Zach Novak

Financial Planner at Novak Financial Partners

Zach believes a great financial plan should do more than prepare someone for the future. It should help them make the most of their life today. As co-founder of Novak Financial Partners, he helps high-earning professionals and families turn complex financial decisions into clear, coordinated plans built around what matters most to them. As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and Accredited Behavioral Finance Professional™, Zach brings together more than a decade of financial experience and a background in psychology. Because money decisions are rarely just about the numbers, his approach considers both the technical details and the real-life behaviors, emotions, and competing priorities that shape them. He is known for listening carefully, thinking comprehensively, and making complicated topics easier to understand so clients can move forward with confidence. Before co-founding Novak Financial Partners, Zach held roles at OppenheimerFunds, Buckingham Strategic Wealth, and Facet, gaining experience across global asset management, evidence-based investing, and comprehensive financial planning. Throughout his career, he has advised hundreds of households through career changes, home purchases, growing families, retirement preparation, and other meaningful life transitions, including responsibility for more than $100 million in client assets. At Facet, he also served on the firm’s Planning Council, received its Inspiring Guide Award, and contributed financial insight to CBS MoneyWatch. Zach founded Novak Financial Partners to offer the kind of relationship he believes financial planning should provide: personal, transparent, accessible, and grounded in sound evidence. Through the firm’s flat-fee fiduciary model, clients receive thoughtful, ongoing guidance without asset minimums, product sales, or advice shaped by how much money they have to invest. Zach earned his degree from Southern Illinois University and is deeply committed to expanding access and equity within financial planning. Outside of work, he enjoys reading, exercising, traveling with his family, and cheering for Chicago’s sports teams.

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