TandemGrowth

What TandemGrowth does

TandemGrowth Financial Advisors, LLC is a fee-only registered investment advisory firm headquartered at 3820 Mansell Rd, Suite T30 in Alpharetta, Georgia, founded in 2003 by Jeff Bernier after he began providing personalized financial advice in 1986. The firm is structured as an LLC domiciled in Georgia and serves high-net-worth individuals and families with at least $1,000,000 in investable assets, with a stated emphasis on retirees and pre-retirees in the Atlanta metropolitan area (Alpharetta, Cumming, Duluth, Johns Creek, Marietta, Milton, Roswell). Customer-facing operations are delivered by a core four-person team (President & Wealth Advisor Jeff Bernier; Wealth Advisor Mona Fahmy Kuhlman; Director of Operations Jamie Stolz; Wealth Management Support Associate Cheryl Teal) supported by outside consultants for investment research, financial planning support, and trading.

The firm's product suite bundles financial planning, retirement planning, investment management, tax planning, risk management and insurance planning, college savings, and estate planning into a single integrated engagement. Investment management is anchored by a proprietary three-bucket retirement distribution system (Emergency Reserve Capital, Short-Term Portfolio, Long-Term Portfolio) implemented with evidence-based methodology. No proprietary technology is disclosed; the operational stack relies on Orion Advisor for client portal, ShareFile (Citrix) for secure document exchange, and Fidelity as custodian.

TandemGrowth operates a recurring revenue model via percentage-of-AUM fees on a tiered schedule that descends from 1.00% on assets up to $1M to 0.30% on assets above $10M, billed annually. The go-to-market is sales-led, executed through initial consultations, prospective-client intake forms, and ongoing advisory relationships, supplemented by top-of-funnel content marketing (Perspectives Blog, Money & Meaning Show podcast, free financial guides) and a referral network of CPAs and attorneys. The firm is privately held with no disclosed external investors and is positioned as an independent fiduciary advisor, evidenced by SEC registration, Form ADV and Form CRS filings, NAPFA membership, and the 2024 Five Star Wealth Manager Award.

Name

TandemGrowth

Legal name

TandemGrowth Financial Advisors, LLC

Website

https://tandemgrowth.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

TandemGrowth Financial Advisors is a fee-only SEC-registered RIA in Alpharetta, GA, providing holistic financial planning, retirement, investment, tax, risk, and estate services to high-net-worth individuals and families (typically $1M+ in investable assets) across the Atlanta metropolitan area, on a tiered AUM fee schedule.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Alpharetta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Wealth Management Advisory Fees: Fee-only wealth management service where the fee is a percentage of investable assets under management. The percentage decreases as portfolio value increases, ranging from 1.00% for assets up to $1,000,000 down to 0.30% for assets exceeding $10,000,001. Services include financial planning and investment advisory services bundled together.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

TandemGrowth is a fee-only Registered Investment Adviser that delivers holistic wealth management and financial planning to high-net-worth individuals and families with $1,000,000 or more in investable assets. The firm sells an integrated service bundle covering financial planning, retirement planning, investment management, tax planning, risk management and insurance planning, college savings planning, and estate planning, all delivered through personalized fiduciary advisor engagements and supported by a proprietary three-bucket retirement distribution investment methodology.

Product overview

TandemGrowth is a fee-only registered investment advisory firm offering a unified wealth management platform centered on holistic financial planning. The core offering combines Financial Planning, Retirement Planning, Investment Management, Tax Planning, Risk Management & Insurance Planning, College Savings Plan, and Estate Planning services into an integrated approach. The firm also employs a proprietary Retirement Distribution System (3-Bucket Strategy) for investment management. Supplementary offerings include the Money & Meaning Show podcast and free Financial Guides. Services are delivered through a fee-only model with tiered pricing based on assets under management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Financial Planning Holistic financial planning service that aligns client actions and resources with what matters most, addressing all aspects of a client's financial life including cash flow, debt reduction, and legacy planning. Designed for high-net-worth individuals and families seeking comprehensive wealth management.
• Retirement Planning Written retirement plan service that is continuously monitored, helping clients transition confidently into retirement and remain comfortable throughout retirement years. Addresses income distribution, Social Security optimization, and lifestyle preservation for pre-retirees and retirees.
• Investment Management Goal-focused and planning-driven investment management that aligns assets with client goals, risk tolerance, and financial plans using an evidence-based approach. Includes the firm's proprietary three-bucket retirement distribution system (Emergency Reserve, Short-Term Portfolio, Long-Term Portfolio).
• Tax Planning Strategic tax planning service that uncovers opportunities to preserve wealth through tax-efficient strategies, including tax loss harvesting, IRA conversions, and charitable giving strategies, integrated with the client's broader financial plan.
• Risk Management & Insurance Planning Comprehensive risk management service addressing life insurance, long-term care, disability insurance, and medical coverage to protect income, assets, and loved ones from anticipated risks, integrated with the client's overall financial plan.
• College Savings Plan Education savings planning service that helps families prepare for higher education costs through 529 plans, Education IRAs, UTMA accounts, and trust planning, integrated with the broader wealth management plan.
• Estate Planning Coordinated estate planning service that ensures wealth is passed to individuals or institutions effectively while remaining consistent with client values, delivered in collaboration with estate planning attorneys.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5.0 star average rating based on 32 client reviews

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Larry SwedroeminorOthersInvestment consultant who has spent decades researching and writing about evidence-based investing. Author or co-author of eighteen books on investing including 'The Only Guide to a Winning Investment Strategy You'll Ever Need' and 'Your Complete Guide to Factor-Based Investing'. TandemGrowth draws on Larry's research as an outside consultant to inform their investment approach.
• Cooper Bradfish, CFP®minorOthersUniversity of Wisconsin graduate with degree in Finance, Investments, and Banking. Supports client plan updates and research for the advisory team as an outside consultant.
• Paul KellerminorOthersTrading support consultant with over 25 years of experience in financial services industry including positions at Dain Bosworth, TD Ameritrade, Wells Fargo Investments, and Axos Clearing. Monitors client portfolios against investment models to identify trading needs.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• SignatureFD: Atlanta-headquartered fee-only RIA providing integrated wealth management, tax planning, and investment advisory to HNW individuals and families. Direct geographic and service-model overlap with TandemGrowth, competing for the same Atlanta-metro HNW segment.
• Mercer Advisors: Large national fee-only RIA offering comprehensive wealth management, tax, estate, and investment advisory to HNW households. Operates an identical holistic advisory model and tiered AUM-based fee structure as TandemGrowth, with similar fiduciary positioning and a more scaled footprint.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: National independent RIA providing comprehensive wealth advisory, tax, estate, and retirement planning to HNW clients through a fee-only model. Closely comparable business model, target client profile, and integrated service offering to TandemGrowth, at much greater scale.
• Creative Planning: Large fee-only RIA offering holistic financial planning, investment management, tax planning, and estate services to HNW individuals nationwide. Shares TandemGrowth's integrated-service, fiduciary, AUM-fee business model and HNW client focus.
• Carson Wealth: Fee-only wealth management firm serving HNW individuals and families with holistic financial planning, retirement, tax, and estate advisory. Directly comparable service mix, fiduciary positioning, and tiered AUM fee model to TandemGrowth.
• Modera Wealth Management: Fee-only RIA providing comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and tax services to HNW individuals and families. Closely aligned service model, client profile, and fiduciary fee structure with TandemGrowth, at similar mid-size scale.
• Plante Moran Financial Advisors: Fee-only RIA affiliated with a large accounting firm, offering integrated financial planning, investment, tax, and estate planning to HNW households. Comparable fiduciary model and comprehensive advisory offering to TandemGrowth.

Broad incumbents

• Edelman Financial Engines: One of the largest independent RIAs in the U.S., offering fee-only financial planning and investment management to a broad HNW and mass-affluent client base. Comparable fiduciary fee-only model but operates at significantly greater scale and geographic reach than TandemGrowth.
• Focus Financial Partners: Leading partnership of independent, fiduciary wealth management firms, providing capital, infrastructure, and succession support to RIAs serving HNW clients. Relevant as a potential acquirer/partner for TandemGrowth given its independent fee-only model and scale-up challenges.

Emerging players

• Facet Wealth: Digital-first fee-only RIA offering flat-fee financial planning and investment advisory to a broader mass-affluent and HNW client base via virtual delivery. Targets similar planning pain points as TandemGrowth but with a tech-enabled, lower-fee structure that competes for the same affluent segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BernierJeff
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/jeffberniercfp

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about TandemGrowth