What does Ellevest Wealth Management do?
Ellevest Wealth Management provides advisor-led wealth management and financial planning for individuals, families and institutions with at least $500,000 to invest.
The service is mainly around women-centered financial planning, discretionary portfolio management and values-aligned investing where appropriate.
Ellevest’s wealth management process starts with information about the client’s goals, risk capacity, investment time horizon, liquidity needs and other financial details. If the client accepts the investment plan, Ellevest manages assets on a discretionary basis, subject to client-imposed limits.
Portfolios may include stocks, bonds, municipal securities, government securities, cash, mutual funds, ETFs, private non-traded funds and alternatives, where suitable.
Ellevest is an SEC-registered investment adviser founded in November 2014. The firm is led by CEO Dr. Sylvia Kwan and managed $1.13 billion on a discretionary basis as of December 31, 2025.
Key service:
- Financial planning support: Wealth management clients may receive planning guidance including
- Cash flow
- Retirement
- Education funding
- Employee benefits and related planning questions.
- Personal wealth management: A service for individual investors that combines discretionary portfolio management, financial planning support and ongoing advisor guidance.
- Private wealth management: A higher-net-worth service with a stated $1 million minimum, broader customization and possible access to alternative investments where suitable.
- Comprehensive financial planning: A separate one-year planning engagement with a CFP professional, including a personalized written plan.
- Sub-advisory services: For private wealth management clients, Ellevest may recommend and oversee unaffiliated sub-advisers where appropriate
- Donor-advised fund management: Eligible clients may designate Ellevest to manage Schwab Charitable donor-advised fund assets.
Investment philosophy:
Ellevest’s investment philosophy is strategic rather than market-timing based. The firm focuses on diversification, reducing costs where possible, tax awareness, goals-based investing, top-down asset allocation and a total-portfolio view.
What are the pros and cons of Ellevest Wealth Management?
Here is a look at the pros and cons of Ellevest Wealth Management.
Pros of Ellevest Wealth Management:
- Dedicated advisory team: Clients work with an advisor, client services team and investments team, with regular communication and at least an annual review.
- Integrated planning: Wealth management clients receive portfolio management and financial planning support as part of the advisory relationship.
- Values-aligned investing: Ellevest can incorporate impact preferences, including investments aligned with women-focused or other social priorities.
- Customized portfolios: Ellevest builds investment plans based on each client’s goals, risk capacity, investment time horizon, liquidity needs and other relevant financial details.
Cons of Ellevest Wealth Management:
- High account minimums: Personal Wealth Management starts at $500,000, while Private Wealth Management starts at $1 million.
- Higher first-tier advisory fee: The published annual fee is 1.25% for $500,000 to $1 million.
- Advanced services limited to Private Wealth clients: Alternative investments and tax-minimization strategies are available only to eligible Private Wealth Management clients.
Ellevest Wealth Management fees: How much does Ellevest Wealth Management cost?
Ellevest charges an AUM advisory fee for wealth management.
Standalone comprehensive financial planning costs a flat $3,600 per year, with monthly, quarterly, semiannual or annual payment options.
Account balance | Annual advisory fee |
|---|---|
$500,000 to $1 million | 1.25% |
$1 million to $2 million | 1.00% |
$2 million to $3 million | 0.95% |
$3 million to $5 million | 0.90% |
$5 million to $7 million | 0.80% |
$7 million to $10 million | 0.70% |
$10 million to $15 million | 0.65% |
$15 million to $25 million | 0.60% |
$25 million to $50 million | 0.55% |
$50 million to $75 million | 0.50% |
$75 million to $100 million | 0.40% |
More than $100 million | 0.35% |
Sub-advised accounts may add separate sub-adviser fees. Ethic may charge up to 0.30% annually, and AllianceBernstein charges 0.23% annually on assets it manages, in addition to Ellevest’s fee.
What is Ellevest Wealth Management’s minimum account size?
Ellevest’s minimum account size depends on the service used:
Service or account type | Minimum account size |
|---|---|
Personal wealth management | $500,000 |
Private wealth management | $1,000,000 |
Sub-advised account | $250,000 |
Schwab Charitable donor-advised fund managed by Ellevest | $250,000 |
Who should choose Ellevest Wealth Management?
Ellevest Wealth Management works well for:
- High-net-worth clients: Suitable for investors who want an advisor-led wealth relationship with portfolio management, financial planning and ongoing support.
- Clients who want planning and investing together: Wealth management includes portfolio management and financial planning support.
- People going through transitions: Ellevest’s financial planning can address career breaks, divorce, inheritance, family planning and retirement.
Who might not benefit as much:
- Smaller investors: The $500,000 minimum excludes many beginners.
- Cost-sensitive investors: The 1.25% first-tier fee is material, especially before fund and custody costs.
- Users seeking a mobile-first robo-advisor: Ellevest’s automated investing service has ended, and the current service is advisor-led.
Ellevest Wealth Management: Is it secure?
Ellevest is an SEC-registered investment adviser and states that it acts as a fiduciary.
Ellevest does not hold client assets directly. Instead, the company says wealth management assets are custodied by Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., while some alternative investments may use different custodians.
Ellevest also employs industry-standard security measures, including encryption, network monitoring, vulnerability scanning, penetration testing, vendor risk assessments, secure software development, two-factor verification for certain actions, and strict password requirements.
Ellevest Wealth Management: Customer service
Ellevest’s wealth management customer service is mainly advisor-led. Clients work with a dedicated advisor team for investment management, financial planning and account-related questions, and prospective clients can contact the firm through its wealth management inquiry process.
In addition to this advisor-led support, Ellevest provides general customer service through its help center, online request form, and phone or email contact options.
Ellevest Wealth Management: Mobile App
Ellevest has an official mobile app listing, but the app is no longer supported; users are directed to access their accounts through a web browser instead.
For wealth management clients, Ellevest mainly relies on its online portal, where clients can view investments, review performance, share documents, and connect outside accounts where supported.
Is Ellevest Wealth Management worth it?
Ellevest Wealth Management is a higher-minimum, advisor-led service, not a low-cost digital investing platform.
Its strengths are personalized planning, a dedicated advisory team and values-aligned portfolio management.
The main trade-offs are the $500,000 minimum, the 1.25% entry-tier advisory fee, potential third-party costs and limited current mobile-app support.
Overall, it appears more suitable for investors who want ongoing planning and a relationship-based advisory model. In contrast, smaller or highly fee-sensitive investors may find the cost and minimum less attractive.
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