Selling a business for millions of dollars is often viewed as the ultimate finish line—but for many entrepreneurs, it’s actually the beginning of a new and unexpected challenge. In this episode of Build It to Billions, Brett Swarts sits down with Jeff Bernier, President of TandemGrowth Financial Advisors, to explore what he calls the “morning after” crisis: the emotional, financial, and personal questions that arise once the deal is done and the wire hits the bank. While most advisors focus on getting owners to the closing table, Jeff shares why the real work begins after the sale, when newfound liquidity, identity shifts, and purpose all come into focus.
Together, Brett and Jeff discuss how successful business owners can avoid common post-exit mistakes, preserve and grow their wealth through intentional planning, and create a meaningful life beyond entrepreneurship. Whether you’re preparing to sell your business next year or simply want to build a long-term exit strategy, this conversation offers valuable insights into managing both the financial and human side of a life-changing liquidity event.
Episode Highlights Here:
Brett
Before we jump into this episode, I want to invite you to join our community to help you become a better steward, scale to billions, and ultimately give more or all of it away. All I want
you to do is to click the subscribe button right now. I love your support. It’s incredible to see your comments, and we’re just getting started. I can’t wait to go on this journey with you.
Thank you so much for subscribing; it means the world to me. Welcome to the Build to Billions podcast, where we guide successful entrepreneurs on their journey from millions to billions. We believe the key to scaling and compounding your wealth in life starts every single day with the mindset and practice of stewardship over ownership and applying billionaire biblical principles. Our ultimate goal is to have to scale and compound your wealth in life, so you can give more all the way to help MVPs. My name is Brett Swartz. Each and every episode, we’re joined by the world’s top entrepreneurs, millionaires, or billionaires, and they share their secrets, insights, and wisdom with us, so we can all scale up and make a bigger impact. I’m excited about our next guest. But before we go there, we’re also streaming here on Capital Gains Tax Solutions podcast and YouTube channels, so we appreciate all of the listeners out there as well. Excited about our next guest. He’s out of the Atlanta area, and he’s a president and wealth. He’s a wealth advisor. He’s the author of the Money and Meaning Journey. He’s a CFP, financial advisor, financial planner, investment management, and he and he is he is going to help us today to help us get clarity, financial confidence, and some joy, especially as you go to exit or retire or move to the next season, next chapter of your life. He brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise. Please welcome to the show with me, Jeffrey or Jeff Bernier. Jeff, how are we doing?
Jeff
I’m doing great, Brett. Thanks for having me.
Brett
Excellent. For let’s just get to know you for the first time. Maybe tell us a little bit more about your story and your current focus.
Jeff
Yeah. So, my name is Jeff Brenier again. I’m the founder and president of a wealth management company here in the northern suburbs of Atlanta, Alpharetta, Georgia. For those of it that know the Atlanta area, and you know I’m passionate about helping people get clear about what matters, especially my hero is a mid to late career professional who is strategizing what’s next, and I I’ve been through I went through a process myself when I turned 50 that we can talk about if you have interest, that really, really hit me like a ton of bricks, and that was a that was a few years ago. But it just convinced me that I wanted to transform the way we were serving our clients so that we could serve them in a more holistic way in terms of you know what matters most, not just about accumulating, you know, bigger net worth.
Brett
Absolutely, let’s dive right into that. So, what’s the number one secret to that you went through to learn how to navigate and or simplify the complexities of financial decisions, or just planning?
Jeff
Well, I I think you know if we back up for a moment and just think about this hero, we’ve got the we’ve got a lot of people who are late in their careers, and so much of their identity is tied up into what they do, and so we have these uniforms, and we have years and years of pats on the back and Atta boy’s for performance, and we get to a certain point in life, and many of us get to a point, and just it’s kind of like that movie that Jack Nichols was in many years ago, where he says, “Is this all there is? And we start losing, we start losing the passion for the work that we’re doing, and so we have to sort of go to the locker room and kind of figure out what’s next. And so what happens oftentimes is they’ll transition to retirement or into Act Two, as I call it in my in my book, without really being clear on their why and what matters, and so what often happens is we move into this next phase of life, and we treat Act Two like we did Act One, and we just get really busy and say yes to everything, and so I think the mistake we make is you’ve really got to go to the woods and kind of figure out you know, what matters before you even start doing the tactical planning around, you know, the really the three important concepts that you have to evaluate as you as you prepare for this.
Brett
I couldn’t agree with you more. I went through a maybe a similar process with some coaching over the last year with 100x program with a guy named Lloyd Reeb, and he talked about you know getting clear, getting unstuck, and getting going. And the concept was getting really clear on your personal life mission statement, your family mission, vision, values, getting unstuck in those areas that are holding you back, and then get going on that next journey or that next. Of your journey, and of course, it includes the business, it includes the work, and it includes those. So, if you like this little, short clip of the interview I just did, click over here to watch the full interview, and please don’t forget to subscribe. Thanks so much, everybody.
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About Jeff Bernier
Jeff Bernier, CFP®, ChFC®, CFS®, is the Founder and President of TandemGrowth Financial Advisors, an independent, fee-only wealth management firm dedicated to helping individuals and families make confident financial decisions that align with their values and long-term goals. With more than four decades of experience in financial planning and investment management, Jeff specializes in retirement planning, tax-efficient wealth strategies, behavioral finance, and guiding business owners through the complex financial and emotional transitions that follow major liquidity events.
Jeff is also the author of The Money & Meaning Journey and host of The Money & Meaning Show, where he explores the intersection of financial success, purpose, and intentional living. Passionate about helping clients view wealth as a tool for creating freedom and lasting impact, Jeff brings a thoughtful, evidence-based approach to investing and legacy planning. His insights have helped countless entrepreneurs and high-net-worth families navigate life’s biggest financial decisions with clarity and confidence.
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