What Wolakota does

Wolakota LLC is a solo or micro fee-only financial advisory and psychotherapy practice headquartered in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 2006 by Michael Rudy, the firm integrates comprehensive financial planning with psychotherapeutic counseling, addressing both the technical and emotional dimensions of personal money management. Rudy holds three professional credentials—Enrolled Agent (EA), Certified Financial Planner (CFP), and Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW)—which uniquely position him to deliver both advisory and clinical services under a single practitioner.

The firm's service portfolio spans tax planning and preparation (leveraging EA credentials for IRS representation), insurance review, investment strategies, estate planning, retirement planning, college funding, and goal setting on the financial side, alongside psychoanalysis and psychotherapy on the counseling side. Wolakota operates under a Fiduciary Oath, is registered as an investment adviser with the State of Michigan, and is a member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA). Compensation is derived exclusively from client fees; the firm does not sell financial products on commission.

Commercially, the practice is sales-led and referral-driven within the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti region, with no proprietary technology platform, mobile app, API integrations, or AI components. Its digital presence is limited to a Wix-built website, the "Bringing Sanity to Money" blog, and social profiles on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+. The client base consists of individuals and families seeking integrated financial-psychological advisory, with documented testimonials from individual psychotherapy clients and identified segments including divorced and widowed individuals requiring both financial and emotional support during life transitions.

Name

Wolakota

Legal name

Wolakota, LLC

Website

https://wolakotaadvisors.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Wolakota LLC is a Ypsilanti, Michigan-based fee-only advisory and psychotherapy practice founded in 2006 by triple-credentialed Michael Rudy (EA, CFP, LMSW), serving individuals and families seeking integrated financial planning and counseling services in the Ann Arbor area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Personal Financial Advisory Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) Wealth Management (FSAEABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fee-Only Advisory (FSAEAAAL)

Keywords

• Fee-only financial planning
• Comprehensive financial advisory
• Personal tax planning
• Retirement and estate planning
• Psychotherapy and counseling

Headquarters

HQ city

Ypsilanti

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Fee-Only Financial Planning: The firm operates exclusively on a fee-only basis with no commissions on financial products (insurance, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, real estate, limited partnerships). Compensation comes solely from client fees, ensuring objective recommendations aligned with client interests.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Wolakota Advisors is a personal, fee-only advisory firm providing comprehensive financial planning services — including tax planning and preparation, insurance review, goal setting, investment strategies, estate planning, retirement planning, and college funding — alongside psychoanalytic and psychotherapy counseling services. The firm operates under a Fiduciary Oath and does not sell insurance, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, real estate, or limited partnerships; compensation is derived solely from client fees.

Product overview

Wolakota is a fee-only advisory firm that provides both comprehensive financial planning services and psychotherapeutic counseling services. The firm operates under a Fiduciary Oath and does not sell financial products on commission. The financial planning offerings include Tax Planning and Tax Preparation, Insurance Review, Goal Setting, Investment Strategies, Estate Planning, Retirement Planning, and College Funding, all delivered through the Fee-Only Comprehensive Financial Planning service. The counseling services include Psychoanalysis (identifying and bringing subconscious patterns to conscious awareness) and Psychotherapy (goal-oriented therapy focused on specific problems). Both service lines are led by Michael Rudy, who has over 30 years of experience in financial services and as a practicing psychotherapist.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fee-Only Comprehensive Financial Planning Personal, fee-only comprehensive financial planning covering tax planning and preparation, insurance review, goal setting, investment strategies, estate planning, retirement planning, and college funding, delivered under a Fiduciary Oath.
• Tax Planning and Tax Preparation Personal tax planning, tax preparation, and IRS representation for individual clients, provided by an Enrolled Agent admitted to practice before the IRS.
• Psychoanalysis Process of identifying subconscious patterns and bringing them into conscious awareness to create insight and resolve problems, particularly for clients whose financial concerns intersect with emotional or subconscious issues around money.
• Psychotherapy Goal-oriented, often short-term therapy focused on a particular problem, including issues at the intersection of financial and psychological concerns.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA)minorOthersMichael Rudy is a proud member of NAPFA, the premier comprehensive fee-only financial planning association in the world. This is a professional membership organization for fee-only financial advisors.
• Alliance of Cambridge AdvisorsminorOthersMichael Rudy was apprenticed to Bert Whitehead, creator of the Alliance of Cambridge Advisors financial planning system. This represents a training/development lineage rather than an active commercial partnership.
• State of MichiganminorOthersWolakota, LLC is a Registered Investment Adviser with the State of Michigan. This is a regulatory registration rather than a commercial partnership.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Betterment: Large robo-advisor offering automated and human-assisted financial planning and investment advice. Comparable in serving individual investors seeking advice, though Wolakota delivers bespoke in-person fiduciary planning vs. Betterment's predominantly automated model.
• Personal Capital (now Empower Personal Dashboard): Large hybrid digital wealth management and financial planning platform with CFP-led advisory services. Comparable to Wolakota in providing financial planning to individuals, but at much greater scale with technology-enabled delivery.

Direct peers

• Facet Wealth: Digital-native fee-only financial planning firm serving individuals and families with CFP-led advice on a subscription basis. Comparable to Wolakota as a fee-only advisory serving similar personal-finance planning needs, though delivered via a tech-enabled national model rather than local in-person.
• XY Planning Network: Network of fee-only financial planners serving Gen X and younger mass-affluent clients, with a focus on next-generation advisors. Highly comparable to Wolakota's fee-only RIA positioning and individual-client focus.
• Harness Wealth: Fee-only advisory platform connecting clients to fiduciary financial planners for personalized planning. Directly comparable to Wolakota's fee-only fiduciary model serving individuals seeking comprehensive financial planning.
• GreenPath Financial Wellness: Nonprofit financial counseling and planning organization addressing the emotional and behavioral dimensions of money. Comparable to Wolakota's integrated approach combining financial and behavioral/counseling expertise.

Emerging players

• Ellevest: Financial planning and investment platform originally built for women, offering goal-based planning and coaching. Comparable to Wolakota in addressing financial planning with attention to behavioral/life-stage factors, though delivered via digital platform.
• Financial Finesse: Financial planning and education firm integrating behavioral coaching with financial advice for individuals and employees. Comparable to Wolakota in blending behavioral/mindset work with financial planning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/WolakotaAdvisors
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wolakota-advisors

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Wolakota