David Gene Clarke

Max is the co-founder of Novak Financial Partners, a flat-fee, fiduciary financial planning firm serving clients nationwide. He helps professionals, business owners, and families make smarter financial decisions through comprehensive financial planning and transparent, flat-fee advice. Novak Financial Partners is a flat-fee, fiduciary financial planning firm helping professionals, business owners, and families make smarter financial decisions with confidence. As CFP® professionals, we provide comprehensive financial planning that goes beyond investment management. We help clients coordinate investments, retirement planning, tax strategies, equity compensation, insurance, estate planning, and other major financial decisions into one cohesive financial strategy. We charge a transparent flat annual fee because we believe pricing should reflect the value of our advice, not simply the size of your investment portfolio. This allows us to work with professionals who are still building wealth without investment minimums while remaining a cost-effective option for retirees and clients with larger portfolios. Before co-founding Novak Financial Partners, Max worked at Personal Capital, Moneta, and Facet Wealth, helping individuals and families navigate complex financial decisions. He earned his MBA from Southern Illinois University and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional. Based in Southern Illinois, Max works virtually with clients nationwide. Advisory services offered through Core Planning LLC, a Registered Investment Advisor.

Zach is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and Accredited Behavioral Finance Professional™ who helps clients align their money with their values so that they can live more intentionally now and in the future. With a background in psychology and a deep belief in access and equity, he brings both heart and strategy to every plan. Zach’s approach is collaborative, thorough, and solution-oriented. He’s worked with hundreds of families over his 10+ year career, and he’s especially passionate about demystifying complex topics so clients feel confident making decisions that reflect what they care about most. Prior to Novak Financial Partners, Zach spent over a decade at nationally recognized Registered Investment Advisors, where he became increasingly focused on delivering planning in a way that’s transparent, approachable, and deeply human. Outside of work, Zach enjoys reading, exercising, traveling with family, and cheering on Chicago’s sports teams. “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” – Peter Drucker

Mary Swearingen is a financial advisor at Alliance Wealth Advisors in Carbondale, IL, holding a Series 65 designation with 10 years of experience at the firm. She has been with Alliance Wealth Advisors since 2016. Alliance Wealth Advisors provides discretionary investment supervisory services primarily to individual clients, including high net worth individuals, as well as pension and profit-sharing plans. The firm offers tailored investment plans and portfolio management, often utilizing mutual funds or third-party money managers to implement client strategies.

John Alongi II is a financial advisor with Alliance Wealth Advisors in Carbondale, Illinois, holding a Series 66 designation and 17 years of industry experience. He has worked with LPL Financial since 2008 and has been with Alliance Wealth Management LLC (doing business as Alliance Wealth Advisors) since 2019. Outside of finance, he is a partner in a family-owned Italian restaurant. Alliance Wealth Advisors provides discretionary investment supervisory services primarily to individual clients, including high net worth individuals, as well as pension and profit-sharing plans. The firm creates tailored investment plans and manages portfolios using a variety of techniques, including fundamental and technical analysis, often implementing strategies through mutual funds, third-party money managers, and LPL Financial investment models.

Bradley Wills is a CFP® professional with 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is currently with Alliance Wealth Advisors, where he has worked since 2019, and has previous experience at LPL Financial, Wells Fargo Clearing, and A. G. Edwards & Sons, Inc. Alliance Wealth Advisors provides discretionary investment supervisory services primarily to individual clients, including high net worth individuals, as well as pension and profit-sharing plans. The firm develops client-specific investment policies and uses a combination of fundamental and technical analysis to manage portfolios, often implementing strategies through mutual funds, third-party money managers, and LPL Financial models.

Mark Chalem is a CFP® with 10 years of experience in the financial industry. He worked at Edward Jones from 2016 to 2026. In addition to his advisory role, he serves as an instructor at John A Logan College, teaching classes on investing. He is affiliated with Independent Wealth Network, Inc., a multi-team firm advising individuals, trusts, pension plans, estates, charitable organizations, and corporations. The firm offers wealth management, financial planning, and consulting services, using a combination of third-party managers and proprietary strategies to manage approximately $518 million in client assets.