Rooted Wealth Advisors

What Rooted Wealth Advisors does

Rooted Wealth Advisors is a privately-held, founder-owned registered investment adviser (RIA) headquartered in Bourbonnais, Illinois, delivering retirement-focused wealth management services to individuals, pre-retirees, and affluent families. The firm operates through eight physical offices across Illinois (Bourbonnais, Champaign, Bloomington, Oak Brook, Peoria), Colorado (Denver), Indiana (St. John), and Tennessee (Brentwood/Nashville), serving clients via face-to-face meetings in a high-touch, relationship-driven model. Core offerings are organized around a proprietary three-stage 'Rooted Retirement Process' (Cultivate & Dig, Plant & Grow, Nurture & Harvest) and a 'P.L.A.N.T.' service framework spanning Prosperous Investments, Lifetime Income, Advanced Tax Strategies, Nurtured Healthcare, and Timeless Legacy, with specific services including IRA/401(k) rollovers, tax-efficient strategies, retirement income planning, annuities, wealth management, and asset protection. The firm employs approximately 23 staff including credentialed advisors (CFP, CRPC, LACP, Series 6/63/65) across investment advisory, operations, marketing, and client services roles.

The business model is a hybrid of AUM-based advisory fees and insurance/annuity commissions. Technology stack is intentionally lean and based on commodity integrations: an Orion Advisor client portal for account access and Wistia for video hosting. Acquisition is driven primarily by referrals through the firm's Ambassador Program, supplemented by an educational content ecosystem — the 'Digging In' podcast, 'Rooted in Retirement' TV program, 'Talking Money' YouTube series, and founder Zach Gray's book 'Deep Roots: Laying the Groundwork for Retirement.' The firm also maintains a paid University of Illinois sponsorship through 2027 and runs paid media placements in Kiplinger, Forbes, Colorado Springs Gazette, and several local TV stations (ABC, WGN, 9 News, WMBD, WCIA, WYZZ). Founded as a fiduciary practice with no disclosed parent entity, private equity, or institutional investor involvement, Rooted Wealth Advisors operates as an independent RIA generating revenue from subscription-style advisory relationships and licensing/commission revenue from insurance and annuity products.

Name

Rooted Wealth Advisors

Legal name

Rooted Wealth Advisors

Website

https://rootedretirement.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Rooted Wealth Advisors is a privately-held, founder-owned registered investment adviser delivering retirement-focused wealth management to pre-retirees, retirees, and affluent families across eight offices in Illinois, Colorado, Indiana, and Tennessee. The firm uses a proprietary three-stage planning methodology, AUM-based advisory fees, and insurance commissions to generate revenue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retirement Planning & Wealth Management Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Planning & Goals-Based Advice (Mass Affluent) (FSAAAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Retirement Plan Participant Advice & Managed Accounts (FSAEABAF), Advisory Portfolio Management (Non-Discretionary) (FSAAABAD)

Keywords

• Retirement planning services
• Wealth management advisory
• Investment advisory services
• Retirement income strategies
• Annuity and insurance solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Bourbonnais

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Investment Advisory Services: Fees generated from providing comprehensive financial planning and investment advisory services to individual clients. Services include retirement income strategies, wealth management, IRA/401(k) rollovers, tax-efficient strategies, and estate planning.
2. Insurance Products (Annuities): Commission-based revenue from annuity products that help clients create guaranteed income streams they cannot outlive. The firm offers various annuity types tailored to individual client needs.
3. Life Insurance and Protection Planning: Revenue from life insurance, long-term care insurance, and asset protection strategy products as part of comprehensive retirement and legacy planning services.
4. Wealth Management Fees: Fees from affluent clients receiving holistic financial guidance including investment management, tax planning, estate planning, and risk management services in one comprehensive offering.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Rooted Wealth Advisors is a registered investment adviser that delivers comprehensive retirement planning and wealth management services to individuals and families. Its core offering is the proprietary Rooted Retirement Process, a three-stage methodology (Cultivate & Dig, Plant & Grow, Nurture & Harvest) applied to investments, retirement income strategies, tax-efficient planning, asset protection, IRA/401(k) rollovers, legacy and estate planning, and annuity and insurance product placement. The firm serves clients via face-to-face meetings at eight offices across Illinois, Indiana, Colorado, and Tennessee, supported by an Orion Advisor-powered client portal.

Product overview

Rooted Wealth Advisors is a registered investment advisory firm offering retirement planning services through a proprietary "Rooted Retirement Process" methodology. The core offering includes comprehensive financial planning services covering investments, lifetime income, tax strategies, healthcare, and legacy planning. The firm provides specific services including IRA/401(k) rollovers, tax-efficient strategies, retirement income strategies, wealth management, asset protection, and annuities. The firm extends its reach through educational content including the "Deep Roots" book by founder Zach Gray, the "Rooted in Retirement" TV program, the "Talking Money" YouTube series, and the "Digging In" podcast. A client portal powered by Orion Advisor enables account management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rooted Retirement Process (Financial Planning Services) A proprietary, ongoing financial planning engagement structured in three stages (Cultivate & Dig; Plant & Grow; Nurture & Harvest) covering retirement goals analysis, customized strategy design, and continuous monitoring for individual and family clients.
• Wealth Management Comprehensive, holistic wealth management for affluent individuals and families integrating investment management, tax strategies, estate planning, risk management, and asset protection under a single fiduciary relationship.
• IRA / 401(k) Rollovers Assistance evaluating and consolidating retirement accounts (including Roth IRA conversions) into a managed structure aligned with the client's retirement plan.
• Retirement Income Strategies Strategic design of sustainable income streams during retirement that clients cannot outlive, including Social Security optimization and withdrawal sequencing.
• Tax-Efficient Strategies Tax planning strategies designed to minimize the tax impact on retirement income and on legacy/bequest transfers for individual clients.
• Investment Management Investment strategy design, portfolio construction, and ongoing management aligned with client risk tolerance and retirement goals.
• IRA Legacy Planning Estate and legacy planning services that ensure assets are transferred tax-efficiently to beneficiaries and charitable causes.
• Asset Protection Strategies Risk mitigation strategies addressing market loss risk, inflation risk, and liquidity risk exposure for client portfolios.
• Annuities and Life Insurance / Protection Planning Annuity and life insurance (including long-term care insurance) placement delivering guaranteed income streams and asset/legacy protection as part of comprehensive retirement planning.
• Client Portal Online client portal (powered by Orion Advisor) that gives existing clients account access and management capabilities between advisor meetings.

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• University of Illinois / Fighting Illini Sports Properties, LLCmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerRooted Wealth Advisors entered into a sponsorship agreement with the University of Illinois through Fighting Illini Sports Properties. The firm pays $13,125/month in 2025, increasing to $13,750/month in 2026-2027, for use of 'Proud Sponsor of University of Illinois' designation, UI trademarks, advertising placements on UI websites, event advertisements, and promotional events. This sponsorship ends at the end of 2027.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Halbert Hargrove: Long-tenured independent RIA providing fee-only wealth management, retirement planning, and estate strategies to individuals and families. Comparable in size, founding-era roots, and comprehensive fiduciary offering to affluent households.
• Buckingham Strategic Wealth: Fiduciary, fee-only RIA offering comprehensive financial planning and investment management to individuals approaching and in retirement. Highly comparable in service philosophy, client demographic, and holistic planning emphasis.
• Carson Group (Carson Wealth): Independent wealth management firm focused on financial advisors serving mass-affluent and retirement-planning clients with comprehensive advice. Comparable to Rooted in offering holistic retirement, tax, estate, and insurance planning via a relationship-led advisor model.
• North Star Resource Group: Independent financial services firm specializing in retirement planning and wealth management for individuals and small-business owners. Comparable in size, client demographic (pre-retirees/retirees), and holistic advice orientation.
• Ritholtz Wealth Management: Independent RIA focused on evidence-based investment management and comprehensive financial planning for high-net-worth and mass-affluent clients. Comparable fiduciary model and content-driven thought leadership in wealth management.
• Creative Planning: Large independent RIA providing comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and retirement advice to individuals and families. Overlaps directly with Rooted's holistic, fiduciary, fee-based wealth management approach for affluent clients.

Broad incumbents

• Cetera Financial Group: Network of independent broker-dealer and RIA firms serving mass-affluent and retirement-focused clients. Comparable service mix and target demographic; potential consolidator or platform partner.
• LPL Financial: Largest independent broker-dealer in the U.S., supporting RIAs and advisors serving retirement-planning and wealth-management clients. Comparable customer demographic and retirement-income focus; provides platform-level services Rooted would otherwise have to build.
• Cambridge Investment Research: Large independent broker-dealer and RIA support platform serving thousands of financial advisors. Comparable at the advisor-business-model level and a likely consolidator/partner option for an independent RIA like Rooted.
• Edward Jones: Large national brokerage and advisory firm serving mass-affluent and pre-retiree clients through a dense branch network. Significant overlap in target demographic (pre-retirees, retirees) and face-to-face advice model, though much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@rootedwealthadvisors5190
• Facebookfacebook.com/rootedwealthadvisors
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rootedwealthadvisors

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rooted Wealth Advisors