Fee-onlyFiduciary, 100% of the timeIndependentServing clients nationwide
Why Shope
You're more than just a number here.
Good people who've worked hard for their money deserve advice that's genuinely in their best interest. We stay deliberately personal, and deeply rigorous, so the path ahead feels calm and clear.
20+
Years helping people retire well, nationwide
100%
Fee-only fiduciary standard, all the time
2×
In-depth portfolio reviews, every year
$1M+
A typical client's portfolio
How we work · The Bedrock System
Seven phases that grow with you, like tending a garden.
Your vision, our knowledge. It's like having your own personal CFO, carrying you from where you are today to the retirement you've always pictured.
01
Evaluation
A thorough look at where you stand, your assets, liabilities, and current trajectory, measured against your goals to find the gaps and the opportunities.
02
Income & Cash Flow
We coordinate your income sources, investments, Social Security, pensions, into a sustainable strategy with a clear projection through retirement and room for the unexpected.
03
Investments
An investment strategy built around your risk tolerance and time horizon, explained in plain terms so you're comfortable with every recommendation.
04
Taxes
Withdrawal sequencing, asset location, and timing to help keep more of what you've earned, so Uncle Sam isn't your biggest beneficiary.
05
Security
We review your coverage for gaps and redundancies, protecting your assets and income against life's uncertainties, without unnecessary expense.
06
Estate
We help your legacy reflect your wishes, reviewing documents and beneficiaries and streamlining the transfer of assets to the people and causes that matter.
07
Dream Retirement
Once your plan is in motion, we meet twice a year, stay available in between, and adjust as life changes, so you live the retirement you've always dreamed of.
Income & cash flow
You spent decades building it. The real question is whether it lasts.
So we show you. Not a chart that spikes and scares you, a steady line that simply keeps going, year after year.
Built so your income is designed to last — and we'll show you exactly how.
What we do
One trusted firm for your whole financial picture.
Retirement planning
The whole map of the years ahead, so you can see, plainly, that you'll be okay.
Investment management
A portfolio built around your life and your nerves, explained in plain terms.
Tax planning
Investment-related tax decisions that keep more of what you've earned.
Estate guidance
Making sure what you've built reaches the people and causes you love.
Insurance planning
The right protection for what matters, no more than you need.
Cash-flow planning
A sustainable strategy, so whenever a question comes along, you've got a partner.
The difference
Objective, conflict-free advice, and live navigation.
Not a static map. The Waze™ of financial planning, real-time updates, alerts to the pitfalls ahead, and accurate projections that make the road predictable.
The typical firm
Paid through commissions and product sales
A static plan that rarely changes with your life
You're handed off between reps and departments
Advice you're never quite sure you can trust
The Shope way
Fee-only fiduciary, your interest comes first, 100% of the time
Live navigation, the Waze™ of financial planning
One trusted firm for your whole financial picture
Kindness, integrity, and follow-through, every time
The point of it all
Time for the moments that matter.
Teach your grandchildren to fish. Take the trip you've put off. Give back to what you love. We handle the plan, so you can live the life those numbers are really for.
The team
When you work with us, you're family.
We built the firm we'd want to hire, blending real expertise with genuine empathy. It's a privilege to serve clients like you, every single day.
PS
Patrick Shope, CWS
Managing Partner, Investment Advisor
A fee-only fiduciary leading every plan with rigor and a genuine interest in the people behind the numbers.
MS
Molly Shope
Partner, Investment Advisor
Holds the licenses to help with annuities and insurance when it genuinely fits, so your whole picture lives under one roof.
MP
Michael Pennanen
Director of Operations
Keeps the experience seamless behind the scenes, so every commitment we make is followed through with care.
PS
Parker Shope
Business Growth & Marketing
Shares the Shope story and the insight that helps more people approach retirement informed and confident.
JI
Jacob Innes
Client Service Manager
Often the friendly first point of contact, making sure every client always feels looked after, like family.
Drag to meet the team
Retirement can be scary. With the right guide, it doesn't have to be.
Questions
Honest answers about how we work.
What services do you offer?
Retirement planning, investment management, investment-related tax planning, estate guidance, insurance planning, and cash-flow planning. The goal is to help you spend your time doing what you want, when you want, with whom you want. Whenever a financial question comes along, you've got a partner ready to help.
Who's a good fit for your service?
We excel at serving successful professionals and executives nearing or in retirement who prefer to delegate their financial planning. Many of our best-fit clients have built a portfolio of at least $1 million and would simply rather spend their time where it matters most than manage the complexity themselves.
What can I expect if we work together?
Comprehensive planning is the foundation. We begin with several meetings to deeply understand your situation, then conduct at least two annual reviews and share weekly educational content through emails, videos, and social media. Our advice is objective and conflict-free.
How do you get paid?
We charge a fee based on the value of the investments we manage, debited directly from your accounts. Patrick is a fee-only fiduciary, never paid through commissions or kickbacks. When a client has an existing annuity or genuine insurance need, Molly holds the licenses to help, so everything can be serviced by one firm you trust.
Are you a fiduciary, and do you work remotely?
Yes on both. Patrick upholds the fiduciary standard as a fee-only advisor 100% of the time, a legal obligation to act in your best interest. And while we're based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, we work with people nationwide, happy to meet virtually or however is most convenient for you.
Let's talk
The best time to plan was yesterday. The second best is today.
It starts with a simple, no-pressure call, to get to know each other and to see what a financial future with Shope looks like.