Novak Financial Partners

05/28/2026

Should you trust AI to manage your money?

We actually think it’s great.

Not because AI replaces what a great advisor does, but because it raises the standard for advisors.

We don’t spend time manually trading, rebalancing, or tax-loss harvesting anymore. Those hours used to pull us away from the work that helps clients most.

That frees up more time for the difficult part: helping clients connect all the moving pieces of their financial life. Financial decisions are rarely just math problems.

Roughly 80% of financial advice goes unimplemented. Giving the advice isn’t the hard part. Getting someone to act on it is.

Technology is making average financial advice more accessible. That’s a good thing. It also raises the bar for advisors.

From Robinhood's $250-a-year AI tool to Morgan Stanley's data-ingesting analysts, the money management industry is being quietly transformed.

05/26/2026

If you have 1099 income and a SEP IRA, you may be using the wrong retirement plan.

Solo 401(k) and SEP IRA share the same $72,000 limit. But Solo 401(k) gets you there with less income, allows Roth contributions, and allows for backdoor Roth contributions.

We broke down why Solo 401(k) tends to be the better tool for self-employed earners and how to set one up correctly.

Why a Solo 401(k) beats a SEP IRA for most 1099 earners. Higher contributions at lower income, Roth access, mega backdoor Roth, and the backdoor Roth IRA still works.

05/21/2026

If you make too much to contribute to a Roth IRA, you may think you are out of options.

You are not.

The backdoor Roth lets high earners contribute to a Roth indirectly, and it is fully legal in 2026.

We broke down how it works, when to use it, and the one rule that trips most people up.

Your income is too high to contribute directly to a Roth IRA. The backdoor Roth is the legal workaround. Here is how it works in 2026, the pro-rata rule explained, and step-by-step instructions.

05/20/2026

The Schwab CEO said last week that AI will be the "front door" for clients with less than $1M.

The industry has been moving this direction for years. A threshold that often feels arbitrary to consumers without the full context of their financial life.

To be clear: we're an AI-enabled practice ourselves. We use it every day to serve clients better.

But $1M in assets is still a substantial milestone, and there’s a lot of life and a lot of consequential financial decisions that come before it.

AI may serve a financially savvy investor really well. But depending on your situation, you may benefit far more from a CFP® professional who knows your goals, your blind spots, and the full picture of your financial life.

Headlines like this make us even more optimistic about the future of independent advisors: firms focused on delivering exceptional care, thoughtful planning, and personal relationships for a reasonable fee.

That’s the bet we made when we started Novak Financial Partners, and we feel better about it today than ever.

Schwab CEO Rick Wurster also said the firm was on a “multi-year” journey to bolster its workplace offerings, including retirement plan investments.

05/18/2026

We've crossed a few fun milestones recently.

Novak Financial Partners just turned one, and we recently passed $20M in assets under management.

By industry standards, it’s nothing groundbreaking. But it’s enough for us to continue serving clients the way we believe they deserve to be served.

Twenty million dollars of real people’s retirement accounts, brokerage accounts, and college funds placed in our hands in year one. We don’t take that responsibility lightly.

Thanks to all of our clients, family, and supporters who have made this possible.

Excited for year 2.

05/12/2026

You make a good income, but your financial picture isn't clear.

Accounts across multiple custodians. Cash without a plan. Surprise tax bills.

We put together a 10-point checklist for high earners in 2026 so you can sanity check your setup in under 10 minutes.

A 10-point 2026 financial checklist for professionals earning $250k+. Specific tax strategies, common blind spots, and a sanity check you can run in 10 minutes.

05/05/2026

Not everyone needs a financial advisor.

If your finances are straightforward, a low-cost index fund or robo-advisor may be all you need.

But when income gets high, decisions get interconnected. RSUs, tax planning, retirement accounts, equity compensation. Getting those right consistently is harder to do alone.

We broke down when a financial advisor tends to be worth it and what to look for.

Not everyone needs a financial advisor. Here is when it tends to make sense, what the value actually comes from, and the five questions to ask before hiring one.

04/28/2026

A common surprise for people with RSUs: a tax bill in April they were not expecting.

Not because the rules are complicated. Because most employers only withhold 22% in federal taxes at vesting. If you are in the 32% or 35% bracket, there is a gap between what was withheld and what you actually owe.

We broke down how RSUs are taxed, what to do when shares vest, and how to plan ahead so nothing catches you off guard.

Most companies only withhold 22% in taxes when RSUs vest. If you are in a higher bracket, that gap is your problem at tax time. Here is how RSUs are taxed, when to sell, and how to keep more of what you earned.

04/21/2026

Financial advisor fees are not always easy to find or understand.

We broke down the most common ways that financial advisors charge fees and what to consider when evaluating which model fits your situation.

Most financial advisors charge 1% of your portfolio per year. On $500,000 that is $5,000. On $1,000,000 it is $10,000. Here is what advisors actually cost, how flat-fee compares to AUM, and which model makes sense for you.

04/14/2026

Most high earners max out their employee 401(k) contributions.

And then stop there.

But in some plans, there is additional space that can be used to move money into Roth.

Sometimes significantly more.

It’s called the mega backdoor Roth.

It doesn’t apply to everyone.

But when it does, it can be one of the more valuable tax strategies available.

Here’s how it works:

Most high earners max their 401(k) and stop there. If your plan allows after-tax contributions, you could put up to $47,500 more into a tax-free Roth account in 2026. Here is how it works.