Shope + Associates, LLC

Helping retirees and near-retirees develop a well-thought-out plan that gives them the confidence to make work optional and live a life of freedom. We do this by helping you manage your assets according to your purpose and values, minimize your lifetime taxes, and generate consistent income. It doesn't end there, though. We continually monitor your plan and meet with you on a regular basis to ensure your needs are met. We keep the process simple and our pricing straightforward, just like it should be.

Managing Partner | Fee-Only Financial Advisor

Shope & Company, Inc.

Operated a private wealth management firm committed to working comprehensively with client's wealth management plans. Responsible for creating investment, financial and estate planning strategies that work together to expand, manage and distribute wealth. Maintained a strong reputation for portfolio management, designing tax and estate planning concepts and strategies to meet and exceed objectives and provide implementation so the family's goals are realized.

Financial Planner | Owner

Sigma Financial Corporation

Sigma Financial Corporation is a comprehensive financial services firm committed to helping clients improve their long-term financial success. Their customized programs are designed to help manage our clients’ wealth by delivering an unprecedented level of personalized service.

Independent Broker Dealer, No Proprietary Products, 9-Time Winner of Investment Advisor BD of the Year, 3-time Winner of REP. Magazines Broker Dealer Report Card

Certified Wealth Strategist® | Financial Planner

Hantz Financial Services, Inc.

At Hantz Financial, in addition to maintaining a financial planning practice, I served in numerous capacities in the growth of the organization.  My responsibilities included:

- Training and developing first-year advisors in the Greater Detroit Region.
- Assisted the Advanced Planning Team, which was focused on solving the issues of High-Net worth clients, in the development of case studies and comprehensive financial plans.
- Helped in the growth and transition of a group of recruited advisors in Northeastern Ohio.
- Worked with advisors between Mid-Michigan and Southern Ohio to reinforce the importance of integrating estate planning into the overall financial planning process for the firm’s clients.

Financial Consultant | Co-Founder

Lennington & Associates, PLLC

Responsible for the implementation of systems and strategies to ensure clients of Hantz Financial addressed their estate planning issues and concerns.  This involved developing a process by which each financial plan included a comprehensive review by an estate planning attorney from Lennington & Associates.

Director of Business Development

American Express Financial Advisors

Served as a paraplanner for a group of experienced financial advisors.  I was responsible for numerous administrative tasks and functions enabling the practice to operate efficiently and effectively.

Paraplanner

Certified Wealth Strategist® (CWS®) | Helping those 50+ learn how to retire confidently, reduce taxes, and generate consistent income to become financially independent.

If, after reading through the short description of who I typically serve and how I work, you find that we may work well together, feel free to contact me via phone or email for a complimentary, no-obligation initial consultation.

I have been fortunate to work with an outstanding group of committed clients for many years.  While each client holds their own values and visions unique to them, a few commonalities may help you determine if you would also benefit from my services.

- Most clients are either retired or within 10 years of retirement.

- My clients place a high value on financial planning and less emphasis on taking high risks trying to generate maximum return.

- My clients are long-term investors, comfortable with a custom asset management plan based on their risk tolerance, time horizon, goals, and income needs - not day-trading. 
 
- Most clients believe that their wealth is very important to them but no more important than family, faith, health, and community.

I am a Fee-Only financial advisor who takes great pride in acting on behalf of my clients. This means I have a responsibility to put my clients' interests well before my own in all recommendations.

At the core of our relationship is a custom financial plan geared toward life events such as retirement, wealth transfer, business succession, and asset protection.

Communication is key.  In addition to regular phone calls and emails, we will establish regular face-to-face meetings, typically 2-4 times per year.  Regular contact ensures a much higher probability of finding true meaning and success in your wealth.

If you have found you’d like to have a conversation about working together, I’d be happy to dedicate an hour to getting to know you better, discussing your intentions, and determining if I can provide value to you and your situation. 

To set up an initial meeting, contact me at pshope@shopeandassociates.com or by phone at (734) 479-1400.

Patrick Shope

Executive Coach | Mindfulness teacher | General Counsel (ex BigLaw, ex Fortune 100) | Outdoor enthusiast

Values driven leaders and high achievers turn to me for the hidden dynamics that make or break careers. Most come to me for one of three reasons:

✨ They’re facing huge change and uncertainty and want someone in their corner who understands.

✨ They don’t know what they want and are looking for clarity about their next steps.

✨ They’re ready to create more meaningful impact.

Beneath each of these challenges are the same hidden dynamics, the patterns that leave people feeling like they’ve lost the map, unable to see what’s really driving their choices or holding them back.

Maybe you’ve been putting off reaching out to a coach. I did the same. Self-sufficiency works… until it doesn’t. (If I’m honest, it cost me professionally. Years.)

Maybe you’re not even sure coaching would help. Or hardest of all, like many of my clients, you’re not sure what you want anymore, and you’re starting to wonder if you ever really did.

As a certified coach (ICF-ACC, CPCC, NARM), mindfulness teacher, and with my background in psychology and law (I am still also a General Counsel), I help clients rewire their brain and nervous system, align with their values and who they are becoming, and build the self-awareness to not only recognize but confidently overcome or use the hidden dynamics to intentionally shape their lives and careers.

I offer private coaching, practical tools and group classes.

Book a call: tidycal.com/alanatart

Alana Tart

Leaning into fairness/unfairness 
 
Holds you back
 
Matthew McConaughey spent decades as Mr. All Right, All Right, All Right
 
Rising fast off the luck of those 3 lines from Dazed and Confused
 
(unfairness working for him)
 
He then chased box office success. critical acknowledgement and respect of his peers
 
And they started to elude him
 
He became THE shirtless rom-com lead, dismissed by critics and only offered roles he did not want
 
(unfairness working against him)
 
The turning point came when he accepted unfairness and stopped chasing approval
 
He stepped away from $10–15 million offers and into obscurity for nearly two years 
 
He recognized Hollywood wasn’t going to hand him the career he felt he deserved. 
 
So he started exercising choice: smaller films, harder roles. Work that gave him joy, even if it didn’t guarantee box office glory. 
 
And the paradox? 
 
That is when he received the Oscar, critical acclaim, and a “McConaissance” that redefined his career
 
The myths of fairness and meritocracy (“with perseverance, resilience and hard work I will get what I deserve”) will hold you back
 
Here are three shifts you can make today:
 
1/ See unfairness clearly
↳ Merit ≠ reward 
↳ Expecting fairness keeps you stuck
↳ Clarity gives you agency
 
2/ Replace fairness with contribution
↳ Corporate is designed as a zero-sum game (it is not fair)
↳ Contribution gives you connection and dignity
 ↳ Lift others to not lose yourself
 
3/ Define your success
↳ Fairness keeps you chasing a universal scorecard
↳  Self-definition sets you free
↳ Paradoxically, it’s often when recognition arrives

As Matthew McConaughey says: “The sooner we become less impressed with our lives, our accomplishments, our careers, and more involved in them… the sooner we get better at what we’re doing.”

Coach, Teacher, Trusted Advisor | Also a General Counsel (ex Fortune 100, ex BigLaw) and Board Director | Soft heart, steel spine.

Twice a week at 5:30 a.m., I travelled into central London
 
Not heading to the office early. Not “getting ahead”. Not “seizing the day.”

Instead a parent taking her six-year-old to the figure skating rink before school and work

We’d eat breakfast on the tube (the London underground)

I tied her skates with cold fingers and tried to remember the names of what she practiced 

I still have no idea. 

Is an axle harder than a double salchow? What even is a camel spin?

It has always been her dream to realise, mine to support

In two weeks I’m taking that same girl, now 14, to visit a boarding school where she can skate every day

The thought of not seeing her daily hurts 

And makes those dark, cold, and inconvenient mornings treasured memories

One day, she’ll look back with the understanding that her dreams matter

I hope you know the same about your dreams

I’m not on holiday

But the powder is perfect, so I’m here 👇 with a friend

We ski in the mornings
We do focused work and meetings in the afternoons
And we end the day with the spa and good food

People tend to confuse seriousness and commitment with visible strain, as if work only counts when it looks like:

Evenings spent recovering from the day
Exercise treated like a scheduling problem
Meals eaten at a desk because it’s “more efficient”

I’m still a lawyer at heart. I love hard work. I’ll probably always have my workaholic tendencies, I’m just more intentional now about when and how they show up.

So I’m not skiing instead of working.

I’m skiing because this is how I’ve learned to structure my work week.

(Picture taken by me from No. 14 Verbier. Highly recommend: https://lnkd.in/eHzDPp67)

A fellow poodle owner publicly informed me that I was cruel for letting my dog Clemmie play in the snow without a coat.

Let’s call this what it was: concern mixed with an unsolicited grab for moral authority.

Some would call her a “Karen.” 

I understand the impulse. 

Being called cruel (toward animals!) spikes your defensiveness and practically begs you to swing back.

But “Karen” is a sugar rush. 

It feels satisfying for a second, then it flattens the whole moment into a cheap label and quietly mirrors the exact judgment you’re critiquing.

Calling her “Karen” would’ve dragged me into a status fight I didn’t sign up for.

So I tilted my head (approachable, curious, non-dominant without being submissive)

Smiled (warm, regulated)

(combo = Not here to fight. Not threatened)

And said, “I appreciate concern for animals.” (Sincere. Aimed at the principle, not the accusation.)

No debate. No performance. No counterattack.

Because the higher regard move isn’t ‘winning’, it’s being the person who doesn’t need to.


PS I hope that all those with snow are having fun! ❄️❄️❄️

This is doing the rounds

Laugh, cringe, then look closer...This is a masterclass in getting your value recognised

You don’t promote yourself, you create the conditions for others to promote you.

And others (including me) are promoting this dog

Here’s what the dog accidentally teaches about recognition:

1/ Don’t just bark. Signal value.
Link behaviour to outcomes others care about, at the moment it matters. 
 
2/ Combine competence with warmth
Humour (and puppy eyes) helps. Recognition sticks when people feel safe and impressed.
 
3/ Make it easy for others to validate you
Act alongside those who already have standing. Let the pack validate the contribution.
 
4/ Repeat with consistency.
Predictable usefulness beats one big bark

So yes, the graphic is cringe.
  
But the lesson is precise.

The recognition formula is simple: clear contribution + social attunement + a subtle claim

Even when it’s taught by a dog narrating a basic bark like it’s a heroic act

I used to work in a 70,000+ organization
There were meetings about meetings.
Meetings to “socialize” decisions already made.
Meetings where an hour was spent debating punctuation.

The cartoon mocks meetings for being empty.

They aren’t.

They’re doing exactly what a system demands.

And when people complain about meetings, they’re often criticizing behaviour encouraged by their organization.

Meetings reveal:
💠 how work is made visible
💠 how much risk individuals are allowed to carry
💠 how decisions earn legitimacy
💠 how to show alignment to the group

Meetings also allocate attention. They determine which problems matter, which data gets airtime, and which alternatives quietly disappear.

When outcomes are visible, meetings are efficient.

(In my current SME, meetings run like Swiss trains)

When progress is risky for participants, meetings are performative.

So the art isn’t to complain about meetings.

It’s to notice what they reward and what they quietly punish.

And then to decide, deliberately, whether you’re using meetings to shape reality, or letting them shape you.


---

The truth about LinkedIn most do not want to admit:


It follows the rules we already live by but pretend don’t exist

The same ones that operate in corporate

Just like in the office:
-Doing good work doesn’t always lead to recognition.
-Being right doesn’t automatically translate into influence.
-Being likable isn’t the same as being powerful.

And a lot of well-intentioned LinkedIn advice suggests to:
 “Just post good content.”
 “Just add value.”
 “Just be authentic.”

But that advice tends to work best among perceived peers.

What consistently does work, on LinkedIn and in organizations, is:

💠 Demonstrated competence paired with genuine warmth.
 
💠Contribution that leaves others feeling respected, seen, and elevated.

You can see this pattern clearly in Simon P MARSHALL's Q4 2025 Legal LinkedInfluencers report.

It highlights trusted, grounded, and generous lawyers many of whom I’m fortunate to learn from and call friends.

Different platform. Same social dynamics.

Thank you to Simon for your tireless work on the report. I am humbled to be included. 

Download the report here: https://lnkd.in/e7w5K3Sf

Whether you have one direct report or you’re the CEO of a Fortune 100 company, leadership changes how credit works.

People in leadership roles tend to get more credit, and more blame, than they deserve. 

That can feel frustrating, especially to those without teams or titles. 

But it also explains why generosity with credit matters so much. 

Credit often feels like a limited resource, especially in competitive environments. 

But recognition isn’t zero-sum: giving it doesn’t reduce you own.

When leaders name others’ contributions and thank them for fuelling shared success, they don’t give their own credit away. 

They add to it, while building loyalty, trust, and commitment.

And long before you have a leadership role, people are already watching how you handle credit. 

Scrambling for recognition rarely helps. 

Calmly and accurately acknowledging others tends to signal confidence, credibility, and readiness to lead.

(picture of the medal given to the members of Dominant Information Solutions Canada (DISC) Inc's expert witness and litigation support team for their outstanding contribution in 2025)

Your competence is judged in seconds
And once people decide, they stop looking
(Do you see the zebras? Most people can’t, until someone points them out.)

Warm → not commanding
Quiet → not influential
Older → Out of touch
Younger → Inexperienced

It's unfair. It’s exhausting 

But you can change perceptions without changing who you are 

Here’s how:

1/ Own your story
↳ Define situations before others do
↳Speak about results, not intentions
↳ Manage impressions strategically
If you don’t shape the story, someone else will.

2/ Shape how you’re read
↳ Match body language and tone to situations
↳ Listen and be warm to build trust.
↳ Be clear and grounded to command respect
Presence changes perception.

3/ Make your impact visible
 ↳ Silent excellence is wasted potential.
 ↳ Share insights where people are paying attention
 ↳ Be seen where decisions are made
What stays unseen gets misunderstood.

4/ Turn differences into differentiators
↳Warm? You lower defences so ideas can land.
↳ Quiet? You create space for others to think.
 ↳ Older? You bring pattern recognition
↳ Younger? You see possibilities
What makes people underestimate you can become the reason they remember you.

Bias shapes how people see you.

But you can teach them to look again: to see the zebras, not just the shadows

Don't let other people's false assumptions define you.

-- 
We are coming up to week 2 of my first 2026 cohort for Power, Purpose and Presence program; week 3 is all about perception

There is little skill in deal-making with leverage

I know: I’ve negotiated hundreds

When you have leverage, the outcome reflects power asymmetry, not negotiating ability

The “deal” was never really in doubt

What often gets celebrated as success is theatre: a performance of competence where the ending was already written

That’s transactionalism masquerading as expertise

But what looks like a “win” today often becomes a problem later:
💠 Resentment gets priced in
💠Co-operation thins out
💠People look for ways around you

The harder work shows up when leverage is incomplete and the future matters.

That’s when judgement and restraint count

That’s when you find out who actually knows how to negotiate.

Don’t confuse leverage with virtue.
Don’t confuse outcomes with wisdom.

Anyone can win once with power.

Skill is winning again, and again, without burning the field.

Honesty about power isn’t cynicism.

It’s the prerequisite for agreements that hold and for relationships that still exist when the leverage is gone.

Power that compounds always outperforms power that consumes.

--
Yesterday was week 1 for my Q1 2026 Power, Purpose and Presence program: when power and status dynamics are clear, progress stops being so hard.

Most know that perception is reality

The problem is not knowing what to do, especially without feeling fake or political

So people keep performing.
Increase their visibility
And nothing changes.
  
Perception doesn’t change through effort or intention.
It changes when your work lands in what gets rewarded.

Is about relevance.

If others can’t quickly see:
→ why your work is important now
→ how it affects outcomes they care about
then it doesn’t count, no matter how good it is.

Work that isn’t clearly tied to priorities people reward gets ignored. Work that is gets amplified.

Perception isn’t about spin or self-promotion.

(and if this still feels fake or political, clarity about how things work isn’t the same as endorsing them)
 
It’s about alignment.

And until your contributions are clearly aligned with what others value, “perception is reality” stays true but useless.

Visual adapted from @VisualizeValue

--
We are nearly half way through my first 2026 cohort for Power, Purpose and Presence program; week 3 is all about perception

As a Canadian I get liking Heated Rivalry (the sound of ice, slap of sticks, a sweaty rink). But the fandom only makes sense in the context of what workplaces don’t allow

Yes, it’s gay erotica. And unapologetically Canadian. 

But Heated Rivalry’s popularity is not about the sex. 

(or Canada)
 
Or the romance.

It’s the yearning.

Something that most workplaces quietly discourage

Work norms reward neutrality, and restraint

And to be fair: unstructured, self-focused wanting always backfires
 
But when yearning is disallowed, people don’t stop wanting.

They become cynical. They disengage. “Purpose” gets outsourced to HR decks and values statements
 
The yearning in Heated Rivalry may feel uncontrollable to Ilya and Shane, but it’s anything but chaotic.

It’s disciplined.

Disciplined yearning is:
💠 Specific about what you want
💠 Backed by competence and sustained commitment
💠 Willing to tolerate cost, discomfort and uncertainty
💠 About outcomes over approval
💠 Not posturing. No moral cover.

That’s not softness.
 
That’s power with a pulse.

I don't think people are obsessed with Heated Rivalry because they want fantasy.

They’re obsessed because it models something many professionals have been trained to suppress: wanting deeply.

When was the last time you allowed yourself to yearn?

Maybe it’s just US bankers who can’t be trusted to work remotely


Switzerland has made two days of home office the norm

Work gets done. Trust holds. 

Or does it?

We frame RTO mandates as an issue of trust or control

(those in power say it is about culture and collaboration)

But every organization still needs to decide: who is committed, who matters, who gets heard.

Offices used to solve that cheaply:
show up = committed
sit close = heard

Remote and hybrid work removes those signals.

So we pretend performance will speak for itself.

It never has.

I work internationally and I love it. But I’m very aware what it requires.

Remote work rewards the intentional and punishes the naïve

Switzerland updated policy

Now we must update how we get recognized

taplio

The Battle

Patrick Shope

Alana Tart

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taplio

The Battle

Patrick Shope

Alana Tart

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Alana Tart's LinkedIn Performance

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