Meet Novak Financial Partners
Financial planning is personal.
We started Novak Financial Partners to give clients thoughtful advice, hands-on help, and an ongoing relationship with someone who knows their full financial picture.
Our story
Why We Started Novak Financial Partners
Our careers began at nationally recognized investment companies and high-net-worth wealth-management practices. At Personal Capital and OppenheimerFunds, we developed strong foundations in investment management and learned how financial services operate at scale. At Moneta and Buckingham Strategic Wealth, we worked with high-net-worth families and saw what comprehensive advice and highly personalized service can look like at their best.
We also saw who that experience often excluded. Many successful professionals and families, including our own friends and family, could not access the same level of advice because they did not meet the investment minimums required by traditional wealth managers.
That realization led us to Facet, a mission-driven financial planning company focused on making comprehensive advice more affordable and accessible. There, we saw how a flat-fee model and modern technology could serve families nationwide. We also experienced the tradeoffs that can come with scale, particularly when it comes to continuity, personalized service, and hands-on follow-through.
Novak Financial Partners is the culmination of those experiences: the comprehensive advice and personalized service of traditional wealth management, the accessibility of a flat annual fee, the efficiency of modern technology, and a direct relationship with a CFP® professional who knows your full financial picture and helps make sure the important things get done.
What makes Novak different
Comprehensive advice, delivered personally.
Novak combines the breadth and technology of a national planning platform with the attention and continuity of a boutique practice.
We coordinate your investments, taxes, retirement planning, employee benefits, insurance, cash flow, estate planning coordination, and goals so important decisions are not made in isolation.
You work directly with Max or Zach, not a call center or rotating team. We are fiduciary financial advisors, legally required to put your interests first.
We do more than make recommendations. We help you make the decision, put it into action, coordinate with other professionals, and follow up so the important things get done.
Your fee reflects the advice and ongoing work involved, not the size of your portfolio. We do not earn commissions or charge percentage-based advisory fees.
Who you'll work with
Meet Max and Zach
Max helps professionals and families understand their options, make confident financial decisions, and follow through on what matters most. He believes clients should understand not only what they are doing, but why.
Before starting Novak Financial Partners, Max worked at Personal Capital, Moneta, and Facet, gaining experience across technology-enabled investment management, high-net-worth wealth management, and comprehensive financial planning. He earned his BS and MBA from Southern Illinois University.
Max grew up in Carterville, Illinois, and spent time in Denver and St. Louis before returning to Southern Illinois. Outside of work, he enjoys reading, golfing, and following Chicago sports.
Zach believes financial planning should do more than prepare someone for the future. It should help them make the most of their life today. With a background in psychology and behavioral finance, he helps clients navigate the emotions, behaviors, and competing priorities behind financial decisions.
Before starting Novak Financial Partners, Zach worked at OppenheimerFunds, Buckingham Strategic Wealth, and Facet, gaining experience across global asset management, high-net-worth wealth management, and comprehensive financial planning. Over more than a decade in financial services, he advised hundreds of households and was responsible for more than $100 million in client assets. He also served on Facet's Planning Council and contributed financial insight to CBS MoneyWatch.
Zach earned his degree from Southern Illinois University. Outside of work, he enjoys reading, exercising, traveling with his family, and cheering for Chicago sports.
A personal relationship
You'll always know who you're calling.
You'll work directly with Max or Zach throughout the relationship. Your advisor knows the history behind your decisions, what matters to your family, and what you are working toward.
Both of us remain familiar with every client's financial picture, so there is continuity when one of us is unavailable or a decision benefits from another perspective. We intentionally serve a manageable number of households so we can follow up, stay proactive, and give each relationship the attention it deserves.
Let's get to know each other.
Tell us what's on your mind, what you're working toward, and where you could use help. We'll tell you honestly whether we think we're the right fit.
Schedule a Call