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Empower vs Vanguard

Empower is a free advanced tools plus hybrid advisory service for people with over $100k in investments. How does it compare to Vanguard? Read our comparison chart below.

Empower offers free advanced financial tools and paid wealth management services.

While Vanguard offers $0 commission on stock and ETF online trades, $0 commission on Vanguard mutual funds, and no minimum deposit.

Compare Empower with Vanguard, side-by-side. Read on for an in-depth look, including ratings, reviews, pros and cons.

 Empower
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Empower

Vanguard

SPECIAL OFFER
Free Money Management Tools - Learn More

Read Empower Review

Norton Internet Security 60-day free subscription - Learn More

Read Vanguard Review

 

Benefits and Features

Stock Trading 
$0
Options Trading $0 + $1-per-contract fee. Discounts available if you have more than $1 million assets invested in Vanguard ETFs and mutual funds
Annual Fee0.89% for first $1 million, 0.79% for first $3 million, next $2 million 0.69%, next $5 million, 0.59%, and 0.49% over $10 million 
Minimum Deposit
$100,000
$0
Mutual Fund Trading 
$0 for Vanguard mutual funds
Commission Free ETFs Around 1,800 ETFs from about 100 other companies
Phone Support
Yes
 
Live Chat Support
No
 
Email Support
Yes
 
Human Advisors
Yes
 
Robo Advisor
Check
 
Assets Under Management
$1.2 trillion
 
Tax Loss Harvesting
Yes
 
Goal Tracker
Yes
 
Automatic Deposits
Yes
 
Broker Assisted Trades 
$25.00
Inactivity Fee 
$0
Maintenance Fee $20/year. Waived if account owner signs up for e-delivery service OR have at least $10,000 in Vanguard ETFs and mutual funds
Online Platform
Yes
 
iPhone App
Yes
 
Android App
Yes
 
Banking 
No
Mobile App
Yes
Yes
Desktop App 
Yes
Forex Trading 
Yes
Futures Trading 
No
Customer Service 
Monday-Friday 8am -10pm ET
Locations 
No
Online Community 
No
Seminars 
Yes
Virtual Trading 
No
Investment Tracking
Check
 
Single Stock Diversification
Yes
 
Fractional Shares
No
 
Taxable Accounts
Yes
 
401k Plans
Yes
 
IRA Accounts
Yes
 
Roth IRA Accounts
Yes
 
SEP IRA Accounts
Yes
 
Trust Accounts
Yes
 
529 Plans
Yes
 
 

CreditDonkey® Reviews

 Empower
Human AdvisorsStarStarStarStarStar
Robo AdvisorStarStarStarEmpty StarEmpty Star
PriceStarStarStarStarStar
Goal TrackerStarStarStarStarStar
BudgetingStarStarStarEmpty StarEmpty Star
Customer ServiceStarStarStarStarStar
Ease of UseStarStarStarStarStarStarStarStarStarStar
Investment TrackingStarStarStarStarStar
Retirement PlanningStarStarStarStarStar
Stock TradingStarStarStarEmpty StarEmpty Star
Options TradingStarStarStarStarEmpty Star
Mutual Fund TradingStarStarStarStarStar
Mobile AppStarStarStarEmpty StarEmpty Star
Commissions and FeesStarStarStarStarEmpty Star
ResearchStarStarStarHalf StarEmpty Star
Pros & ConsPros:
  • Retirement planner
  • Free portfolio advice
  • Robo plus human advisors
Cons:
  • $100,000 min for advisory service
  • Higher fees than competitors
Pros:
  • Large selection of mutual funds and commission-free ETFs
  • Broker assistance is available at no additional cost
  • Easy to use
Cons:
  • Commission structure penalizes frequent traders
  • Customer service wait times
  • Commission costs on non-Vanguard investment options
Bottom LineFree advanced tools plus hybrid advisory service for people with over $100k in investments... Read full reviewGood choice for ETF and mutual fund investors interested in Vanguard-sponsored investments... Read full review
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Blank fields may indicate the information is not available, not applicable, or not known to CreditDonkey. Please visit the product website for details.

Empower: Pricing information from published website as of 04/30/2020

Vanguard: Pricing information from published websites as of 10/17/2023.

Empower: Empower Personal Wealth, LLC (“EPW”) compensates CREDITDONKEY INC for new leads. CREDITDONKEY INC is not an investment client of Personal Capital Advisors Corporation or Empower Advisory Group, LLC.

Empower

Empower Personal Cash

  • 4.70% APY
  • $0 monthly fee
  • Withdraw up to $100k per day
Funds placed in the Empower Personal Cash Program are FDIC insured by program banks up to an aggregate of $5,000,000. (up to $10 million for joint accounts)

Which is Better: Empower or Vanguard?

Still need help deciding which investing is better? Read the in-depth reviews below. You may also be interested in comparing Empower or Robinhood.


Articles on Empower

Empower Review

Empower offers wealth management services and free financial tools. But is it legit? Find out if this robo advisory service is right for you.

Is Empower Safe

Empower offers free budgeting tools. But is it safe to link all your financial accounts? Learn just how secure Empower is.

Empower vs Quicken

Quicken is the oldest name in personal finance software, while Empower is newer and offers advanced tools for free. Read on to see if it's a good alternative to Quicken.

Empower vs Mint

Empower and Mint are popular money management apps. Read this review to find out how they compare and which one is better for you.

Articles on Vanguard

Vanguard Review

Vanguard Brokerage may be a full-service broker, but typically long-term investors preferring ETFs and mutual funds see the greatest return on their investment with them.

Which Do You Think is Best?





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Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed on this page are those of the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer.

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