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Personal Capital
Personal Capital
from Wikipedia

Personal Capital is an online financial advisor and personal wealth management company headquartered in Redwood Shores, CA with offices in San Francisco, CA, Denver, CO, Dallas, TX and Atlanta, GA.[4][5]

Key Information

History

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Personal Capital was founded by Bill Harris, Rob Foregger, Louie Gasparini and Paul Bergholm in 2009.[6][7] Personal Capital was formerly known as SafeCorp Financial Corp.[8] The name was changed in 2010 and publicly launched on September 9, 2011.[8][9] Since 2012, Personal Capital has been registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as an investment advisor.[10]

In June 2016, National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) teamed up with Personal Capital through a financial education program.[11]

In December 2016, Personal Capital raised $25 million in Series E funding from IGM Financial, closing the round at $75 million.[12]

In July 2020, Canadian-owned, Denver-based Empower Retirement announced it would be purchasing Personal Capital for $825 million plus a contingency payout.[13][14]

In February 2023, Empower Retirement officially renamed Personal Capital and all of its products to Empower.[15]

Product

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Since inception, Personal Capital has provided both free and paid wealth management products.[16]

Free registration has included a digital overview of user finances along with access to Personal Capital's financial analytic and planning tools.[17] Users link their banks, brokers, 401(k)s, mortgages, credit cards, and loans. Analytics and planning advice is then automated through a 401(k) fee analyzer, retirement planner, mutual fund analyzer, an investment checkup, and cash flow tool.[16][17] A free Personal Capital app for iOS and Android devices has also been available to all users with the same monitoring, analytic, and planning functionalities as the web version.[18][19]

Managed accounts have been an available option for clients with a minimum of $100,000[20] in assets and include a team of financial advisors assigned to each account in exchange for a fee.[17]

Security

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Personal Capital partners with Yodlee Interactive to store and secure customer brokerage credentials.[21][22]

References

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[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
Personal Capital is an American company specializing in digital , offering free online tools for tracking, , and , alongside fee-based advisory services for high-net-worth individuals. Founded in 2009 by Bill Harris, former CEO of and , the company is headquartered in Redwood Shores, California, and quickly grew by providing a unified that aggregates users' bank accounts, portfolios, and in real time. Jay Shah, an early team member, succeeded Harris as CEO in 2017, leading the firm to serve over 2.5 million users tracking more than $771 billion in household assets by the time of its acquisition. In August 2020, Empower Retirement (now Empower) acquired Personal Capital for up to $1 billion, integrating its technology and client base into Empower's broader retirement and offerings. This merger formed Empower Personal Wealth, which by October 2025 had surpassed $100 billion in assets under advisement, combining Personal Capital's digital tools with Empower's institutional expertise to serve both individual investors and financial advisors. The company's core services include automated portfolio management using low-cost ETFs, personalized financial planning via certified advisors, and educational resources focused on long-term wealth building, emphasizing transparency and standards. As of 2025, it continues to operate under the Empower umbrella, prioritizing remote-delivery models that blend human advice with algorithmic insights to help users achieve financial goals.

Overview

Founding and Leadership

Personal Capital was founded in July 2009 by Bill Harris, a veteran fintech executive and former CEO of Intuit and PayPal; Rob Foregger, a former Fidelity Investments trust executive; Louie Gasparini, a fintech veteran; and Paul Bergholm, another experienced software engineer in financial technology. The company's initial vision was to bridge the gap between traditional financial services and modern technology by offering free digital tools that aggregate users' financial accounts—such as banks, brokerages, 401(k)s, mortgages, and credit cards—into a unified dashboard, providing analytics, retirement planning insights, and personalized investment advice. This approach aimed to democratize access to sophisticated wealth management, particularly for affluent households with $100,000 to $5 million in investable assets, while monetizing through fee-based advisory services. Harris served as the founding CEO, guiding the company through its early development. The firm operated in for two years, bootstrapping operations with personal and internal resources before emerging publicly in 2011 with a $25 million Series A funding round led by investors including and Index Ventures. In 2017, Harris transitioned to executive chairman, handing over the CEO role to , who had joined as in 2009 and played a key role in scaling operations.

Headquarters and Scale

Personal Capital is headquartered in Redwood Shores, California, with its primary corporate office located at 3 Lagoon Drive, Suite 200, in nearby Redwood City. Following its 2020 acquisition by Empower, the company maintained additional offices in San Francisco, California, and expanded its presence to include , aligning with Empower's operational footprint in the region. As of 2020, prior to the acquisition, Personal Capital employed approximately 1,193 people, supporting its digital operations. Post-acquisition integration with Empower has driven significant growth; by August 2025, Empower Personal Wealth—the unit encompassing Personal Capital's services—employs about 2,500 staff, including over 1,500 financial advisors, planners, and specialists, reflecting expanded capacity in its hybrid digital-human advisory model. Personal Capital's (AUM) stood at approximately $12.3 billion as of May 2020, just before the Empower acquisition, underscoring its scale as a leading digital wealth advisor. By August 2025, under Empower Personal Wealth, assets under administration (AUA) have surpassed $100 billion, achieved through a 25% since the 2023 launch of the unit, bolstered by the hybrid model combining automated tools with personalized human advice. The company's client base in 2020 included over 2.5 million registered users of its free digital tools and more than 22,000 advisory clients managing substantial portfolios. As of 2025, Empower Personal Wealth serves approximately 750,000 active users of its integrated free financial tools, with the advisory segment supporting a broader high-net-worth clientele through Empower's expanded ecosystem, though exact advisory client numbers remain proprietary.

Integration with Empower

In October 2020, Empower Retirement, a of , completed its acquisition of Personal Capital for $825 million in upfront consideration, with an additional up to $175 million possible through earn-outs based on performance milestones. This transaction positioned Personal Capital as a wholly owned , integrating its digital capabilities with Empower's established services platform. Following the acquisition, Personal Capital underwent rebranding to Empower Personal Wealth in March 2023, marking the launch of a dedicated personal wealth division within Empower. This shift included app transitions, where the original Personal Capital mobile application was automatically updated to the Empower Personal Wealth app, and by mid-2025, further consolidated into the Empower Personal Dashboard app to streamline user access across Empower's ecosystem. The integration has fostered key synergies, granting Empower Personal Wealth access to Empower's approximately 18.5 million participants as of June 2025, thereby expanding holistic financial planning options that combine savings with broader advisory services. These combined offerings emphasize digital tools for tracking, monitoring, and personalized strategies, enhancing scalability for users seeking integrated financial oversight. As of November 2025, the free financial dashboard continues to be available under the Empower Personal Wealth branding, supporting core features without dissolution of the integrated entity. However, official support documentation notes ongoing user-reported issues related to interface updates and account migrations, including delays and challenges during the transition to the new app experience. Empower has addressed these through targeted fixes, maintaining service continuity for its growing assets under administration, which exceeded $100 billion by October 2025.

History

Establishment and Early Development

Personal Capital was founded in and underwent two years of development before its public launch on September 20, 2011, initially offering free digital tools centered on . The platform emerged from , designed by experts to address the needs of affluent individuals managing complex finances through a combination of automated analytics and professional guidance. Early emphasis was placed on building a secure, user-friendly system that aggregated financial data from various accounts to provide holistic insights, setting the stage for its hybrid advisory model. In August 2011, just prior to launch, Personal Capital secured $25 million in combined Series A and B led by Institutional Venture Partners (IVP) and , with participation from Index Ventures and other prominent investors. This capital infusion supported the development of core technologies and enabled the company to scale its operations from its Redwood City headquarters, focusing on innovative software to democratize access to sophisticated previously reserved for high-net-worth clients. A key regulatory milestone occurred in 2012 when Personal Capital Advisors Corporation registered as an investment adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), allowing it to offer fiduciary services and expand into paid wealth management. This registration underscored the company's commitment to operating under fiduciary standards, prioritizing client interests. Initial product offerings included a comprehensive dashboard for tracking net worth across multiple accounts and an investment fee analyzer tool that identified hidden costs in portfolios, such as expense ratios and advisory fees, to empower users with transparent insights. These tools formed the technological foundation, integrating data aggregation, real-time monitoring, and basic advisory features to build user trust and engagement in the platform's early phase.

Growth and Key Milestones

Personal Capital experienced significant expansion in the mid-2010s, fueled by substantial investments that enabled product enhancements and market outreach. In June 2013, the company secured $25 million in a Series C funding round led by investors including and Index Ventures, bringing its total funding to approximately $52 million at that point. This was followed by a $50 million Series D round in October 2014, led by Corsair Capital, which supported further development of its hybrid platform. By 2020, Personal Capital had raised over $265 million in private funding across multiple rounds, reflecting strong investor confidence in its growth trajectory. User adoption surged during this period, with the platform attracting more than 200,000 users by mid-2013, who collectively tracked over $20 billion in assets. This number grew to nearly 2 million users by early 2019, driven in part by the increasing popularity of its mobile applications, which had been available for and Android since 2012 but saw enhanced features and broader accessibility in subsequent years. The company's free digital tools, including tracking and analyzers, played a key role in this organic expansion, appealing to a wide range of investors seeking accessible financial insights. Key milestones underscored Personal Capital's maturing hybrid model, which combined automated tools with personalized guidance. In early 2015, the firm surpassed $1 billion in (AUM), a benchmark achieved through its tech-enabled advisory services that differentiated it from pure robo-advisors. Later that year, it to human advisor consultations, allowing users to schedule complimentary sessions with certified financial planners to discuss portfolio strategies and goals. In May 2016, Personal Capital announced a with IGM Financial, which included a $75 million Series E , aimed at accelerating international expansion and product innovation while leveraging IGM's expertise in . Amid this growth, Personal Capital navigated intense competition from robo-advisors such as Betterment and , which offered low-cost automated investing with minimal human intervention. To differentiate itself, the company emphasized its hybrid approach, integrating algorithmic portfolio management with dedicated human advisors for clients with higher asset levels, a strategy that helped it capture a niche in the evolving digital landscape. This focus on blending technology with personalized advice contributed to sustained revenue growth from advisory fees, even as the broader sector grappled with fee pressures and regulatory scrutiny.

Acquisition and Rebranding

In June 2020, Empower Retirement announced its agreement to acquire Personal Capital for up to $1 billion in enterprise value, consisting of $825 million paid at closing and up to $175 million contingent on planned growth milestones. The deal closed on August 18, 2020, following regulatory approvals, making Personal Capital a wholly owned of Empower. The acquisition was driven by Empower's strategy to expand its retirement services with Personal Capital's digital wealth management tools, creating a unified platform that integrates data analytics, automated advice, and personalized financial planning to improve client outcomes. For Personal Capital, the partnership provided access to Empower's extensive client base and resources, enabling faster scaling of its customer-centric advisory model that combines technology with human expertise. Following the acquisition, Personal Capital initially operated independently under the branding "Personal Capital, an Empower Company," maintaining its core financial tools and advisory services while a integration team from both organizations collaborated on combining offerings. transitioned with , previously Personal Capital's CEO, assuming the role of President of Personal Capital and joining Empower's executive team, reporting to Empower CEO . The rebranding process culminated in March 2023, when Personal Capital was renamed Empower Personal Wealth, establishing it as a dedicated division within Empower that merges advisory, investment, and planning services. This shift aligned with Empower's broader 2022 corporate rebranding from Empower Retirement to simply Empower, which unified its subsidiaries under a single public-facing identity to streamline customer interactions and emphasize holistic financial solutions.

Products and Services

Free Digital Tools

Personal Capital provides a suite of free digital tools designed to help users track and manage their personal finances without cost, making financial planning accessible to a broad audience. These tools aggregate data from various financial accounts to offer insights into , , and performance, enabling users to make informed decisions independently. The core serves as the central hub, aggregating information from accounts, portfolios, cards, and accounts to provide a comprehensive visualization of a user's and . This feature allows users to monitor spending patterns, track assets and liabilities in real-time, and generate reports for budgeting purposes, all accessible through a user-friendly interface. The Retirement Planner tool enables users to simulate future scenarios by inputting current savings, expected expenses, and assumed investment returns, utilizing simulations to estimate the probability of achieving financial goals. This probabilistic modeling helps assess risks and adjust strategies, such as contribution rates or withdrawal plans, to improve retirement readiness. The Fee Analyzer scans linked investment portfolios to identify hidden fees, including expense ratios and advisory costs, and compares them against industry benchmarks to highlight potential inefficiencies. By projecting the long-term impact of these fees on savings, the tool empowers users to optimize their portfolios for cost efficiency without needing professional intervention. These tools are available via web platform and mobile applications for and Android, ensuring seamless access across devices. As of 2023, they have attracted over 3.3 million users who primarily utilize them for self-directed financial tracking and planning. For users seeking more advanced guidance, these free tools offer an optional upgrade path to paid services. Personal Capital's paid offerings, now integrated under Empower Personal Wealth's Personal Strategy, provide fee-based advisory services to clients with at least $100,000 in investable assets. These services build upon the platform's free digital tools by incorporating human advisors for more tailored guidance, targeting individuals seeking comprehensive financial oversight. The core services include personalized financial planning and professional portfolio management, delivered by a dedicated team of certified financial planners and investment specialists. Advisors focus on goal-based strategies, such as retirement accumulation, education funding, and , while implementing tax optimization techniques like tax-loss harvesting and asset location to enhance after-tax returns. As a registered investment advisor with the SEC, Empower adheres to a fiduciary standard, ensuring recommendations prioritize client interests. The investment approach emphasizes diversified portfolios constructed primarily from low-cost exchange-traded funds (ETFs) across major , including equities, , and alternatives for eligible clients. Portfolios employ Smart Weighting™, a method for dynamic allocation that balances risk and growth potential, with daily monitoring and automated rebalancing to maintain alignment with client objectives. Fees are charged as an annual advisory rate on (AUM), starting at 0.89% for the first $1 million, with tiered reductions thereafter—0.79% for $1 million to $3 million, 0.69% for $3 million to $5 million, 0.59% for $5 million to $10 million, and 0.49% for amounts over $10 million—covering all management without additional commissions or hidden costs. Client support features ongoing access to advisors via phone, video, or in-person meetings where available, with regular portfolio reviews to track progress toward financial goals. For clients in higher tiers, such as those with $250,000 or more in AUM, support expands to include a team of two advisors and specialized consultations, ensuring proactive adjustments to life changes or market conditions.

Integration with Broader Empower Ecosystem

Following the 2020 acquisition of Personal Capital by Empower Retirement, the integration of Personal Capital's digital wealth management tools with Empower's extensive retirement services has created a unified platform that connects users' investment dashboards to 401(k) and IRA accounts for comprehensive retirement tracking. The Empower Personal Dashboard, the rebranded evolution of Personal Capital's core interface, enables users to aggregate data from brokerage accounts, retirement plans, and other assets into a single view, facilitating holistic monitoring of net worth, cash flow, and retirement progress without manual data entry across silos. This linkage draws on Empower's administration of over $1.8 trillion in retirement assets, allowing seamless visibility into employer-sponsored plans and individual retirement accounts. Post-2023 developments have further enhanced these capabilities through the launch of Empower Personal Wealth in March 2023, which merged Personal Capital's advisory model with Empower's expertise to introduce advanced projection tools. These projections now incorporate detailed from Empower's defined benefit pension plans and other income sources, providing users with more accurate simulations of future cash flows, including Social Security estimates and options that function as insurance-like products for income protection. Users gain access to Empower's broader suite of financial wellness offerings, such as integrated planning for and insurance products, which complement Personal Capital's original free tools for a more complete financial strategy. In 2025, Empower accelerated platform unification, consolidating features into a single mobile experience that supports both and users. This update enables seamless transfers between wealth management portfolios and retirement accounts, such as direct rollovers from s to Empower-managed , reducing friction in asset reallocation during life transitions like job changes or . The app's enhanced interface prioritizes advisory clients while maintaining free access to core tracking for all users, ensuring continuity in and projection modeling. The integration has significantly expanded Personal Capital's reach, leveraging Empower's scale to serve more than 19 million individuals across plans, thereby broadening the user base for personalized wealth tools beyond the original approximately 23,000 advisory clients. Empower Personal Wealth now manages over $100 billion in assets under advisement as of August 2025, reflecting 25% compound annual growth since its 2023 launch and enabling more integrated advisory services under a cohesive structure that aligns and fees. This ecosystem synergy positions users for more robust financial planning, combining digital analytics with institutional-grade data.

Security and Compliance

Data Protection Practices

Personal Capital, now integrated into Empower, employs robust technical measures to secure user financial during aggregation and access. The platform partners with | Yodlee, a leading financial provider, to facilitate secure linking of external accounts without storing users' credentials directly on its systems. Instead, Yodlee utilizes tokenized credentials, where user authentication details are exchanged for secure, temporary tokens that enable access while preventing the permanent retention of sensitive information. This approach minimizes risk by ensuring that Personal Capital does not retain or expose raw credentials, with all shared limited strictly to what is necessary for service delivery under contractual safeguards. Data transmission between users, the platform, and connected financial institutions is protected using 256-bit SSL , a military-grade standard that safeguards information in transit against interception. Additionally, access to accounts requires (MFA), which verifies user identity through multiple methods such as passwords combined with one-time codes or device-based verification. On mobile applications, users can enable biometric logins, including or facial recognition, providing an extra layer of convenience and security for app-based access. To detect and mitigate threats proactively, Personal Capital implements real-time fraud detection systems that monitor account activities for anomalies, such as unusual transactions or login attempts, and alert users immediately. These systems are supported by continuous monitoring and annual third-party audits to identify and address vulnerabilities. The platform maintains SOC 2 Type II compliance, with unqualified annual reports confirming effective controls over , , processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy—no exceptions have been noted in recent assessments. As of 2025, Personal Capital has reported no major data breaches or security incidents affecting user information, underscoring the effectiveness of these layered protections. This clean record aligns with regulatory filings that highlight ongoing investments in cybersecurity infrastructure.

Regulatory and Privacy Standards

The advisory services for Personal Capital, now integrated into Empower Personal Wealth and provided by Empower Advisory Group, LLC—a registered investment adviser (RIA) with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) since 2000—were originally registered under Personal Capital Advisors Corporation in 2012. As an RIA, the firm is legally obligated to adhere to fiduciary standards under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, requiring it to act in clients' best interests with duties of care and loyalty, prioritizing client needs over its own. In August 2025, the SEC settled charges against Empower Advisory Group and Empower Financial Services for inadequate disclosure of conflicts in retirement plan advisory services from 2019 to 2022, requiring a payment of over $5.9 million without admitting or denying the findings. In terms of privacy standards, Personal Capital, integrated into Empower since the acquisition closed on August 18, 2020, complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for users in the European Union by ensuring adequate safeguards for personal data transfers and respecting rights such as access, rectification, and erasure. For California residents, it adheres to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), providing enhanced privacy notices, opt-out mechanisms for data sales or sharing, and rights to know, delete, and opt out of personal information processing. The firm's privacy policy is updated annually to reflect regulatory changes and post-acquisition integrations, with the most recent revision effective March 31, 2025. Privacy practices emphasize user control and transparency, including opt-in consent for with Empower affiliates to enable like tools, while restricting usage to service delivery and analytics without selling data. Data collected for analytics purposes, such as improving user experience via tools like , is anonymized where possible and not used for unrelated commercial purposes. As an , Personal Capital is subject to ongoing SEC oversight, including risk-based examinations to verify compliance with advisory regulations. Following the acquisition, its operations aligned with Empower's broader regulatory framework, particularly for products, ensuring consistent standards and compliance across the combined ecosystem.

References

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