An Empower alternative, without the sales calls

Free tools, and what they're for

Empower acquired Personal Capital in 2020 and runs the free dashboard as the top of a funnel for its wealth-management business. You link your accounts, the software sees what you have, and if your investable assets look worth managing, an advisor calls. This is disclosed and entirely legal — but it does mean the product has a second job besides showing you your net worth, and the better your numbers look, the more attentive that second job becomes.

For a lot of people that's a fair deal for excellent free software. For the DIY-index-fund crowd who have already decided they don't want a percentage-of-assets advisor, it's a recurring conversation they never wanted to start — and it's the single most common reason people go looking for something else.

What Empower does better than Fuego

A comparison page that awards itself every point isn't worth reading. Here is where they genuinely win:

If those matter more to you than privacy and quiet, use Empower — it's the better tool for that job, and we'd rather say so than win an argument you'll regret.

Where Fuego is the better fit

Fuego exists for the person who already knows their plan — index funds, steady contributions, a long horizon — and wants a clean record of it without handing over credentials or being sold to. There's nobody to call you, because there's nothing to sell.

The other difference is what the numbers are pointed at. Empower shows you your portfolio. Fuego is built around the FIRE question specifically: your FI number, your Coast FIRE date, how many years of spending you've banked, and — the distinction most tools skip — which of your assets could actually fund a 4%-rule paycheque, as opposed to a house that grows in value but never pays you.

Side by side

Three of those rows go to Empower. If automatic balances and holdings-level analysis are what you need, that's the honest recommendation.

Common questions

Why is Empower's dashboard free?

Because it's the front door to a wealth-management business. Empower acquired Personal Capital in 2020 and runs the free tools as a way to find advisory clients — the software shows them your balances, and if your investable assets look worth managing, an advisor gets in touch. That isn't a scandal; it's a disclosed business model. But it does mean the product's job is partly to introduce you to a percentage-of-assets service, and plenty of people would rather not have that conversation.

Is Fuego trying to sell me anything?

No. There is no paid tier, no advisory arm, no ads, and no data sold. It's built and hosted by one person who wanted a private way to track net worth for FIRE. The honest consequence is that it does less than a company-backed product and moves at one person's pace.

What do I lose by not linking accounts?

Real things, and worth naming: no automatic balances, no holdings-level analysis, no fee analyzer, and no live number between updates. What you gain is that nothing ever breaks, no institution is ever asked for your password, and your financial picture stays in your browser. The quarterly rhythm also means you look at your money deliberately rather than compulsively, which for long-horizon investing is closer to a feature than a limitation.

Can I bring my history over?

Yes. You can backfill past quarters, so your chart doesn't start at zero on the day you arrive. Pull the quarter-end balances you already have from Empower or a spreadsheet and enter them once — there's also a spreadsheet import that reads most workbook layouts.