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Financial Engines

Fiduciary financial planning and investment management for individuals across the US.

Services-only
$326 billionAssets on platform / AUM
1,240,000+Clients
01 — Overview

What Financial Engines does

Edelman Financial Engines positions itself as a mass-market financial planning and investment management firm, operating across 146 locations in the United States with 1.24 million clients and $326 billion in assets under management. The scale is notable, but it points to the firm's core orientation: individual retail and workplace retirement clients, not family office or institutional relationships. Family office principals evaluating this firm should understand they are looking at a consumer-facing wealth advisor, not a specialist in complex multi-entity, multi-generational wealth structures.

The firm's service offering covers:

  • Financial planning and personalized goal-setting
  • Retirement income and withdrawal structuring
  • Investment management using proprietary securities modeling
  • Tax strategy guidance (excluding tax return preparation)
  • Estate planning coordination with referrals to local attorneys
  • Insurance needs review across disability, life, and long-term care

Edelman Financial Engines operates as a fiduciary RIA, which means it is legally required to act in client interests rather than earn commissions on product sales. It has received recognition from Barron's as a top independent advisory firm for eight consecutive years and ranks as the top managed account provider for workplace retirement plans according to Cerulli Associates. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, and the firm does not appear to offer family office administration, consolidated reporting across custodians, alternative investment tracking, or governance services. Family offices seeking specialized private markets exposure, entity-level accounting, or institutional-grade portfolio analytics will not find those capabilities here. This is a well-resourced firm for high-income individuals at or approaching retirement, but its operating model is built for volume and breadth, not the bespoke complexity that defines family office work.

Independent, fiduciary advice that prioritizes your best interests.

On Financial Engines, from a family-office user
02 — Product & capabilities

What it covers

Core tasks
  • Financial planning and personalized goal-setting
  • Retirement income planning and withdrawal structuring
  • Investment portfolio management
  • Tax strategy guidance and tax law monitoring
  • Estate planning coordination
  • Insurance needs review
Notable features
  • Financial deep dive review for new clients
  • Personalized portfolio construction aligned to tax and income goals
  • Ongoing portfolio performance monitoring and adjustments
  • Retirement mapping and income planning
  • Estate tax mitigation strategies
  • Key document review for wills and trusts with attorney referrals
  • Insurance review covering disability, umbrella, life, and long-term care
  • Tax loss harvesting guidance
  • Charitable giving guidance
  • On-demand check-ins and comprehensive annual reviews
03 — Company

The firm behind it

Software type
Services-only
Headquarters / markets
United States
Recognition
  • Barron's Top Independent Financial Advisory Firm - 2018
  • Barron's Top Independent Financial Advisory Firm - 2019
  • Barron's Top Independent Financial Advisory Firm - 2020
  • Barron's Top Independent Financial Advisory Firm - 2021
  • Barron's Top Independent Financial Advisory Firm - 2022
  • Barron's Top Independent Financial Advisory Firm - 2023
  • Barron's Top Independent Financial Advisory Firm - 2024
  • Barron's Top Independent Financial Advisory Firm - 2025
  • Top managed account provider for workplace retirement plans (Cerulli Associates) - 2025
04 — Clients & fit

Who it’s for

Built for Private Wealth Owners / Principals, Advisors / Wealth Advisors (RIA).

05 — Support & onboarding

Getting it running

In-person meetings at 146 US locations or virtual meetings with a dedicated financial planner; on-demand check-ins available.

Starts with a free financial planning session and a financial deep dive review of the client's current situation.

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