM, LLC Form ADV Part 2A Brochure, December 2025); Empower Personal Wealth discloses a tiered schedule starting at 0.89% (Empower Advisory Group Personal Strategy(R) Wrap Fee Program Brochure (Form ADV Part 2A / Appendix 1), 2026-05-15).
What the fee includes, in each firm’s own words
Carson Wealth (CWM, LLC Form ADV Part 2A Brochure, December 2025): “The annual investment advisory fee charged range up to a maximum of 2.50% of the assets held in the account.”
CWM, LLC (the SEC-registered adviser behind the Carson Wealth brand) discloses a single ceiling rate of 2.50% per year rather than a dollar-breakpoint table. Fees are individually negotiated based on advisor, account size, complexity, and other factors, and are typically lower than the ceiling for larger accounts. The dollar figures apply the disclosed 2.50% maximum as a flat rate to each balance (balance x 0.025), which represents a worst-case/ceiling estimate, not a guaranteed quote.
Empower Personal Wealth (Empower Advisory Group Personal Strategy(R) Wrap Fee Program Brochure (Form ADV Part 2A / Appendix 1), 2026-05-15): “On an annualized basis, EAG bases its Advisory Services fee on the following schedule calculated as a percentage of the total AUM: Investment Services Clients ($100,000 – $249,999 total AUM) 0.89% Wealth Management Clients ($250,000 – $999,999 total AUM) 0.89% Private Clients ($1 million or more total AUM) tiered structure $3MM or less AUM 0.79% On only the next $2MM AUM 0.69% On only the next $5MM AUM 0.59% On only the AUM over $10MM 0.49%”
Below $1,000,000 AUM, the whole balance is charged a flat 0.89% (identical rate for both the $100k-$249,999 and $250k-$999,999 bands, so $250,000 x 0.0089 = $2,225 and $500,000 x 0.0089 = $4,450). At $1,000,000 or more (‘Private Clients’), the schedule becomes marginal/tiered starting fresh at 0.79% for the first $3,000,000 of AUM (not just the amount above $1M) – the brochure’s own worked example for a $7.5M account confirms this marginal, first-$3M/next-$2M/next-$5M/over-$10M structure. So $1,000,000 x 0.0079 = $7,900 and, since $2,000,000 is still within the first-$3,000,000 tier, $2,000,000 x 0.0079 = $15,800. Note this creates a real disclosed rate drop right at the $1,000,000 breakpoint (0.89% below, 0.79% at/above), which is why the $1M and $2M dollar figures are proportionally lower relative to rate than the $250k/$500k figures. Entity is the successor to Personal Capital Advisors Corporation (SEC-registration terminated 2023-04-11 on a corp-to-LLC conversion); confirmed via Empower’s own site (empower.com/products-solutions/wealth-management, which names Empower Advisory Group, LLC as the RIA) and Empower’s own published one-page fee schedule (docs.empower.com/PDF/p/misc/management_fee.pdf), both of which restate this identical 0.89%/0.79%/0.69%/0.59%/0.49% schedule.
How this compares
Our benchmark of published adviser fee schedules puts the weighted median annual cost near $2,000 to $2,500 on $250,000 (the benchmark). At $500,000, Carson Wealth runs $12,500 a year and Empower Personal Wealth runs $4,450 a year: a difference of $8,050 a year at that balance.
Want the full breakdown for either firm on its own? Read the Carson Wealth fee page or the Empower Personal Wealth fee page for the complete tier table and source citations.
Comparing these two against a full move? Read the general mechanics of switching financial advisors, or use a dated termination letter once you decide.
Compare your next step
Just comparing fees? Keep reading the fee guide.Optional next step
Explore an adviser match
Compare the services and the full fee before deciding whether to hire anyone.
- No fee to request a match
- No obligation to hire
Expect questions about your situation, your name, email and phone, and phone verification by text. A match is not guaranteed.
The form is run by Kapitalwise, our advisor-matching partner. Kapitalwise sends your details to advisers who pay for the introduction, so expect calls and texts. Clear Money Guide is paid when you submit the form, whether or not you ever hire anyone. This is free to you and there is no obligation to hire anyone.
Opens here. Nothing loads and nothing reaches Kapitalwise until you press the button.
How our partner relationships workCompare an adviser match before you decide
Ask about the full fee, what it covers and how the adviser is paid. A match is an introduction, not a recommendation from Clear Money Guide.
- Free matching service
- No obligation to hire
The matching service is run by WiserAdvisor, an independent advisor-matching company. It opens on their site, asks for your ZIP code and a few questions, and matches you with 2 to 3 vetted advisors. It is free to you. WiserAdvisor states the service is built for portfolios of $250,000 and above. By submitting, you consent to emails, phone calls and text messages from WiserAdvisor and up to three advisors, so expect to be contacted. Advisers pay for the introduction. Clear Money Guide is paid when you complete the form, whether or not you ever hire anyone. There is no obligation to hire anyone.
Continue to WiserAdvisorOpens on WiserAdvisor’s site in a new tab.
Source: WiserAdvisor’s service descriptionSources
- CWM, LLC Form ADV Part 2A Brochure (December 2025): https://carsonhub.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/CWM-LLC-ADV-Part-2A-December-2025.pdf
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, CWM, LLC (CRD #155344): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/155344
- Empower Advisory Group Personal Strategy(R) Wrap Fee Program Brochure (Form ADV Part 2A / Appendix 1) (2026-05-15): https://files.adviserinfo.sec.gov/IAPD/Content/Common/crd_iapd_Brochure.aspx?BRCHR_VRSN_ID=1045311
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Empower Advisory Group, LLC (CRD #112058): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/112058
Methodology. This page was built September 18, 2026, re-pairing figures already archived and independently verified for Carson Wealth and Empower Personal Wealth from each firm’s own SEC-filed disclosure; sources linked above. Nothing here is personalized financial, tax, legal, or investment advice. See our Editorial Policy, Corrections, Affiliate Disclosure, and Disclaimer.
Already with Carson Wealth and weighing a move? How to leave Carson Wealth covers what it costs to transfer out.