TandemGrowth Financial Advisors, LLC

09/30/2026

💭 As retirement approaches, should the way you think about your investments change?

Accumulating wealth is only one part of preparing for retirement. As you get closer, considerations such as income needs, liquidity, taxes, market risk, and how long different portions of your portfolio may remain invested can become increasingly important.

In our latest blog, Approaching Retirement: Key Investment Planning Principles, Jeff Bernier explores TandemGrowth's three-bucket Retirement Distribution System and several investment planning considerations for the transition into retirement.

📖 Read the blog: https://www.tandemgrowth.com/blog/approaching-retirement-key-investment-planning-principles/

We also take a deeper look at investment risk as retirement approaches in our guide, Is My Portfolio Too Risky for Retirement?

📥 Download the guide: https://www.tandemgrowth.com/guides/is-my-portfolio-too-risky-for-retirement/

09/28/2026

🔮 What if investing doesn’t require us to predict what comes next?

From artificial intelligence and technological disruption to inflation, government debt, and geopolitical uncertainty, there is no shortage of questions about what the future may hold.

In the latest Money & Meaning Perspectives, Jeff Bernier looks at ideas from Thomas Babington Macaulay, Matt Ridley, and Cal Newport to explore what he calls “humble optimism”: recognizing the risks and uncertainties in front of us while remaining humble about our ability to predict how innovation and human progress will unfold.

Jeff brings that perspective back to investing and financial planning, including why diversification can be an acknowledgement of what we don’t know and why a financial plan can account for a range of possible futures.

🎧 Listen to Perspectives: Investing in a Future We Can’t Predict: https://www.podbean.com/eas/pb-8qkar-1b6f4f3

👀 Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/7mAIy-6kIjY

09/15/2026

🤖 AI is back in the headlines, along with plenty of questions about what it could mean for markets and investors.

Earlier this year, Jeff Bernier explored this topic on The Money & Meaning Show after a client shared a Wall Street Journal article warning of an AI “tsunami.”

The conversation looked beyond the headlines to a question that remains relevant today:

How should investors think about major technological change when no one knows exactly how it will unfold?

Jeff discusses expectations and valuations, the risks of concentrating in high-growth areas, diversification and rebalancing, and why we believe building a resilient portfolio is more useful than trying to predict what comes next.

🎧 With AI once again dominating the conversation, we thought this March episode was worth revisiting: https://www.podbean.com/eas/pb-y2ttd-1a5fb49

Note: This episode was recorded in March 2026 and includes market performance information through that time. Any performance figures discussed are historical and will not reflect current market conditions.

09/15/2026

📃You have a will. But have you thought about everything your family will actually have to handle?

Throughout his career, Jeff Bernier has helped families navigate estate planning by working alongside their estate planning attorney to coordinate the financial pieces of their plans. More recently, serving as executor of his own father's estate gave him a very personal perspective on just how much there can be to manage after someone dies.

In the latest Money & Meaning Show, Jeff talks with Rachel Donnelly, founder and CEO of AfterLight and author of Late to Your Own Funeral: How to Leave a Legacy and Not a Log Jam, about what happens beyond the will and how greater organization can make things easier for the people you leave behind.

🎧 Listen to Beyond the Will: Leaving Your Family Clarity, Not Chaos with Rachel Donnelly: https://www.podbean.com/eas/pb-x8aej-1b58a59

👀 Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Tvw-Y4mSYYg

09/09/2026

🏠 U.S. homeowners are sitting on a significant amount of home equity.

According to Apollo's latest U.S. Housing Outlook, U.S. households have approximately $35 trillion in real estate equity, or roughly $400,000 per owner-occupied home.

For homeowners approaching retirement, housing can represent a meaningful part of their overall financial picture, making decisions about whether to stay, move, downsize, or eventually use that equity an important planning consideration.

This is just one of 10 interesting observations Apollo highlights in its updated look at the U.S. housing market.

Read Apollo's 10 takeaways: https://www.apollo.com/wealth/insights-news/insights/daily-spark/us-housing-outlook-ten-facts
Read the full U.S. Housing Outlook:https://www.apollo.com/content/dam/apolloaem/pdf/daily-spark/2026/sep/1/090126_US%20Housing%20Market%20V3.pdf

Chart source: Apollo Chief Economist

09/08/2026

There’s almost always something for investors to worry about.

Right now, concerns about U.S. government debt and a potential “fiscal crisis” are getting plenty of attention.

In a recent article, Joe Wiggins of Behavioural Investment offers an interesting perspective on the language used when discussing market risks:

→ What would a “crisis” actually look like?
→ When might it happen?
→ What would the implications be for financial markets?
→ And what, if anything, should an investor do differently?

There are real risks worth understanding. But dramatic headlines and market predictions can create anxiety without providing much useful information for long-term investors.

💡 It’s a thoughtful reminder of the importance of separating what we know from what we think might happen next.

📖 Read Crisis Talks:

At any given point in time, there is a risk in financial markets that is the focus of everyone’s attention. Recently this has been US Treasuries with talk of a ‘fiscal crisis’ and ‘debt sustainabil…

09/07/2026

🏠 Americans aren't moving like they used to.

According to Apollo's latest U.S. Housing Outlook, the share of households planning to move in the next 12 months has fallen to around 7%.

Higher mortgage rates, elevated home prices, and the large number of homeowners with mortgages well below today's rates are all contributing to a very different housing market.

Apollo recently summarized 10 observations from its updated U.S. Housing Outlook. It's an interesting look at what's happening with home prices, affordability, mortgage rates, housing supply, and home equity.

Read Apollo's 10 takeaways: https://www.apollo.com/wealth/insights-news/insights/daily-spark/us-housing-outlook-ten-facts
Read the full outlook:https://www.apollo.com/content/dam/apolloaem/pdf/daily-spark/2026/sep/1/090126_US%20Housing%20Market%20V3.pdf

09/04/2026

Are bonds the most hated asset class in the world right now?

Ben Carlson of A Wealth of Common Sense makes that case in a recent article.

After a historically difficult period for bonds, it's easy to understand why some investors have questioned their role. But today's higher yields also make the picture look different than it did several years ago.

One point that stood out to us: predicting the direction, magnitude, and timing of interest-rate moves is extremely difficult.

It's a good reminder that recent performance and investor sentiment don't necessarily tell us what comes next.

📖 Read Ben's full article: https://awealthofcommonsense.com/2026/08/the-most-hated-asset-class-in-the-world/

Chart source: Ben Carlson, A Wealth of Common Sense

08/31/2026

🤖 Will AI replace financial advisors?

AI is changing what technology can do in financial planning. But as AI gets better at providing answers, we believe an important question remains: Are we asking the right questions?

In the latest Money & Meaning Perspectives, we explore what AI could mean for the future of financial advice and where human experience, judgment, and perspective may still matter.

🎧 Listen to the full episode: https://www.podbean.com/eas/pb-6v778-1b478ea
👀 Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/YVO-vfO0n6c

08/21/2026

There's something special about walking in for a meeting and being greeted by someone who genuinely remembers you. For five years, Cheryl Teal has been that person for our clients. As our Wealth Management Support Associate, she brings warmth, energy, and care to everything she does.

We're so grateful for everything she brings to our team and our clients. Happy 5 year anniversary, Cheryl!

Learn more about Cheryl here: https://www.tandemgrowth.com/team/cheryl-teal/