Overview
- Headquarters
- Alpharetta, GA
- Average Client Assets
- $2.0 million
- Minimum Account Size
- $1,000,000
- SEC CRD Number
- 125490
Fee Structure
Primary Fee Schedule (ADV PART 2A)
| Min | Max | Marginal Fee Rate |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | $1,000,000 | 1.00% |
| $1,000,001 | $2,000,000 | 0.75% |
| $2,000,001 | $5,000,000 | 0.50% |
| $5,000,001 | $10,000,000 | 0.40% |
| $10,000,001 | and above | 0.30% |
Minimum Annual Fee: $10,000
Illustrative Fee Rates
| Total Assets | Annual Fees | Average Fee Rate |
|---|---|---|
| $1 million | $10,000 | 1.00% |
| $5 million | $32,500 | 0.65% |
| $10 million | $52,500 | 0.52% |
| $50 million | $172,500 | 0.34% |
| $100 million | $322,500 | 0.32% |
Clients
- HNW Share of Firm Assets
- 89.24%
- Total Client Accounts
- 664
- Discretionary Accounts
- 658
- Non-Discretionary Accounts
- 6
Services Offered
Services: Financial Planning, Portfolio Management for Individuals, Investment Advisor Selection
Regulatory Filings
Additional Brochure: ADV PART 2A (2026-03-18)
View Document Text
Item 1
Cover Page
TandemGrowth Financial Advisors, LLC
SEC File # 801-79425
ADV Part 2A, Firm Brochure
Dated: March 18, 2026
Contact: Jeffrey Bernier, Chief Compliance Officer
3820 Mansell Road, Suite T30
Alpharetta, Georgia 30022
(770) 641-6360
www.tandemgrowth.com
This Brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of TandemGrowth
Financial Advisors, LLC. If you have any questions about the contents of this Brochure, please contact us
at (770) 641-6360 or jbernier@tandemgrowth.com. The information in this Brochure has not been approved
or verified by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission or by any state securities authority.
Additional information about TandemGrowth Financial Advisors, LLC also is available on the SEC’s
website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.
References herein to TandemGrowth Financial Advisors, LLC as a “registered investment adviser” or any
reference to being “registered” does not imply a certain level of skill or training.
1
Item 2
Material Changes
Since the March 28, 2025, annual updating amendment, this Form ADV Part 2A Brochure (the “Brochure”)
has been amended as follows:
Items 5 and 7 have been revised to reflect a change in our minimum annual fee.
Item 8 has been revised to provide additional risk disclosures regarding TandemGrowth’s
investment strategies.
Item 3
Table of Contents
Item 1 Cover Page .................................................................................................................................... 1
Item 2 Material Changes .......................................................................................................................... 2
Item 3
Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................... 2
Item 4 Advisory Business ........................................................................................................................ 3
Fees and Compensation ................................................................................................................ 8
Item 5
Performance-Based Fees and Side-by-Side Management .......................................................... 11
Item 6
Item 7
Types of Clients .......................................................................................................................... 11
Item 8 Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss ................................................... 11
Item 9 Disciplinary Information ............................................................................................................ 19
Item 10 Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations .................................................................. 19
Item 11 Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and Personal Trading.............. 20
Item 12 Brokerage Practices .................................................................................................................... 21
Item 13 Review of Accounts .................................................................................................................... 23
Item 14 Client Referrals and Other Compensation .................................................................................. 24
Item 15 Custody ....................................................................................................................................... 24
Item 16
Investment Discretion ................................................................................................................. 24
Item 17 Voting Client Securities .............................................................................................................. 25
Item 18 Financial Information ................................................................................................................. 25
2
Item 4
Advisory Business
A. TandemGrowth Financial Advisors, LLC (“TandemGrowth”) is a Georgia limited liability
company formed on November 13, 2000, which became registered as an investment adviser in May
2003. TandemGrowth is owned by Jeffrey Bernier. Mr. Bernier is TandemGrowth’s Managing
Member and Chief Compliance Officer.
B. As discussed below, TandemGrowth offers financial planning and investment advisory services to
its clients (generally, individuals, high net worth individuals, trusts and estates, etc.) on a fee basis.
WEALTH MANAGEMENT SERVICES
Clients may choose to engage TandemGrowth to provide “Wealth Management Services,” which
include initial and ongoing financial planning services in addition to discretionary or non-
discretionary investment advisory services. Before engaging TandemGrowth to provide Wealth
Management Services, the client is required to sign a Wealth Management Agreement with
TandemGrowth setting forth the terms and conditions of the engagement, describing the scope of
the services to be provided, and the fees that are due from the client.
The financial planning aspect of the Wealth Management Services addresses investment and non-
investment related matters, which generally include, but are not necessarily limited to investment
and retirement planning, education planning, legacy/estate planning, cash flow planning, income
tax planning, goals-based investment planning, risk management planning, and stock option
planning.
The specific financial planning services generally include: ongoing review and communications
regarding financial planning concepts, a discovery meeting, preparation and delivery of a
“Financial Map” document that confirms the client’s financial goals and includes: a balance sheet,
a summary cash flow schedule, a retirement analysis, an insurance summary, a needs analysis in
the event of disability, an estate plan analysis, a survivor needs analysis, an education funding
analysis and planning recommendations (as applicable). The financial planning services also
include: an annual review, a semi-annual review, a year-end tax planning meeting with the client’s
designated certified public accountant or other tax planning professional, joint meetings with the
client’s other designated professionals, attendance at an annual market update luncheon, access to
an online financial planning portal and access to account holdings (please see “Asset Aggregation
/ Reporting Services” disclosure below), receipt of a “TandemGrowth Perspectives Blog” and
participation in client education workshops.
The discretionary or non-discretionary investment advisory component of the Wealth Management
Services addresses ongoing management of the client’s investment assets. To commence this part
of the process, an investment adviser representative will confirm each client’s investment
objectives based on the Financial Map and assist the client in selecting an appropriate strategy for
managing their assets. TandemGrowth will then allocate and/or recommend that the client allocate
investment assets consistent with the designated investment objectives. TandemGrowth generally
allocates or recommends that a client allocate client assets among various mutual funds and
exchange traded funds (“ETFs”) consistent with one or more of the investment strategies described
in Item 8 below. To a much lesser extent, TandemGrowth may make an exception to manage client
assets on a non-discretionary basis and/or allocate investment assets among unaffiliated
independent investment managers (“Independent Managers”) in accordance with the client’s
designated investment objectives. In those situations, the Independent Managers will have day-to-
day responsibility for the active discretionary management of the allocated assets. TandemGrowth
3
will continue to provide investment supervisory services to the client through the ongoing
monitoring and review of account performance, asset allocation, and client investment objectives.
When recommending Independent Managers, TandemGrowth generally considers the client’s
designated investment objectives as compared to the Independent Manager’s management style,
performance, reputation, financial strength, reporting, pricing, and research. The investment
management fees charged by the designated Independent Managers are exclusive of, and in
addition to, TandemGrowth’s ongoing investment advisory fee, subject to the terms and conditions
of a separate agreement between the client and the Independent Managers.
Once TandemGrowth allocates client assets, it provides ongoing monitoring and review of portfolio
performance and asset allocation as compared to client investment objectives and may periodically
execute or recommend execution of transactions for the portfolio based upon those reviews or upon
other triggering events. Except as confirmed in writing to the client, TandemGrowth assumes that
there are no restrictions on its services, other than to manage the account in accordance with the
client’s designated investment objectives.
Clients may engage TandemGrowth to manage and/or advise on certain investment products that
are not maintained at their primary custodian, such as fixed and variable annuity contracts. Unless
otherwise agreed in writing, the value of those annuity contracts that clients engage TandemGrowth
to manage would be included as part of TandemGrowth’s calculation of its advisory fee described
in Item 5.
When appropriate and based on a client’s investment objectives, financial circumstances, and risk
tolerance, TandemGrowth may recommend that a client allocate a portion of assets to a fixed
annuity available through various providers. These annuities typically offer a fixed rate of return
for a specified term and may include limitations such as surrender periods or restrictions on early
withdrawals, which are described in the applicable annuity contract and offering materials provided
by the insurance carrier.
The fixed annuities recommended are structured as commission-free products, meaning that neither
TandemGrowth nor its supervised persons receive sales commissions in connection with the
purchase of these annuities. Clients who elect to purchase an annuity will enter into a contract
directly with the issuing insurance company. TandemGrowth does not serve as the insurance carrier
and does not guarantee the obligations of any insurance company issuing the annuity.
For variable annuities, TandemGrowth’s investment selection for the variable annuity subaccounts
is limited to those made available by the variable annuity sponsor. Neither TandemGrowth, nor any
of its employees: offer to sell variable annuity products to its clients; or are registered as, or
associated with, a broker-dealer. Clients seeking to purchase or exchange variable annuities may
seek a referral from TandemGrowth to an unaffiliated broker-dealer/insurance agency. However,
neither TandemGrowth, nor any of its employees, will receive any portion of the fees or
commissions earned by the unaffiliated broker-dealer/insurance agency. TandemGrowth’s only
compensation related to variable annuities will be limited to the management of the investment
subaccounts it is engaged to manage. Clients are not under any obligation to engage TandemGrowth
to provide those services. The fact that TandemGrowth could earn an advisory fee on the variable
annuity subaccounts presents a conflict of interest if TandemGrowth were to recommend that
clients evaluate variable annuity products with unaffiliated broker-dealers/insurance agencies.
TandemGrowth mitigates that conflict of interest by reminding clients that they are not under any
obligation to purchase variable annuities or engage TandemGrowth to manage variable annuity
subaccounts.
4
NEXTGEN SERVICES
In limited circumstances as a courtesy to existing clients, TandemGrowth offers its “NextGen
Services” (“NextGen”) to adult children of TandemGrowth’s existing clients. Those clients can
choose to engage TandemGrowth to provide initial and ongoing financial planning and/or
investment advisory services as further described below.
NEXTGEN FINANCIAL PLANNING SERVICES
Clients who qualify for the NextGen Services may choose to engage TandemGrowth to provide
initial and ongoing financial planning services for an initial fee and a recurring monthly fee. These
financial planning services address investment and non-investment related matters, which may
include, but are not limited to investment and retirement planning, education planning,
legacy/estate planning, cash flow planning, goals-based investment planning, and risk management
planning (as applicable). The specific financial planning services include ongoing review and
communications regarding financial planning concepts, a discovery meeting, preparation and
delivery of a “Financial Map” document that confirms the client’s financial goals and includes: a
balance sheet, a summary cash flow schedule, a retirement analysis, an insurance summary, a needs
analysis in the event of disability, an estate plan analysis, a survivor needs analysis, an education
funding analysis and planning recommendations (as applicable). The NextGen ongoing financial
planning services also include an annual review, attendance at an annual market update luncheon,
access to an online financial planning portal and access to portfolio holdings, receipt of a monthly
“TandemGrowth Perspectives Blog” and participation in client education workshops.
Before engaging TandemGrowth to provide such initial and ongoing financial planning services,
clients are required to enter into a NextGen Financial Planning and Consulting Agreement with
TandemGrowth setting forth the terms and conditions of the engagement, describing the scope of
the services to be provided, and the fees that are due from the client.
NEXTGEN INVESTMENT ADVISORY SERVICES
Clients who qualify for NextGen Services may also choose to engage TandemGrowth to provide
discretionary investment advisory services under the terms and conditions of a NextGen Investment
Advisory Agreement.
To commence the NextGen investment advisory process, an investment adviser representative will
coordinate with the client to develop their investment objectives, and then allocate and/or
recommend that the client allocate investment assets consistent with the designated investment
objectives. TandemGrowth generally allocates or recommends that a client allocate client assets
among various mutual funds and ETFs consistent with one or more investment strategies described
in Item 8 below. To a much lesser extent, TandemGrowth may make an exception to manage client
assets on a non-discretionary basis and/or allocate investment assets among independent managers.
Once allocated, TandemGrowth provides ongoing monitoring and review of portfolio performance
and asset allocation as compared to client investment objectives, and TandemGrowth may
periodically execute or recommend execution of transactions for the portfolio based upon those
reviews or upon other triggering events. Except as confirmed in writing to the client,
TandemGrowth assumes that there are no restrictions on its services, other than to manage the
account in accordance with the client’s designated investment objective.
MISCELLANEOUS
ERISA / IRC Fiduciary Acknowledgment. When TandemGrowth provides investment advice to a
client about the client’s retirement plan account or individual retirement account, it does so as a
5
fiduciary within the meaning of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act
(“ERISA”) and/or the Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”), as applicable, which are laws governing
retirement accounts. Because the way TandemGrowth makes money creates some conflicts with
client interests, TandemGrowth operates under a special rule that requires it to act in the client’s
best interest and not put its interests ahead of the client’s. Under this special rule’s provisions,
TandemGrowth must: meet a professional standard of care when making investment
recommendations (give prudent advice); never put its financial interests ahead of the client’s when
making recommendations (give loyal advice); avoid misleading statements about conflicts of
interest, fees, and investments; follow policies and procedures designed to ensure that
TandemGrowth gives advice that is in the client’s best interest; charge no more than is reasonable
for TandemGrowth’s services; and give the client basic information about conflicts of interest.
Retirement Plan Rollovers – No Obligation / Conflict of Interest. A client or prospective client
leaving an employer typically has four options regarding an existing retirement plan (and may
engage in a combination of these options): (i) leave the money in the former employer’s plan, if
permitted, (ii) roll over the assets to the new employer’s plan, if one is available and rollovers are
permitted, (iii) roll over to an Individual Retirement Account (“IRA”), or (iv) cash out the account
value (which could, depending upon the client’s age, result in adverse tax consequences). If
TandemGrowth recommends that a client roll over their retirement plan assets into an account to
be managed by TandemGrowth, such a recommendation creates a conflict of interest if
TandemGrowth will earn a new (or increase its current) advisory fee as a result of the rollover. No
client is under any obligation to roll over retirement plan assets to an account managed by
TandemGrowth.
Order Management System. As part of its investment advisory services, TandemGrowth may
manage clients’ retirement plan accounts (generally 401(k), 403(b) or profit-sharing plans) on a
discretionary basis using an “Order Management System.” The Order Management System allows
TandemGrowth to access and manage the client’s designated retirement plan account maintained
on platforms where TandemGrowth would otherwise need to collect the client’s personal login
credentials to manage the account and therefore potentially trigger additional custody obligations.
However, when clients engage TandemGrowth in this capacity, they are responsible to keep the
Order Management System link / TandemGrowth’s login credentials active, so that TandemGrowth
will be able to access and manage the respective account without delay. If TandemGrowth
determines that an Order Management System link has become inactive, TandemGrowth will use
its best efforts to notify the client to resolve the issue. However, clients will remain subject to
TandemGrowth’s fees described in Item 5 even when TandemGrowth is not capable of executing
trades because of the inactive link.
Move Health. TandemGrowth may partner with Move Health (formerly Caribou) (“Move”), an
unaffiliated healthcare planning solution. Move’s solution includes the ability for TandemGrowth
clients to work with Move affiliated, non-commissioned licensed health agents. TandemGrowth
does not charge its advisory clients for this service, nor does it receive any compensation from
Move Health for the utilization of their services, or the purchase of insurance through any Move
affiliated agents. Tandem Growth provides this service strictly for client convenience, and clients
are not under any obligation to utilize this service.
Limitations of Financial Planning and Consulting/Implementation Services. TandemGrowth does
not serve as a law firm, licensed insurance agency, or accounting firm, and no portion of its services
should be construed as legal, insurance implementation or accounting services. Accordingly,
TandemGrowth does not prepare estate planning documents, sell insurance products or prepare tax
returns. Unless specifically agreed in writing, neither TandemGrowth nor its representatives are
6
responsible to implement any financial plans or financial planning advice; provide ongoing
financial planning services; or provide ongoing monitoring of financial plans or financial planning
advice. The client is solely responsible to revisit the financial plan or financial planning advice with
TandemGrowth, if desired. The client retains absolute discretion over all financial planning and
related implementation decisions and is free to accept or reject any recommendation from
TandemGrowth and its representatives in that respect. TandemGrowth’s financial planning and
consulting services are completed upon communicating its recommendations to the client, upon
delivery of the written financial plan, or upon termination of the applicable agreement. To the extent
requested by a client, TandemGrowth may recommend the services of other professionals for
certain non-investment implementation purposes (i.e., attorneys, accountants, insurance agents,
etc.). Clients are under no obligation to engage the services of any recommended professional, who
are responsible for the quality and competency of the services they provide.
Client Obligations. When performing its services, TandemGrowth is not required to verify any
information received from the client or from the client’s designated professionals and is expressly
authorized to rely on that information. Clients are responsible to promptly notify TandemGrowth
if there is ever any change in their financial situation or investment objectives for the purpose of
reviewing or amending TandemGrowth’s services or previous recommendations.
Portfolio Trading Activity / Inactivity. As part of its investment advisory services, TandemGrowth
will review client portfolios on an ongoing basis to determine if any trades are necessary based
upon various factors, including but not limited to investment performance, fund manager tenure,
style drift, account additions/withdrawals, the client’s financial circumstances, and changes in the
client’s investment objectives. Based upon these and other factors, there may be extended periods
of time when TandemGrowth determines that trades within a client’s portfolio are not prudent.
Clients nonetheless remain subject to the fees described in Item 5 during periods of portfolio trading
inactivity.
Asset Aggregation / Reporting Services. TandemGrowth may provide access to reporting services
through one or more third-party aggregation / reporting platforms that can reflect all of the client’s
investment assets, including those investment assets that the client has not engaged TandemGrowth
to manage (the “Excluded Assets”). TandemGrowth’s service for the Excluded Assets is strictly
limited to reporting, and specifically excludes investment management or implementation. Because
TandemGrowth does not have trading authority for the Excluded Assets, the client (and/or another
investment professional designated by the client), and not TandemGrowth, will be exclusively
responsible for directly implementing any recommendations for the Excluded Assets and the
resulting performance or related activity (such as timing and trade errors) pertaining to the
Excluded Assets. The third-party aggregation / reporting platforms may also provide access to
financial planning information and applications, which should not be construed as services, advice,
or recommendations provided by TandemGrowth. Accordingly, TandemGrowth will not accept
responsibility for adverse results a client may experience if the client engages in financial planning
or other functions available on the third party reporting platforms without TandemGrowth’s
participation or oversight.
C. TandemGrowth provides investment advisory services specifically tailored to the needs of each
client. Before providing investment advisory services, an investment adviser representative will
ascertain each client’s investment objectives. If engaged to do so, TandemGrowth will then allocate
or recommend that the client allocate investment assets consistent with their designated investment
objectives. The client may, at any time, impose reasonable restrictions, in writing, on
TandemGrowth’s services.
7
D. TandemGrowth does not participate in a wrap fee program by providing portfolio management
services.
E. As of December 31, 2025, TandemGrowth had $295,846,092 in regulatory assets under
management on a discretionary basis and $1,154,122 in regulatory assets under management on a
non-discretionary basis.
Item 5
Fees and Compensation
A. TandemGrowth’s fees for its various service offerings are as generally set forth below.
WEALTH MANAGEMENT SERVICES
Clients can choose to engage TandemGrowth to provide discretionary and/or non-discretionary
Wealth Management Services as described in Item 4 above. The fees for TandemGrowth’s Wealth
Management Services are based on a percentage of the market value of investment assets placed
under TandemGrowth’s management (i.e., assets for which TandemGrowth maintains trading
authority) and supervision (i.e., investment assets that TandemGrowth monitors and for which
TandemGrowth provides investment advice, but does not maintain trading authority, such as assets
held in a client-directed 401(k) account). The fee for Wealth Management Services begins to accrue
upon either the execution of the Wealth Management Agreement or at the discovery meeting
(whichever is later). Except as stated below, this fee is prorated for the initial quarter and billed
quarterly, in advance, based upon the market value of the assets on the last business day of the
previous quarter according to the following fee schedule:
Market Value of Portfolio
First $1,000,000
Additional Assets between $1,000,001 and $2,000,000
Additional Assets between $2,000,001 and $5,000,000
Additional Assets between $5,000,001 and $10,000,000
Additional Assets exceeding $10,000,001
Annual Fee
1.00%
0.75%
0.50%
0.40%
0.30%
Minimum Annual Fee. TandemGrowth’s Wealth Management services are designed primarily for
those clients with investable assets of $1,000,000 or more. However, TandemGrowth reserves the
right to selectively accept clients with assets below this threshold. For such instances, a minimum
annual fee of $10,000 applies, and the client will pay a higher percentage annual fee than the 1%
referenced in the fee schedule provided above.
Order Management System. As described above, TandemGrowth may manage clients’ retirement
plan accounts (generally 401(k), 403(b) or profit-sharing plans) on a discretionary basis using an
“Order Management System.” For clients who engage TandemGrowth to manage or advise upon
retirement plan accounts that are not available for trading through the Order Management System,
for clients where the Order Management System link is not operational, or for clients who choose
not to engage TandemGrowth to trade their retirement plan accounts through the Order
Management System or another platform where TandemGrowth would not need to collect the
client’s personal login credentials to trade in the account, the annual fee for the respective account
under management or advisement will initially be based on the account value as of the previous
quarter end, and then based on the December 31st value annually thereafter. This portion of the
ongoing fee will not be calculated based upon the value of the assets as of the last day of the
8
previous quarter. However, the respective portion of the annual fee will still be paid quarterly in
advance.
Financial Planning and Investment Advisory Services. New clients who do not qualify for NextGen
Services are not able to engage TandemGrowth to provide investment advisory services without
also engaging TandemGrowth for financial planning services under its Wealth Management
Services offering.
Negotiable Fees. TandemGrowth’s fee for Wealth Management Services is negotiable at the
discretion of TandemGrowth, depending upon objective and subjective factors including but not
limited to the amount of assets to be managed; portfolio composition; the scope and complexity of
the engagement; the anticipated number of meetings and servicing needs; related accounts; future
earning capacity; anticipated future additional assets; the professionals rendering the services; prior
relationships with TandemGrowth and its representatives, and negotiations with the client. As a
result of these factors, similarly situated clients could pay different fees, the services to be provided
by TandemGrowth to any particular client could be available from other advisers at lower fees, and
certain clients may have fees different than those specifically set forth above.
Legacy Clients. Certain legacy clients may have accepted different pre-existing service offerings
from TandemGrowth and may therefore receive different services under different fee schedules
than as set forth above. These legacy clients have been or will be offered the ability to engage
TandemGrowth under its Wealth Management Services offering if it is more advantageous to such
clients.
Reduced Fees. TandemGrowth, may agree to charge a lesser investment advisory fee, charge a flat
fee, waive its fee entirely, or charge a fee on a different interval, on certain assets placed under its
supervision, including but not limited to, cash positions, concentrated positions or holdings, or the
holding of employer stock, based upon certain criteria (i.e. anticipated future earning capacity,
anticipated future additional assets, dollar amount of assets to be managed, related accounts,
account composition, complexity of the engagement, anticipated services to be rendered,
grandfathered fee schedules, employees and family members, courtesy accounts, competition,
negotiations with client, etc.). The decision to reduce or waive fees may be made by
TandemGrowth, in its sole discretion.
Independent Managers. The Independent Managers that may be engaged typically charge a fee
ranging between 0.45 % and 2%, of the market value of the designated assets under management,
which is separate from, and in addition to, TandemGrowth’s advisory fee as set forth above. The
Independent Managers fee does not result in any additional compensation to TandemGrowth. The
applicable Independent Manager fee will be disclosed to the client at the point of entering into the
Independent Manager engagement, and/or subject to the terms and conditions of a separate
agreement between the client and the Independent Manager.
NEXTGEN SERVICES
NEXTGEN ONGOING FINANCIAL PLANNING SERVICES
Clients who qualify for the NextGen Services may choose to engage TandemGrowth to provide
initial and ongoing financial planning services, generally according to the following negotiable fee
schedule: an initial fee of $1,500 payable upon delivery of the Financial Map; and a recurring
monthly fee of $125 payable in advance, starting on the first month of the next quarter in which the
Financial Map is delivered and monthly thereafter.
9
NEXTGEN INVESTMENT ADVISORY SERVICES
Clients who qualify for the NextGen Services may choose to engage TandemGrowth to provide
discretionary investment advisory services for a negotiable fee generally equal to 1% of the market
value of assets placed under TandemGrowth’s management (i.e. assets for which TandemGrowth
maintains trading authority) and supervision (i.e. investment assets that TandemGrowth monitors
and for which TandemGrowth provides investment advice, but does not maintain trading authority,
such as assets held in a client-directed 401(k) account). This fee is prorated and billed quarterly, in
advance, based upon the market value of the assets on the last business day of the previous quarter.
Once NextGen clients reach the $500,000 minimum portfolio threshold to receive Wealth
Management Services, they are provided the opportunity to transition to that service offering under
the terms and conditions of a Wealth Management Agreement.
B. Clients may elect to have TandemGrowth’s fees deducted from their custodial account.
TandemGrowth’s Agreements and the brokerage or clearing agreement may authorize the
custodian to debit the account for TandemGrowth’s fees and to pay the fee to TandemGrowth in
compliance with regulatory procedures. The Client may also choose to engage a third-party
payment facilitator to remit fees to TandemGrowth. In the limited event that TandemGrowth bills
the client directly, payment is due upon receipt of TandemGrowth’s invoice. Except with respect
to the monthly NextGen Ongoing Planning Service fees, TandemGrowth deducts fees or bill clients
quarterly, in advance.
C. As discussed below, unless the client directs otherwise or an individual client’s circumstances
require, TandemGrowth generally recommends that Fidelity Institutional Wealth Services, an SEC-
registered and FINRA member broker dealer and its affiliates (“Fidelity”) serve as the broker-
dealer/custodian for client investment advisory assets. Broker-dealers charge transaction fees for
executing certain securities transactions according to their fee schedule, and they or their affiliated
custodians also impose charges for custodial services / fees associated with maintaining the client’s
account. Clients may also be required to pay certain charges and administrative fees, including, but
not limited to, transaction charges (including mark-ups and mark-downs) resulting from trades
effected through or with a broker-dealer other than Fidelity, transfer taxes, odd lot differentials,
exchange fees, interest charges, American Depository Receipt agency processing fees, and any
charges, taxes or other fees mandated by any federal, state or other applicable law or otherwise
agreed to with regard to client accounts. For mutual fund and ETF purchases, clients will incur
charges imposed by the respective fund, which represent the client’s pro rata share of the fund’s
management fee and other fund expenses. These fees and expenses are described in each fund’s
prospectus or other offering documents. The fees charged by the applicable broker-
dealer/custodian, and the charges imposed by mutual funds and ETFs, are separate from and in
addition to TandemGrowth’s advisory fee referenced in this Item 5. TandemGrowth does not share
in any portion of those fees or expenses.
D. TandemGrowth’s investment advisory fee is prorated and paid quarterly, in advance, based upon
the market value of all of the assets under TandemGrowth’s management and/or supervision as
identified in Item 5.A. on the last business day of the previous quarter. TandemGrowth does not
adjust its fee during a quarter or in the subsequent quarter, based on any inflows or outflows from
the managed or supervised accounts during the quarter. Therefore, for example, clients will not
receive a pro-rated refund of TandemGrowth’s investment advisory fee if the client withdraws
funds from their account after the last day of the billing quarter. Likewise, clients will not incur an
extra fee to retroactively compensate for funds that the client may add to the managed or supervised
account after the last day of the billing quarter. Where a client and TandemGrowth mutually agree,
assets maintained at custodians other than Fidelity may still be subject to the investment advisory
fee schedule set forth above. TandemGrowth, in its sole discretion, may reduce or waive its
10
investment advisory fee based upon certain criteria (i.e., anticipated future earning capacity,
anticipated future additional assets, dollar amount of assets to be managed, related accounts,
account composition, negotiations with client, etc.). Under the NextGen Financial Planning service
offering, TandemGrowth charges a $1,500 fee for preparation of the Financial Map, payable upon
delivery of the Financial Map. The applicable form of Agreement between TandemGrowth and the
client will continue in effect until terminated by either party by written notice in accordance with
the terms of such Agreement. Upon termination, TandemGrowth will refund the pro-rated portion
of any advanced fee paid based upon the number of days remaining in the billing quarter.
E. Neither TandemGrowth, nor its representatives accept compensation from the sale of securities or
other investment products.
Item 6
Performance-Based Fees and Side-by-Side Management
Neither TandemGrowth nor any supervised person of TandemGrowth is a party to any performance
or incentive-related compensation arrangements with its clients.
Item 7
Types of Clients
TandemGrowth’s clients currently generally include individuals, high net worth individuals, trusts
and estates. TandemGrowth’s Wealth Management services are designed primarily for those clients
with investable assets of $1,000,000 or more. However, TandemGrowth reserves the right to
selectively accept clients with assets below this threshold. For such instances, a minimum annual
fee of $10,000 applies, and the client will pay a higher percentage annual fee than the 1% referenced
in the fee schedule provided in Item 5.A.
TandemGrowth may reduce or waive these minimum portfolio value requirements in its sole
discretion based upon certain criteria (i.e. anticipated future services, related accounts, scope
services to be rendered, individuals rendering the services, negotiations with client, etc.).
TandemGrowth does not impose a minimum portfolio value requirement for its NextGen Services.
Item 8
Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss
A. TandemGrowth may utilize the following methods of security analysis:
Fundamental - (analysis performed on historical and present data, with the goal of making
financial forecasts);
Technical – (analysis performed on historical and present data, focusing on price and trade
volume, to forecast the direction of prices); and
Cyclical – (analysis performed on historical relationships between price and market trends,
to forecast the direction of prices).
TandemGrowth may utilize the following investment strategies when implementing investment
advice given to clients:
Long Term Purchases (securities held at least a year); and
Short Term Purchases (securities sold within a year).
11
Investment Risk in General. Investing in securities involves risk of loss that clients should be
prepared to bear, including the loss of principal investment. Past performance does not guarantee
future results. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and it should not be
assumed that future performance of any specific investment or investment strategy (including the
investments and/or investment strategies recommended or undertaken by TandemGrowth) will be
profitable or equal any specific performance levels. Investment strategies such as asset allocation,
diversification, or rebalancing do not assure or guarantee better performance and cannot eliminate
the risk of investment losses. There is no guarantee that a portfolio employing these or any other
strategy will outperform a portfolio that does not engage in such strategies. While asset values may
increase and client account values could benefit as a result, it is also possible that asset values may
decrease, and client account values could suffer a loss. It is therefore important that clients
understand investment risks, diversification strategies, and ask TandemGrowth any questions they
may have before making any investment decisions.
B. TandemGrowth’s methods of analysis and investment strategies do not present any significant or
unusual risks. However, every method of analysis has its own inherent risks. To perform an
accurate market analysis TandemGrowth must have access to current/new market information.
TandemGrowth has no control over the dissemination rate of market information; therefore,
unbeknownst to TandemGrowth, certain analyses may be compiled with outdated market
information, severely limiting the value of TandemGrowth’s analysis. Furthermore, an accurate
market analysis can only produce a forecast of the direction of market values. There can be no
assurances that a forecasted change in market value will materialize into actionable and/or
profitable investment opportunities.
TandemGrowth’s primary investment strategies - Long Term Purchases and Short Term Purchases
- are fundamental investment strategies. However, every investment strategy has its own inherent
risks and limitations. For example, longer term investment strategies require a longer investment
time period to allow for the strategy to potentially develop. Shorter term investment strategies
require a shorter investment time period to potentially develop but, as a result of more frequent
trading, may incur higher transactional costs when compared to a longer-term investment strategy.
Currently, TandemGrowth primarily allocates (or recommends that a client allocate) client
investment assets among various mutual funds, ETFs, cash and cash equivalents, and, to a much
lesser extent, Independent Managers and alternative assets. TandemGrowth manages the majority
of client assets on a discretionary basis according to the agreed upon model or strategy, which
TandemGrowth confirms in writing with each client. TandemGrowth manages strategic long term
portfolios across the anticipated risk and return spectrum ranging from approximately 100% to 20%
in equity-based ETFs and mutual funds. TandemGrowth’s investment research and portfolio
management teams review each of the strategies on a periodic basis and may also make changes
periodically based on market developments. In addition to a review of the strategies themselves,
TandemGrowth also reviews individual accounts for account drift, withdrawals and deposits, and
stated investment restrictions / deviations from the strategies and investment objectives.
TandemGrowth may rebalance the accounts based on those reviews. Each type of investment has
its own unique set of risks associated with it, and it would not be possible to describe each of the
specific risks of every type of investment. However, the following provides a short description of
some of the underlying risks associated with the types of investments and investment advisory
methods and systems that TandemGrowth uses or recommends:
Market Risk. The price of a security may drop in reaction to tangible and intangible events and
conditions. This type of risk may be caused by external factors, (such as economic or political
factors) but may also be incurred because of a security’s specific underlying investments.
12
Additionally, each security’s price can fluctuate based on market movement, which may or may
not be due to the security’s operations or changes in its true value. For example, political, economic
and social conditions may trigger market events which are temporarily negative, or temporarily
positive.
Unsystematic Risk. Unsystematic risk is the company-specific or industry-specific risk in a
portfolio that the investor bears. Unsystematic risk is typically addressed through diversification.
However, as indicated above, diversification does not guarantee better performance and cannot
eliminate the risk of investment losses.
Value Investment Risk. Value stocks may perform differently from the market as a whole and
following a value-oriented investment strategy may cause a portfolio to underperform growth
stocks.
Growth Investment Risk. Prices of growth stocks tend to be higher in relation to their companies’
earnings and may be more sensitive to market, political and economic developments than other
stocks, making their prices more volatile.
Small Company Risk. Securities of small companies are often less liquid than those of large
companies and this could make it difficult to sell a small company security at a desired time or
price. As a result, small company stocks may fluctuate relatively more in price. In general, small
capitalization companies are more vulnerable than larger companies to adverse business or
economic developments and they may have more limited resources.
Commodity Risk. The value of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be affected by
changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or
factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock
disease, embargoes, tariffs, and international economic, political, and regulatory developments.
Foreign Securities and Currencies Risk. Foreign securities prices may decline or fluctuate because
of: (i) economic or political actions of foreign governments, and/or (ii) less regulated or liquid
securities markets. Investors holding these securities are also exposed to foreign currency risk (the
possibility that foreign currency will fluctuate in value against the U.S. dollar).
Interest Rate Risk. Fixed income securities and fixed income-based securities are subject to interest
rate risk because the prices of fixed income securities tend to move in the opposite direction of
interest rates. When interest rates rise, fixed income security prices tend to fall. When interest rates
fall, fixed income security prices tend to rise. In general, fixed income securities with longer
maturities are more sensitive to these price changes.
Inflation Risk. When any type of inflation is present, a dollar at present value will not carry the
same purchasing power as a dollar in the future, because that purchasing power erodes at the rate
of inflation.
Reinvestment Risk. Future proceeds from investments may have to be reinvested at a potentially
lower rate of return (i.e., interest rate), which primarily relates to fixed income securities.
Credit Risk. The issuer of a security may be unable to make interest payments and/or repay
principal when due. A downgrade to an issuer’s credit rating or a perceived change in an issuer’s
financial strength may affect a security’s value and impact performance. Credit risk is considered
13
greater for fixed income securities with ratings below investment grade. Fixed income securities
that are below investment grade involve higher credit risk and are considered speculative.
Call Risk. During periods of falling interest rates, a bond issuer will call or repay a higher-yielding
bond before its maturity date, forcing the investment to reinvest in bonds with lower interest rates
than the original obligations.
Regulatory Risk. Changes in laws and regulations from any government can change the market
value of companies subject to such regulations. Certain industries are more susceptible to
government regulation. For example, changes in zoning, tax structure or laws may impact the return
on investments.
Mutual Fund Risk. Mutual funds are operated by investment companies that raise money from
shareholders and invests it in stocks, bonds, and/or other types of securities. Each fund will have a
manager that trades the fund’s investments in accordance with the fund’s investment objective.
Mutual funds charge a separate management fee for their services, so the returns on mutual funds
are reduced by the costs to manage the funds. While mutual funds generally provide diversification,
risks can be significantly increased if the fund is concentrated in a particular sector of the market.
Mutual funds come in many varieties. Some invest aggressively for capital appreciation, while
others are conservative and are designed to generate income for shareholders. In addition, the
client’s overall portfolio may be affected by losses of an underlying fund and the level of risk
arising from the investment practices of an underlying fund (such as the use of derivatives).
Exchange Traded Fund Risk. ETFs are marketable securities that are designed to track, before fees
and expenses, the performance or returns of a relevant index, commodity, bonds or basket of assets,
like an index fund. Unlike mutual funds, ETFs trade like common stock on a stock exchange. ETFs
experience price changes throughout the day as they are bought and sold. In addition to the general
risks of investing, there are specific risks to consider with respect to an investment in ETFs,
including, but not limited to: (i) an ETF’s shares may trade at a market price that is above or below
its net asset value; (ii) the ETF may employ an investment strategy that utilizes high leverage ratios;
or (iii) trading of an ETF’s shares may be halted if the listing exchange’s officials deem such action
appropriate, the shares are de-listed from the exchange, or the activation of market-wide “circuit
breakers” (which are tied to large decreases in stock prices) halts stock trading generally.
Variable Annuity Risk. A variable annuity is a deferred annuity that provides investment returns
based on the performance of its “subaccounts” that contain investment assets. Variable annuities
can lose value based on market performance and are therefore subject to many of the general risks
described below in this section. Before purchasing a variable annuity, please carefully review the
annuity contract’s prospectus in detail for all the features, risks, and benefits. Annuities are not
FDIC insured and all guarantees are subject to the claims-paying ability of the insurance company.
Annuity contracts are subject to federal income tax penalties for withdrawals prior to age 59½.
Independent Manager Risk. While TandemGrowth may conduct due diligence regarding
Independent Managers and their respective investment style and process, TandemGrowth will not
have the opportunity to evaluate each specific investment that the Independent Managers will
execute on the client’s behalf. As a result, the rates of return to clients will primarily depend upon
the choice of investments and other investment and management decisions of Independent
Managers and returns could be adversely affected by unfavorable performance of such Independent
Managers. Further, TandemGrowth depends on Independent Managers to maintain appropriate
systems and procedures to control operational risks.
14
Third-Party Trading Services Risk. TandemGrowth uses a third-party service provider at its own
expense to process trades according to its instructions. While TandemGrowth has conducted due
diligence and taken measures to secure the confidentiality of any data shared with the service
provider, it is also reliant upon an entity that is not under its direct management to provide ongoing
service to client accounts. TandemGrowth therefore depends on the service provider to maintain
appropriate systems and procedures to control operational risks and satisfy its contractual
obligations to TandemGrowth for the benefit of TandemGrowth’s clients.
“Flourish Cash” Risk. TandemGrowth may arrange for client access to a “Flourish Cash” account,
which is a brokerage account offered by Flourish Financial LLC. TandemGrowth is not affiliated
with Flourish Financial LLC, which is not a bank. The cash balance in a Flourish Cash account is
swept from the Flourish Financial LLC brokerage account to deposit accounts at one or more third-
party banks that have agreed to accept deposits from end-customers of Flourish Financial LLC
(“Program Banks”). The accounts at Program Banks pay variable interest rates. The cash balance
in a Flourish Cash account that is swept to one or more Program Banks is eligible for FDIC
insurance, subject to FDIC rules, including FDIC aggregate insurance coverage limits. However,
FDIC insurance will not be provided until the funds arrive at the Program Bank. There are currently
at least 5 Program Banks available to accept deposits for institutional Flourish Cash accounts
(accounts for corporations, partnerships and other legal entities) and at least 5 Program Banks
available to accept deposits for personal Flourish Cash accounts (individual, joint and revocable
trust accounts), and Flourish Cash is not obligated to allocate client funds across more than this
number of Program Banks if there is a greater number of banks in the program. Clients are generally
eligible for FDIC insurance coverage of $250,000 per client, per Program Bank, for each account
ownership category. Therefore, clients are eligible for (i) up to $1,250,000 of FDIC insurance for
either (A) an individual account or (B) an account for a revocable living trust in which one person
is the only grantor, trustee and beneficiary of the trust (“Individual Revocable Trust Account”) and
(ii) up to $2,500,000 of FDIC insurance for either (A) a joint account with two owners or (B) an
account for a revocable living trust in which the same two persons are each the only grantors,
trustees and beneficiaries of the trust (“Joint Revocable Trust Account”). The total FDIC coverage
for a two-person household is calculated assuming that each household member has an individual
account and that both household members share a joint account. If the number of Program Banks
decreases for a client (either because a Program Bank is no longer participating in Flourish Cash,
because a client's cash is not eligible to be swept to a Program Bank based on criteria set by the
Program Bank (which will be disclosed at account opening), or because a client opts out of having
their cash swept to a particular Program Bank), the amount of FDIC insurance for which the client
would be eligible through Flourish Cash would be lower. Typically, all of a client's deposits at a
Program Bank in the same ownership category (including deposits held outside Flourish Cash or
held through multiple Flourish Cash accounts with the same ownership category) count toward the
FDIC insurance limit for deposits at that Program Bank. Clients are responsible for monitoring
whether they maintain deposits at a Program Bank outside of Flourish Cash and should consider
opting out of having their cash swept to any such Program Bank to avoid exceeding FDIC insurance
limits. Although Flourish Cash is offered through a brokerage account and cash held in brokerage
accounts often has the benefit of SIPC protection, until such time as we offer securities products,
clients likely will not have the benefit of SIPC protection for cash held in their Flourish Cash
account. Further, SIPC protection is not available for any cash held at the Program Banks. For
additional information regarding FDIC coverage, visit https://fdic.gov/. Information about the
Program Banks is available here.
Dimensional Fund Advisors. TandemGrowth may allocate client investment assets to mutual funds
and ETFs issued by Dimensional Fund Advisors (“DFA”), some of which are generally only
available through selected registered investment advisers. Therefore, upon the termination of
15
TandemGrowth’s services, a client may experience restrictions on the transfer, additional
purchases, or reallocation among DFA funds.
Socially Responsible Investing Risks and Limitations. Socially Responsible Investing involves the
incorporation of environmental, social and governance (generally referred to as “ESG”)
considerations into the investment process. Clients requesting to engage in ESG-focused investing
must be willing to accept the inherent risks and limitations of that strategy, including without
limitation those risks and limitations described below. The investment universe of ESG related
investment vehicles is by nature narrower in scope and therefore the investment options may be
limited when compared to non-ESG mandated securities. By narrowing the scope of investment
options, clients may miss the opportunity to invest in a non-ESG mandated security or sector, which
could contribute to their overall portfolio performance. ESG securities could underperform broad
market indexes. ESG mandated investment funds may have higher expense ratios than non-ESG
mandated investment vehicles. ESG considerations may vary from person to person, so the client’s
opinion about what constitutes valid and valuable ESG principles may differ from those of the
security issuer. ESG scores and ratings may also differ between two different ESG securities
because of the way the respective fund managers analyze and identify ESG factors. The underlying
holdings of some ESG investment vehicles may not disclose the same level or scope of ESG
information as other companies. As a result, some investments may not capture ESG concepts with
100% accuracy. Therefore, TandemGrowth may rely on portfolio managers to establish their own
system of ranking and sustainable factors in coordination with their mandate.
Alternative Investment Risk in General. Alternative investments tend to offer investment return
characteristics that are not correlated to traditional investments, but concurrently present greater
and/or unique risks to investors. These risks include but are not limited to loss of all or a substantial
portion of the investment due to: leveraging, short selling or other speculative practices;
management risk; lack of liquidity; restrictions on transferring interests; higher or excessive
volatility; absence of information for valuations and pricing; less transparency on underlying
investments, complex tax structures and delays in tax reporting; less regulation; and potentially
higher fees than traditional investments. Information on a specific fund’s terms, structure, strategy
and approach, liquidity, management, principal risks, fees/costs, and other important information
is available in its offering document or for interval funds, in the fund’s prospectus, which we
strongly encourage you to read.
Without limiting the above, the risks associated with TandemGrowth’s use of alternative
investments in our models and strategies include the following:
Liquidity Risk. Alternative investments, unregistered and registered, generally have
limited liquidity and may be subject to restrictions on transferability and resale. Registered
Alternative Investments may not be redeemable at the investor’s choice and there is
generally no secondary market for the sale of the alternative investments.
Interval Fund Liquidity Risk. Shares in closed-end interval funds are unable to be
repurchased or otherwise sold on a daily basis. Rather, to provide limited liquidity to its
shareholders, interval funds conduct periodic repurchase offers for a portion of a fund’s
outstanding shares. However, there is no guarantee that investors may sell their shares at
any given time or in the desired amount. The terms and conditions of repurchase offers are
set forth in the respective fund prospectus.
Tax Risk Consequences. The tax structure of an alternative investment may be complex.
Therefore, in some cases, you may be required to seek an extension on the time to file your
tax return. Additionally, tax-deferred or tax-exempt accounts may incur taxable income.
We therefore recommend you discuss these and related concerns with your tax advisor
before investing.
16
Unregistered Investment Risk. Certain alternative investments are not subject to the SEC’s
registration and disclosure requirements. Many of the normal investor protections, such as
limiting how much can be invested in any one investment and assuring fairness in pricing
that are common to registered investment products, are not provided to investors in
unregistered alternative investments.
Leverage Risk. Leverage Risk is the risk that using leverage (borrowing or synthetic
borrowing) to multiply exposure to particular investments or markets, with the goal of
multiplying returns, will also multiply losses. Leveraged investments will lose more money
from downturns than unleveraged investments. The risk increases as the leverage rate (e.g.,
2x, 3x), increases. There are several ways to achieve leverage in an alternative investment,
such as options, swaps, and futures that are collectively called “derivatives”. Derivatives
have an explicit cost along with the associated increase in risk relative to non-leveraged
portfolios.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial contracts that derive their value from an asset
or other underlying reference. For funds that invest directly or indirectly in a variety of
derivatives, including options, futures contracts and swaps, there is the risk that changes in
their value may not move as expected relative to changes in the value of the underlying
reference asset they are designed to track.
Fees and Expenses. Expenses in alternative investments are generally higher than
traditional investments. Besides the annual asset-based fee, managers of alternative
investments may also receive a percentage of any annual gain. An investor should
understand the fee structure of the alternative investment prior to investing.
Valuation Risk. Alternative investments often trade in illiquid securities and are not
required to provide frequent pricing or valuation information to investors. In normal
markets, it is sometimes difficult to price these instruments, causing managers to estimate
market values. In stressed markets, the problem may be magnified, leaving investors with
an imprecise understanding of a portfolio’s net asset value. Valuation for investments for
which market quotations are not available may, at times, be estimates.
Blind Pool Offering Risk. In blind pool offerings, an investor will not have the opportunity
to evaluate a fund’s future investments before they are made.
Reinsurance-Related Securities Risk. The principal risk of an investment in a reinsurance-
related security is that a triggering event(s) (e.g., (i) natural events, such as a hurricane,
tornado or earthquake of a particular size/magnitude in a designated geographic area; or
(ii) non-natural events, such as large aviation disasters) will occur and the Fund will lose
all or a significant portion of the principal it has invested in the security and the right to
additional interest payments with respect to the security. If multiple triggering events occur
that impact a significant portion of the portfolio of the Fund, the Fund could suffer
substantial losses, and an investor will lose money.
Regulatory Risks of REITs. REITs are required to meet certain requirements in order to
remain qualified as such under the Internal Revenue Code. A company that fails to qualify
as a REIT would lose various tax advantages, including the deductibility of the
distributions it makes to shareholders. The present federal income tax treatment of a REIT
may be modified by legislative, judicial or administrative action at any time, and such
modifications may adversely affect the REIT. In addition, in order to qualify as a REIT a
company must annually distribute nearly all of its ordinary taxable income to its
shareholders. This distribution requirement limits the ability of a REIT to accumulate
capital for use for other business purposes. Moreover, if a REIT does not have sufficient
cash or other liquid assets to meet the distribution requirement it may have to borrow
money or sell properties at disadvantageous times in order to make the required
distribution. In addition, many REITs impose limits on the percentage of the outstanding
17
shares or interests that may be beneficially owned by a person or entity, and various other
anti-takeover or defensive provisions.
Managed Futures Risk. TandemGrowth may recommend, as part of the client’s investment strategy,
ETFs that pursue managed futures strategies. These strategies typically invest in futures and related
derivatives tied to a broad range of asset classes, including commodities (e.g., energy, metals,
agricultural products), equity indices, government bond futures, and currencies and interest rates.
Investing in managed futures ETFs involves a number of risks, including loss of capital. Additional
risks include, but are not limited to:
Market Risk. The value of ETFs and the futures contracts they hold may fluctuate
significantly due to changes in market conditions, economic developments, geopolitical
events, interest rates or other factors.
Derivatives Risk. Managed futures ETFs primarily invest through derivative instruments
such as futures and swaps. Derivatives can be more volatile than traditional securities and
may magnify gains.
Leverage Risk. Futures contracts require only a small amount of margin relative to the
underlying contract value. This creates economic leverage, which can result in substantial
gains or losses relative to the capital invested.
Commodity Exposure Risk. To the extent a managed futures ETF obtains exposure to
commodities markets, it may be subject to risks associated with commodity prices,
including supply disruptions, geopolitical events, weather conditions, and regulatory
changes.
Cybersecurity Risk. The information technology systems and networks that TandemGrowth and its
third-party service providers use to provide services to TandemGrowth’s clients employ various
controls, which are designed to prevent cybersecurity incidents stemming from intentional or
unintentional actions that could cause significant interruptions in TandemGrowth’s operations and
result in the unauthorized acquisition or use of clients’ confidential or non-public personal
information. Clients and TandemGrowth are nonetheless subject to the risk of cybersecurity
incidents that could ultimately cause them to incur losses, including for example: financial losses,
cost, and reputational damage to respond to regulatory obligations, other costs associated with
corrective measures, and loss from damage or interruption to systems. Although TandemGrowth
has established its systems to reduce the risk of cybersecurity incidents from coming to fruition,
there is no guarantee that these efforts will always be successful, especially considering that
TandemGrowth does not directly control the cybersecurity measures and policies employed by
third-party service providers. Clients could incur similar adverse consequences resulting from
cybersecurity incidents that more directly affect issuers of securities in which those clients invest,
broker-dealers, qualified custodians, governmental and other regulatory authorities, exchange and
other financial market operators, or other financial institutions.
Securities-Based Loans. TandemGrowth does not recommend the use of margin for investment
purposes. However, if a client determines to take a margin loan that collateralizes a portion of the
assets that TandemGrowth is managing, TandemGrowth’s investment advisory fee will be
computed based upon the full value of the assets, without deducting the amount of the margin loan.
Without limiting the above, upon specific client request and generally in a financial planning
context, TandemGrowth may help clients evaluate and establish a margin or securities based loan
18
(“SBL”) with the client’s broker-dealer/custodian or their affiliated banks (each, an “SBL Lender”)
to access cash flow. Compared to real estate-backed loan, an SBL could provide access to funds in
a shorter time, provide greater repayment flexibility, and may also result in the borrower receiving
certain tax benefits. Clients interested in learning more about the potential tax benefits of SBLs
should consult with an accountant or tax advisor. The terms and conditions of each SBL are
contained in a separate agreement between the client and the SBL Lender selected by the client,
which terms and conditions may vary from client to client. SBLs are not suitable for all clients and
are subject to certain risks, including but not limited to: increased market risk, increased risk of
loss, especially in the event of a significant downturn; liquidity risk; the potential obligation to post
collateral or repay the SBL if the SBL Lender determines that the value of collateralized securities
is no longer sufficient to support the value of the SBL; the risk that the SBL Lender may liquidate
the client’s securities to satisfy its demand for additional collateral or repayment / the risk that the
SBL Lender may terminate the SBL at any time. Before agreeing to participate in SBL programs,
clients should carefully review the applicable SBL agreement and all risk disclosures provided by
the SBL Lender including the initial margin and maintenance requirements for the specific program
in which the client enrolls, and the procedures for issuing “margin calls” and liquidating securities
and other assets in the client’s accounts.
If TandemGrowth recommends that a client apply for a SBL instead of selling securities that
TandemGrowth manages for a fee to meet liquidity needs, the recommendation presents an ongoing
conflict of interest because selling those securities (instead of leveraging those securities to access
an SBL) would reduce the amount of assets to which TandemGrowth’s investment advisory fee
percentage is applied, and thereby reduce the amount of investment advisory fees collected by
TandemGrowth. Likewise, the same ongoing conflict of interest is present if a client determines to
apply for a SBL on their own initiative. These ongoing conflicts of interest would persist as long
as TandemGrowth has an economic disincentive to recommend that the client terminate the use of
SBLs. If the client were to invest any portion of the SBL proceeds in an account that
TandemGrowth manages, TandemGrowth will receive an advisory fee on the invested amount,
which could compound this conflict of interest. If a client accesses a SBL through its relationship
with TandemGrowth and the client’s relationship with TandemGrowth is terminated, clients may
incur higher (retail) interest rates on the outstanding loan balance. Clients are not under any
obligation to employ the use of SBLs, and are solely responsible for determining when to use,
reduce, and terminate the use of SBLs. Although TandemGrowth seeks to disclose all conflicts of
interest related to its recommended use of SBLs and related business practices, there may be other
conflicts of interest that are not identified above. Clients are therefore reminded to carefully review
the applicable SBL agreement, and all risk disclosures provided by the SBL Lender as applicable
and contact TandemGrowth’s Chief Compliance Officer with any questions about the use of SBLs.
Item 9
Disciplinary Information
TandemGrowth has not been the subject of any disciplinary actions.
Item 10
Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations
A. Neither TandemGrowth, nor its representatives, are registered or have an application pending to
register, as a broker-dealer or a registered representative of a broker-dealer.
19
B. Neither TandemGrowth, nor its representatives, are registered or have an application pending to
register, as a futures commission merchant, commodity pool operator, a commodity trading
advisor, or a representative of the foregoing.
C. TandemGrowth does not have any relationship or arrangement that is material to its advisory
business or to its clients with any related person. However, TandemGrowth maintains a Business
Continuity and Succession Plan to mitigate a disruption of service to clients in the event of an
unforeseen loss of key personnel, due to disability or death. To that end, TandemGrowth has
entered into a Succession Agreement with Focus Partners (formerly known as Buckingham
Strategic Wealth, LLC), effective September 25, 2018.
D. TandemGrowth does not receive, directly or indirectly, compensation from investment advisors
that it recommends or selects for its clients.
Item 11
Code of Ethics, Participation or Interest in Client Transactions and Personal
Trading
A. TandemGrowth maintains an investment policy relative to personal securities transactions. This
investment policy is part of TandemGrowth’s overall Code of Ethics, which serves to establish a
standard of business conduct for all of TandemGrowth’s representatives that is based upon
fundamental principles of openness, integrity, honesty and trust, a copy of which is available upon
request.
In accordance with Section 204A of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, TandemGrowth also
maintains and enforces written policies reasonably designed to prevent the misuse of material non-
public information by TandemGrowth or any person associated with TandemGrowth.
B. Neither TandemGrowth nor any related person of TandemGrowth recommends, buys, or sells for
client accounts, securities in which TandemGrowth or any related person of TandemGrowth has a
material financial interest.
C. TandemGrowth its representatives may buy or sell securities that are also recommended to clients.
This practice may create a situation where TandemGrowth or its representatives are in a position
to materially benefit from the sale or purchase of those securities, presenting a conflict of interest.
Practices such as “scalping” (i.e., if the owner of securities recommends that security for investment
and then immediately sells it at a profit upon the rise in the market price following the
recommendation) could take place if TandemGrowth did not have adequate policies in place to
detect such activities. In addition, this requirement can help detect insider trading, “front-running”
(i.e., personal trades executed prior to those of TandemGrowth’s clients) and other potentially
abusive practices.
TandemGrowth has a personal securities transaction policy in place to monitor the personal
securities transactions and securities holdings of each of TandemGrowth’s “Access Persons.”
TandemGrowth’s securities transaction policy requires that Access Persons must provide the Chief
Compliance Officer or their designee with a written report of their current securities holdings within
ten (10) days after becoming an Access Person. Additionally, each Access Person must provide the
Chief Compliance Officer or their designee with a written report of the Access Person’s current
securities holdings at least once each twelve (12) month period thereafter on a date TandemGrowth
selects; provided, however that at any time that TandemGrowth has only one Access Person, they
will not be required to submit any securities report described above.
20
D. TandemGrowth and/or representatives of TandemGrowth may buy or sell securities, at or around
the same time as those securities are recommended to clients. This practice creates a situation where
TandemGrowth and/or representatives of TandemGrowth are in a position to materially benefit
from the sale or purchase of those securities. Therefore, this situation presents a conflict of interest.
As indicated above in Item 11.C, TandemGrowth has a personal securities transaction policy in
place to monitor the personal securities transaction and securities holdings of each of
TandemGrowth’s Access Persons.
Item 12
Brokerage Practices
A. If a client requests that TandemGrowth recommend a broker-dealer/custodian for execution or
custodial services, TandemGrowth generally recommends that investment management accounts
be maintained at Fidelity. Before engaging TandemGrowth to provide investment management
services, the client enters into an agreement with TandemGrowth setting forth the terms and
conditions for the management of the client’s assets, and a separate custodial/clearing agreement
with each designated broker-dealer/custodian. Depending on which broker-dealer/custodian clients
select to maintain their account, they may experience differences in customer service, transaction
timing, the availability of sweep account vehicles and money market funds, and other aspects of
investing that could cause differences in account performance.
When seeking “best execution,” from a broker-dealer, the determinative factor is not always the
lowest possible cost, but whether the transaction represents the best qualitative execution when
considering the full range of a broker-dealer’s services including the value of research provided,
execution capability, commission rates, and responsiveness. Although TandemGrowth cannot
guarantee that clients will always experience the best possible execution available, TandemGrowth
seeks to recommend a broker-dealer/custodian that will hold client assets and execute transactions
on terms that are, overall, most advantageous when compared with other available providers and
their services.
TandemGrowth considers a wide range of factors when recommending a broker-dealer/custodian,
including:
Combination of transaction execution services and asset custody services (generally without a
separate fee for custody);
Capability to execute, clear and settle trades (buy and sell securities for client accounts);
Capability to facilitate transfers and payments to and from accounts (wire transfers, check
requests, bill payment, etc.);
Breadth of available investment products (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, etc.);
Quality of services (including research);
Competitiveness of the price of those services (commission rates, margin interest rates, other
fees, etc.) and willingness to negotiate the prices;
Reputation, financial strength, and stability; and
Prior service to TandemGrowth and its other clients.
Fidelity is compensated for its services according to its fee schedule (which may vary), generally
by charging clients commissions or other fees on trades that it executes or that settle into their
Fidelity account. Although TandemGrowth will seek competitive rates and seek best execution for
its clients, it may not necessarily obtain the lowest possible commission rates and related charges
for all client account transactions.
21
1. Research and Other Benefits.
While TandemGrowth does not receive traditional “soft dollar benefits,” TandemGrowth and
by extension, its clients receive access to certain institutional brokerage services (trading,
custody, reporting, and related services), many of which are not typically available to Fidelity
retail customers. Fidelity also makes various support services available to TandemGrowth.
Some of those services help TandemGrowth manage or administer its clients’ accounts; while
others help it manage and grow its business. Fidelity’s support services generally are available
on an unsolicited basis (TandemGrowth does not have to request them) and at no charge to
TandemGrowth.
Fidelity’s institutional brokerage services include access to a broad range of investment
products, execution of securities transactions, and custody of client assets. The investment
products available through Fidelity include some to which TandemGrowth might not otherwise
have access or that would require a significantly higher minimum initial investment by its
clients. These services benefit TandemGrowth’s clients and their accounts.
Fidelity also makes other products and services available to TandemGrowth that benefits
TandemGrowth but may only indirectly benefit its clients or their accounts, such as investment
research developed by Fidelity or third parties that TandemGrowth may use to service clients’
accounts. In addition to investment research, Fidelity also makes available software and other
technology that:
Provide access to client account data (such as duplicate trade confirmations and account
statements);
Facilitate trade execution and allocate aggregated trade orders for multiple client accounts;
Provide pricing and other market data;
Facilitate payment of our fees from other clients’ accounts; and
Assist with back-office functions, recordkeeping, and client reporting.
Fidelity may offer other services intended to help TandemGrowth manage and further develop
its business. These services include:
Educational conferences and events;
Consulting on technology, compliance, legal and business needs;
Publications and conferences on practice management and business succession; and
Access to employee benefits providers, human capital consultants, and insurance
providers.
Fidelity may provide some of these services itself. In other cases, it will arrange for third-party
vendors to provide the services to TandemGrowth. Fidelity may discount or waive its fees for
some of these services or pay all or a part of a third party’s fees. Fidelity can also provide
occasional business meals and entertainment for TandemGrowth’s personnel.
The availability of the services and products described above that TandemGrowth receives
from Fidelity (the “Services and Products”) provides TandemGrowth with an advantage,
because TandemGrowth does not have to produce or purchase them. However, TandemGrowth
does not have to pay Fidelity or any other entity for Services and Products that Fidelity
provides. TandemGrowth’s clients do not pay more for investment transactions executed or
assets maintained at Fidelity as a result of this arrangement. The receipt of Services and
Products are not contingent upon TandemGrowth committing any specific amount of business
to Fidelity in trading commissions or assets in custody. There is no corresponding commitment
made by TandemGrowth to Fidelity or any other entity to invest any specific amount or
22
percentage of client assets in any specific securities or investment products as a result of the
above. However, this arrangement nonetheless incentivizes TandemGrowth to recommend
that clients maintain their account with Fidelity, based on its interest in receiving Fidelity’s
services that benefit its business rather than based on clients’ interest in receiving the best value
in custody services and the most favorable execution of their transactions. This presents a
conflict of interest. When making such a recommendation, however, TandemGrowth does so
when it reasonably believes that recommending Fidelity to serve as broker-dealer/custodian is
in the best interests of its clients based upon the factors discussed throughout this Item 12. It is
primarily supported by the scope, quality, and price of Fidelity’s services and not Fidelity’s
services that benefit only TandemGrowth.
2. TandemGrowth does not receive referrals from broker-dealers.
3. Directed Brokerage. TandemGrowth does not generally accept directed brokerage
arrangements (when a client requires that account transactions be executed through a specific
broker-dealer). In such client directed arrangements the client will negotiate terms and
arrangements for their account with that broker-dealer, and TandemGrowth will not seek better
execution services or prices from other broker-dealers or be able to “batch” the client’s
transactions for execution through other broker-dealers with orders for other accounts managed
by TandemGrowth. As a result, clients may pay higher commissions or other transaction costs
or greater spreads, or receive less favorable net prices, on transactions for the account than
would otherwise be the case.
B. TandemGrowth will generally execute account transactions for each client independently unless
TandemGrowth decides to purchase or sell the same securities for several clients at approximately
the same time. TandemGrowth may (but is not obligated to) combine or “bunch” such orders for
individual equity transactions (including ETFs) with the intention to obtain better price execution,
to negotiate more favorable commission rates, or to allocate more equitably among the Firm’s
clients differences in prices and commissions or other transaction costs that might have occurred
had such orders been placed independently. Under this procedure, transactions will be averaged as
to price and will be allocated among clients in proportion to the purchase and sale orders placed for
each client account on any given day. If the Firm becomes aware that a Firm employee seeks to
trade in the same security on the same day, the employee transaction will either be included in the
“batch” transaction or transacted after all discretionary client transactions have been completed.
TandemGrowth will not receive any additional compensation or remuneration as a result of such
aggregation.
Item 13
Review of Accounts
A. For those clients to whom TandemGrowth provides investment supervisory services, account
reviews are conducted on an ongoing basis by TandemGrowth’s Principals and/or representatives.
All investment supervisory clients are advised that it remains their responsibility to advise
TandemGrowth of any changes in their investment objectives and/or financial situation. All clients
(in person or via telephone) are encouraged to review financial planning issues (to the extent
applicable), investment objectives and account performance with TandemGrowth on an annual
basis.
B. TandemGrowth may conduct account reviews on an-other than periodic basis upon the occurrence
of a triggering event, such as a change in client investment objectives and/or financial situation,
market corrections and client request.
23
C. Clients are provided, at least quarterly, with written transaction confirmation notices and regular
written summary account statements directly from the broker-dealer/custodian and/or program
sponsor for the client accounts. TandemGrowth may also provide a written periodic report
summarizing account activity and performance.
Item 14
Client Referrals and Other Compensation
A. As referenced in Item 12.A above, TandemGrowth receives economic benefits from Fidelity
including support services or products without cost or at a discount. TandemGrowth’s clients do
not pay more for investment transactions executed or assets maintained at Fidelity as a result of
this arrangement. There is no corresponding commitment made by TandemGrowth to Fidelity or
any other entity to invest any specific amount or percentage of client assets in any specific mutual
funds, securities or other investment products as a result of the above arrangement.
B. TandemGrowth does not maintain solicitor arrangements/pay referral fee compensation to non-
employees for new client introductions.
Item 15
Custody
TandemGrowth generally has the ability to have its fees for each client debited by the custodian on
a quarterly basis. Clients are provided, at least quarterly, with written transaction confirmation
notices and regular written summary account statements directly from the broker-dealer/custodian
or program sponsor for the client accounts. TandemGrowth may also provide a written periodic
report summarizing account activity and performance.
TandemGrowth provides other services on behalf of its clients that require disclosure at ADV Part
1, Item 9. In particular, certain clients have signed asset transfer authorizations that permit the
qualified custodian to rely upon instructions from TandemGrowth to transfer client funds or
securities to “third parties.” In accordance with the guidance provided in the SEC Staff’s February
21, 2017 Investment Adviser Association No-Action Letter, the affected accounts are not subjected
to an annual surprise CPA examination.
If TandemGrowth provides clients with account statements or reports, TandemGrowth urges clients
to carefully review those statements and compare them to custodial account statements.
TandemGrowth’s statements may vary from custodial statements based on accounting procedures,
reporting dates, or valuation methodologies of certain securities. The account custodian does not
verify the accuracy of TandemGrowth’s advisory fee calculations.
Item 16
Investment Discretion
Clients typically engage TandemGrowth to provide investment advisory services on a discretionary
basis. Before TandemGrowth assumes discretionary authority over a client’s account, the client
will be required to sign an Investment Advisory Agreement, naming TandemGrowth as the client’s
agent in fact, granting TandemGrowth full authority to buy, sell, or otherwise execute investment
transactions involving the assets in the client’s name within the discretionary account.
Clients who engage TandemGrowth on a discretionary basis may, at any time, impose restrictions,
in writing, on TandemGrowth’s discretionary authority. (e.g., limit the types/amounts of particular
24
securities purchased for their account, exclude the ability to purchase securities with an inverse
relationship to the market, limit or proscribe TandemGrowth’s use of margin, etc.).
Clients that engage TandemGrowth on a non-discretionary basis concurrently accept that
TandemGrowth cannot effect any account transactions without obtaining the client’s prior consent.
Therefore for example, if securities markets experience significant volatility, and the client is
unavailable to provide consent to TandemGrowth’s recommended transactions, TandemGrowth
will be unable to effect such transactions as it would for its discretionary clients. Affected clients
may suffer investment losses or miss potential investment gains as a result.
Item 17
Voting Client Securities
A. TandemGrowth does not vote client proxies. Clients maintain exclusive responsibility for: (1)
directing the manner in which proxies solicited by issuers of securities beneficially owned by the
client shall be voted, and (2) making all elections relative to any mergers, acquisitions, tender
offers, bankruptcy proceedings or other type events pertaining to the client’s investment assets.
B. Clients will receive their proxies or other solicitations directly from their custodian. Clients may
contact TandemGrowth to discuss any questions they may have with a particular solicitation.
Item 18
Financial Information
A. TandemGrowth does not solicit fees of more than $1,200, per client, six months or more in advance.
B. TandemGrowth is unaware of any financial condition that is reasonably likely to impair its ability
to meet its contractual commitments relating to its discretionary authority over certain client
accounts.
C. TandemGrowth has not been the subject of a bankruptcy petition.
TandemGrowth’s Chief Compliance Officer, Jeffrey Bernier is available to address any questions about
this Brochure, any conflicts of interest presented, and any aspect of TandemGrowth’s services.
25