Novak Financial Partners
Team An office of Core PlanningData sourced from SEC public records (and other sources when available). Refreshed weekly • Updated today.
Core Planning
Multi-team
Firm-wide stats for Core Planning
About
Core Planning provides fee-only financial planning, ongoing wealth management, and portfolio management primarily for individual and high-net-worth clients, and also delivers ERISA 3(21) retirement-plan advisory services for qualified plans. Services are offered as one-time, hourly, fixed-fee, or ongoing engagements and include both discretionary and non-discretionary account management.
The firm evaluates client objectives, risk tolerance, and time horizons to tailor investment strategies and conducts annual or as-needed reviews that include asset allocation oversight, rebalancing, and tax-loss harvesting considerations. In managing accounts, advisors use third-party model portfolios via Altruist’s Model Marketplace and may employ Schwab’s iRebal rule-based platform to help maintain target allocations, while remaining responsible for suitability decisions.
Noteworthy aspects include recent SEC registration (December 2024) while managing roughly $525 million, the explicit use of model marketplace tools and automated rebalancing, and a disclosed practice where some advisors hold insurance licenses and may receive external commissions for insurance product sales. The firm also discloses that certain hard-to-value or excluded assets are not included in ERISA plan fee calculations and does not sponsor wrap-fee programs.
Based on Core Planning
Location
Carbondale IL
Advisors at this office
2
Advisors at this office
Max N
Verified by Warmer
CFP®
Carbondale, IL
Novak Financial Partners
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 N
Verified by Warmer
CFP®
Carbondale, IL
Novak Financial Partners
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
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