Looking for financial planning websites to help you retire? So, what’s your number? At what age do you expect to retire? How much money do you need to live off each month? How much do you have to save each month so you can retire comfortably? By now, you’ve likely heard the magic number to save is around $1 to $1.5 million. And if these questions have set off a momentary wave of panic because you can’t even save $100, don’t despair.
Who Are the Best Financial Planning Websites?
Here are some of the best financial planning websites:
- Personal Capital
- Constellation Wealth
- Bayview Financial
- Accumulation Wealth
- CPS Wealth
- Heller Wealth Management
- Mountain Pass
- Gallacher Capital
- WealthKeel
You can get yourself there with a little bit of planning and preparation. What’s important is that you have the right tools at your disposal.
You can go about it a couple different ways. As a result, you can learn stock trading or have an investment company do the work for you.
And with the sheer number of financial planning websites, you’re in good hands. So, let’s jump in and look at one of the favorites on the market: Personal Capital.
Personal Capital in a Nutsell
Founded in 2009, Personal Capital is one of the first robo-advisers for high-net-worth clients. With impressive growth since its inception, the company now manages over $8 billion in assets; overall, it has a great reputation.
It has consistently been rated as one of the best personal finance apps! Access to the Personal Capital Algorithm (a.k.a. robo-advisor) along with a personal financial adviser (human) requires an account balance of $100,000 or more.
In essence, Personal Capital is looking to cater to the higher-net-worth individual, as many robo-advisers on the market have $0 account minimums to get started.
How Is Personal Capital Different?
What’s different with Personal Capital versus all the other robo-advisers on the market is that they combine the human touch with their services.
All clients get their financial adviser. In a nutshell, their goal is to provide cutting-edge technology with professional investing advice.
There is no need to despair if you don’t have $100,000 in assets; you can download their free financial tracking tool. This is great for those of you trying to get your spending under control.
It allows you to monitor all your transactions, from your banking accounts to your credit cards and investment accounts, all in one spot.
Moreover, their free Retirement Planner is one of the most comprehensive calculators I’ve yet to see on the market.
Are Wealth Management Fees Worth It?
While their financial dashboard tools are free, their wealth management service is not. Compared to other robo-advisers on the market, Personal Capital isn’t cheap.
With a starting fee of 0.89%, some may be hesitant to join, considering many others charge just 0.30% or even less. Consider Vanguard, for example, which charges 0.30% and provides clients with a dedicated adviser with only $500,000 invested.
And Betterment Premium, Betterment’s answer to the hybrid model, charges 0.40% for unlimited phone access to advisers.
However, Personal Capital is still a lot less than what’s charged by many human financial advisers. What’s great about Personal Capital is that their wealth management, trade costs, and custody fees are all included.
This means you don’t need to pay commissions on trades. Other robo-advisory services are starting to catch on.
For example, many of Personal Capital’s competitors are now bringing on the same services (human advisers, tax-loss harvesting, re-balancing) for fees starting at just 0.50%, making Personal Capital one of the pricier robo-advisers.
Positives: Financial Planning Websites
360° View of Your Financial Life. You can seamlessly sync all your bank accounts, credit cards, mortgage, and investment accounts without paying a dime. Moreover, with the Budgeting App, you can track your daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly spending habits. With this, you can create a budget, monitor your net worth, and see if you’re on track regarding retirement savings.
The You Index. A complete list of how all your stocks, ETFs, and mutual funds perform over time.
Upcoming Bill Notification. Find out when your bills are coming and how much is due
Education Planner. It allows you to compare the costs of various educational institutes and helps you put a savings plan in place so you can afford it
401 (k) Fee Analyzer. Consider fees, transaction charges, and maintenance to show you how much your retirement plan costs you. I hope you’re still buckled in; this may also be a shocker.
More Positives
Retirement Planner. Are you on track for retirement? You may need to ramp up your savings by $100 a month. This feature will tell you where you need to focus.
Retirement Paycheck. Want to know how to withdraw money at retirement so you pay the least in taxes? This feature shows you how.
Asset Allocation Target. Do you have the correct asset allocation based on your risk profile? Are you overweight or underweight in any of the categories? This tool analyzes whether or not you need to make some changes and provides you with recommendations.
Ease of Use. You don’t need an IQ over 145 to figure out how to set up an account and use their tools. Their website is user-friendly with seamless navigation.
Negatives: Financial Planning Websites
Expensive. The price may be steep for A Robo-Adviser, considering you can access free ones online. However, this price also includes access to a human adviser. It might not be that expensive, depending on how you look at it.
High Minimum Account Balance. The opening requirement of $100,000 to access their wealth management services might exclude those new to investing. Considering many other robo-advisers have no account minimums, newbies might be enticed to go elsewhere. Check out our review of Acorns; it’s great for newbies who don’t have much money.
Non-Customizable Asset Allocation. You’ll be in for a surprise if you want to vary from Personal Capital’s recommended asset allocations. This is because they have predetermined models from which you can’t deviate.
Final Thoughts on the Best Financial Planning Websites
Financial planning websites can help you with planning for your future. You can be both risky and non-risky in how you plan.
As a result, stock market training can come in handy, especially with more control over risky investments. However, don’t forget about Personal Capital.
With high minimum balance requirements and a pricey cost structure, Personal Capital is best suited for the high-net-worth investor. Someone who likes having “a guy” but also likes the comfort granted by a robo-advisor and its investment algorithms.
Although Personal Capital’s fees are higher, you’re under no obligation to use their wealth management services. Personal Capital’s financial software is free to use.
If you’re interested only in the free dashboard of financial tools, you will benefit from the intuitive analyzers and projections it offers. Their financial software is currently the best online service for monitoring your portfolio.
