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 figure for its average underlying ETF expense ratio is 0.08%, 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 approximately 0.08% (Empower’s own figure), 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.
You have read our assessment of Empower Personal Wealth. Here is the one we are paid to refer you to.
Stated outright because it is the only honest framing next to a form: the service below is our partner, not Empower Personal Wealth, and we are paid when you submit it. Comparing both is reasonable. It is free to you, and it is not the only way to find an adviser.
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.
The Kapitalwise form opens here. You stay on this page.
What happens when you press the button
It asks about nine questions, age, investable assets, location, then your name, email and phone number, and verifies the phone by text. Nothing loads and nothing reaches Kapitalwise until you press the button.
Before you sign up, five minutes of your own verification
- Read the figures above against the company’s own current pricing page; prices in this category change without much notice.
- If it’s an investment adviser, look it up free on the SEC’s Investment Adviser Public Disclosure site and read its Form ADV Part 2A fee section and any disclosure events.
- Ask directly how the person or advisor you’d actually work with is compensated, not just the headline company fee.
- Run any percentage fee through the Financial Advisor Fee Calculator and the Fee Drag Calculator to see the dollar cost over time, not just the rate.
- Bring our questions to ask a financial advisor to the first call.
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.