Ellevest has changed significantly from the digital investing platform many investors may remember. This Ellevest review examines what the company provides today, including advisory pricing, investment requirements, financial planning, portfolio management, and potential limitations.
The biggest change came in 2025. Ellevest ended its automated investing service on April 10, 2025, and qualifying investment accounts transferred to Betterment. Today, the company primarily serves clients seeking advisor-led investment management and standalone financial planning.
That change makes understanding the current service especially important before contacting the company.
Ellevest Review: What Does Ellevest Provide Today?
Ellevest Wealth Management is a full-service advisory practice serving individuals, families, and institutions. Its Personal Wealth Management service generally requires at least $500,000 in investable assets.
Rather than placing clients into the former automated investing program, the current service pairs eligible clients with an advisor team. Services can include customized investment management, personalized financial planning, tax-aware strategies, and investments aligned with a client's stated values.
Ellevest also provides standalone financial planning for people who do not use its managed portfolio service.
That makes today's Ellevest substantially different from the robo-advisor many investors encountered several years ago.
What Happened to Ellevest Automated Investing?
Ellevest stopped providing automated investing services on April 10, 2025.
Under an agreement with Betterment, qualifying accounts associated with Ellevest's digital service transferred automatically unless clients opted out before the transfer deadline.
According to Ellevest, eligible positions transferred to Betterment in kind, except for mutual funds. An in-kind transfer generally moves eligible investments without requiring them to be sold and repurchased during the transfer.
As a result, new customers can no longer open Ellevest's former automated investment accounts.
That distinction matters if you encounter older reviews discussing low-cost digital portfolios or membership pricing. Those descriptions no longer represent Ellevest's primary investment service.
Who Can Use Ellevest Wealth Management?
Personal Wealth Management generally requires $500,000 in aggregate account assets.
Ellevest's March 2026 Form CRS identifies two advisory tiers:
- Personal Wealth Management requires a minimum aggregate account balance of $500,000.
- Private Wealth Management requires a minimum aggregate account balance of $1 million.
Ellevest describes its practice as serving individuals, families, and institutions. Its positioning has a particular focus on wealth management for women, while its advisory services can address broader family financial needs.
For investors below the managed-account minimum, standalone planning provides another way to work with the company without transferring a $500,000 investment portfolio.
How Much Does Ellevest Cost?
Ellevest fees depend heavily on the amount placed under management.
According to Ellevest's current published pricing, annual assets-under-management charges begin at 1.25% for balances from $500,000 up to $1 million and decline at higher asset levels.
Current published tiers include:
- $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%
- Above $100 million: 0.35%
For example, a 1.25% annual advisory charge on $500,000 equals approximately $6,250 per year before other applicable expenses.
Ellevest states that additional transactional and custodial expenses can apply. Fund-level expenses or expenses tied to specific investments may also affect total investment costs.
This makes the advisory percentage only one part of the cost evaluation.
What Does Ellevest Financial Planning Cost?
Ellevest financial planning is available separately from portfolio management.
Ellevest currently lists standalone planning at $4,800 per year, with payment available quarterly, semiannually, or annually.
The planning service can address areas such as:
- Career changes
- Salary changes
- Family planning
- Divorce
- Inheritance
- Retirement
- Financial goals
- Tax-related planning discussions
- Caregiving-related financial decisions
Standalone planning may make the service accessible to someone who wants professional guidance without meeting the managed-portfolio asset requirement.
Still, $4,800 represents a substantial annual expense. You can compare that amount with hourly planners, project-based financial planners, flat-fee advisory firms, or other ongoing planning services before deciding which pricing structure suits your needs.
What Do Wealth Management Clients Receive?
Ellevest describes its advisory service as personalized rather than algorithm-driven.
Clients work with a dedicated advisor team that can develop and maintain an investment plan based on financial objectives and personal priorities.
Available services can include:
- Full-service investment management
- Personalized financial planning
- Tax-aware portfolio management
- Coordination with accountants
- Coordination with trust and estate attorneys
- Private investments for eligible clients
- Values-based portfolio customization
- Ongoing adjustments as financial circumstances change
The result can be a personalized investment portfolio rather than the standardized ETF allocation commonly associated with automated investing platforms.
Personalization, however, does not eliminate investment risk. Portfolio values can rise or fall, and advisory services cannot guarantee investment performance.
How Does Ellevest Approach Socially Focused Investing?
Impact investing remains an important part of Ellevest's investment philosophy.
The company states that clients can align investments with stated values, including directing capital away from certain companies based on products, policies, or business practices.
Its portfolios may contain stocks, bonds, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, and private investments depending on the client's strategy and eligibility.
Values-based investing can matter to investors who want social priorities incorporated into portfolio construction. At the same time, you should examine the methodology, holdings, expenses, diversification, liquidity, and risk associated with any strategy before committing capital.
Is Ellevest a Robo-Advisor?
No. Ellevest no longer operates the automated investing service that previously made it comparable with robo-advisors.
Its current investment-management business centers on human advisors and customized portfolios for clients meeting its asset requirements.
This distinction changes the type of customer likely to find the service relevant.
Someone seeking automated investing with a small starting balance will need another platform. Someone with substantial investable assets who wants ongoing advisor involvement may find Ellevest's current structure closer to a traditional advisory relationship.
Potential Advantages
Several characteristics may make Ellevest worth researching for eligible investors.
Personalized portfolio management
Investment strategies can be tailored around financial goals, circumstances, tax factors, and stated values instead of relying solely on a standard model portfolio.
Dedicated advisory support
Clients work with financial professionals rather than relying entirely on an algorithm.
Values-based investment choices
Investors interested in incorporating social priorities into investment decisions can discuss those preferences with their advisory team.
Broader financial planning
Planning can extend beyond portfolio allocation into retirement, career changes, inheritance, family decisions, and other financial events.
Standalone planning
You do not necessarily need $500,000 available for management to access planning services because financial planning can be purchased separately.
Potential Limitations
Ellevest will not suit every investor.
High managed-account minimum
A $500,000 minimum for Personal Wealth Management excludes many beginning and smaller-balance investors.
Advisory costs
A 1.25% annual management charge at the lowest published asset tier can represent a significant dollar amount.
No automated investing service
People searching for the former low-cost automated product cannot open that type of account today.
Standalone planning expense
The current $4,800 annual planning price may be higher than some hourly or project-based planning alternatives.
Investment risk remains
Professional management does not protect a portfolio from market losses. Investment returns can vary, and past performance cannot establish future results.
What Should You Check Before Signing Up?
Start by identifying the type of help you actually need.
If you have at least $500,000 available for professional management, ask for a complete explanation of the advisory fee and any underlying investment, custody, transaction, or private-asset expenses that may apply.
You can also ask:
- Which investments would likely be used in your portfolio?
- How often will you communicate with your advisory team?
- How are investment changes handled?
- What tax-management strategies may apply to your account?
- Which services are covered by the advisory charge?
- Could additional investment expenses apply?
- How does the firm measure portfolio performance?
- How would transferring existing investments affect taxes or transaction costs?
Getting these details before transferring assets makes comparing advisory firms much easier.
Who Might Find Ellevest Suitable?
Ellevest may warrant further research if you have at least $500,000 to invest and prefer a human-led advisory relationship with customized portfolio management.
Its approach may also fit investors who place a high priority on financial planning and values-based portfolio decisions.
The fit becomes less direct for beginners, investors with smaller portfolios, or people primarily seeking inexpensive automated investing.
For those investors, comparing robo-advisors, self-directed brokerage accounts, and lower-cost advisory services can provide alternatives with different minimums and pricing structures.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum investment for Ellevest?
Ellevest's Personal Wealth Management service generally requires at least $500,000 in aggregate account assets. Private Wealth Management has a $1 million minimum according to the firm's March 2026 Form CRS.
How much are Ellevest's advisory charges?
Published asset-management charges currently range from 1.25% annually at the $500,000-to-$1-million tier down to 0.35% for assets above $100 million.
Additional expenses can apply depending on investments, transactions, and custody arrangements.
Does Ellevest still have automated investing?
No. Ellevest ended automated investing on April 10, 2025. Qualifying digital investment accounts transferred to Betterment unless customers opted out before the transfer.
Can you use Ellevest without $500,000?
You can access standalone financial planning without enrolling in managed investment services. Ellevest currently lists this service at $4,800 annually.
Is Ellevest registered with the SEC?
Yes. Ellevest, Inc. is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as an investment adviser. SEC registration should not be interpreted as government approval or an endorsement of an investment adviser.
Is Ellevest Right for High-Net-Worth Investors?
Ellevest has evolved from the automated investment platform many people remember into an advisor-led wealth management and financial-planning firm.
The current service is aimed primarily at investors with substantial assets who want customized portfolio management, ongoing financial guidance, and the ability to incorporate personal values into investment decisions.
Its $500,000 managed-account minimum and advisory pricing narrow the likely audience. Investors comparing Ellevest with another advisory firm should examine total costs, investment strategy, advisor access, tax management, account requirements, and portfolio construction before transferring assets.
For people below the asset threshold, the standalone planning service provides another route to working with Ellevest, though its annual price should still be compared with other financial-planning arrangements.
Ultimately, the current version of Ellevest makes the most sense to evaluate as a human-led wealth advisory firm rather than the robo-advisor it once operated.
