Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated October 3, 2026. Quick answer: Empower Personal Wealth is less expensive at $500,000: $4,450 a year, versus $8,250 a year for Edelman Financial Engines, 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 | Edelman Financial Engines (annual fee) | Empower Personal Wealth (annual fee) |
|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | $4,375 | $2,225 |
| $500,000 | $8,250 | $4,450 |
| $1,000,000 | $13,875 | $7,900 |
| $2,000,000 | $21,375 | $15,800 |
Edelman Financial Engines discloses a tiered schedule starting at 1.75% (Edelman Financial Engines Wrap Fee Brochure (Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C.), Form ADV Part 2A, March 31, 2026); 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
Edelman Financial Engines (Edelman Financial Engines Wrap Fee Brochure (Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C.), Form ADV Part 2A, March 31, 2026): “Client Fee Schedule: $0-400,000, 1.75% on the first $400,000; $400,001-750,000, 1.25% on the next $350,000; $750,001-1,000,000, 1.00% on the next $250,000; $1,000,001-3,000,000, 0.75% on the next $2,000,000; no clients who receive discretionary investment management through the Firm will pay a fee more than the 1.75% annual fee outlined below.”
Fees above $25,000,000 are individually negotiable and not part of the published schedule.
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%”
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. 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. The dollar figures in the table apply the schedule’s rates to each balance.
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, Edelman Financial Engines runs $8,250 a year and Empower Personal Wealth runs $4,450 a year: a difference of $3,800 a year at that balance.
Want the full breakdown for either firm on its own? Read the Edelman Financial Engines 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.
Find the right next step for your situation
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Empower Personal Wealth runs $4,450 a year at $500,000. See what else is available.
If your portfolio is $250,000 or more, this connects you (free, with no obligation to hire anyone) with 2 to 3 vetted advisors.
Before you start, what actually happens. 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. Clear Money Guide is paid when you complete the form, whether or not you ever hire anyone.
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Price the destination before you decide. The matching service below introduces you to advisers who pay to meet you.
Before you start, what actually happens. 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.
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Answer againSources
- Edelman Financial Engines Wrap Fee Brochure (Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C.), Form ADV Part 2A (March 31, 2026): https://www.edelmanfinancialengines.com/content/dam/efe/corporate-brand/Legal-Documents/Wrap_Fee_Brochure.pdf
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. (CRD #104510): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/104510
- 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 October 3, 2026, re-pairing figures already archived and independently verified for Edelman Financial Engines 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.