Thursday, April 20, 2017

Ashley Madison customers revealed: Head of D. Paterson Cope Wealth Management apparently checks out the wares on extramarital-affairs Web site


D. Paterson and Jennifer Miree Cope
(From facebook.com)
A Birmingham wealth manager who is pretty darned wealthy himself -- he lives in a Mountain Brook house with an appraised value of $755,000 -- appears as a paying customer at the Ashley Madison (AM) extramarital-affairs Web site, records show.

D. Paterson Cope heads a wealth-management firm that bears his name and is located on Cahaba Road, just off Highway 280 and near Colonial Brookwood Village. Quite a few wealthy Over-the-Mountain types apparently trust D. Paterson Cope Wealth Management with their money.

Should Jennifer Miree Cope, the money man's wife and mother of his two sons, trust him? Publicly available records from AM indicate the answer is no.

How does D. Paterson Cope Wealth Management help the rich get richer? He's a certified financial planner, by golly -- and he goes to church, tool! From the firm's Web site:

Pat has been providing comprehensive financial planning for his clients for more than 30 years. He has expertise in customizing financial plans designed to manage and preserve wealth consistently over the long term. He has earned the professional designation of Certified Financial Planner™ practitioner.

By being certified by the CFP® Board, Pat has taken the extra step to demonstrate his professionalism by voluntarily submitting to the rigorous CFP® certification process that includes highly demanding education, examination, experience and ethical requirements.

Pat is a graduate of the University of Alabama and a member of the Independent Presbyterian Church. Originally from Montgomery, he lives in Mountain Brook with his wife, Jennifer. They have two sons, Bobby and Charlie.

Here is more about Cope from his Facebook page:

D. Paterson Cope is a CFP and has had a great career as a financial consultant. His primarily focus has always been on Comprehensive Financial Planning. He is originally from Montgomery, Alabama and he graduated from the University of Alabama. When it comes to his career achievements, then he attained CFP designation in 1997. He always loves to provide financial consultancy, and he loves his career as a financial planner and consultant.

When it comes to his professional career, then there are a countless number of great events, and he has over 30 years of experience in the field. He has served approximately 45 families, and he is planning to serve 60 families, and that is the point when he will stop taking clients. At a glance, his professional career was a total success. D. Paterson Cope has over 30 years of experience in the brokerage industry, and he opened his practice in May of 2015. Before that, he spent over 20 years as First Vice President for Morgan Keegan and its successor, Raymond James.

He has a lot of work experiences, and presently, he is broker-dealer at Prospera Financial Services, and he is also an independent contractor with them and his own company named D. Paterson Cope Wealth Management.

That's some interesting information highlighted in yellow. Cope made his rep mainly from working for Morgan Keegan and Raymond James before striking out on his own in 2015. And get this: He has made enough to live in a house that probably would sell for close to $1 million, and yet he's only served 45 families -- with a goal of reaching 60 families, and that's the cut-off point.

I'm guessing D. Paterson Cope is a millionaire, maybe several times over, and he did it by handling the money for only 45 families. Who knew you could do that? I sure didn't. Something tells me Mr. Cope is highly selective about who he represents. I'm guessing Mrs. Schnauzer and I would not qualify. (In fact, Cope probably would take one look at our financial statements and spew water across the room; he might also break into an hours-long laughing fit.) I'm guessing most of our readers wouldn't qualify for Mr. Cope's services either.

Here is more professional and personal info about our financial hero, from Facebook:

D. Paterson Cope also worked with multiple giants of the financial world, and the few names included Lehman Brothers INC. New York, NY, the Robinson-Humphrey Company INC. Atlanta, GA, and J.C. Bradford & Co. New York, NY. He also has multiple certifications and state registrations. He has passed State Securities Law Exam and General Industry/Products Exam. He has multiple Licenses, and state registrations include Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.

When it comes to the personal life of D. Paterson Cope, then he loves to spend time with his family. He is married to Jennifer Miree Cope, and he has two sons, Charlie and Bobby. They both are on their educational path and studying in different universities. He is also an active member of Independent Presbyterian Church. He also loves to read about the politics, and he is an avid sports fan as well.

Hmm, let's see: He loves to spend time with his family? The AM records suggest he's trying to spend time with a member of someone else's family. He loves to read about politics? Maybe he favors a certain political party. As a big-time financial planner who focuses on Birmingham's uber wealthy, I can't imagine which party that would be. And he's an avid sports fan? Is trolling for tail on Ashley Madison considered a sport now?

Here is the Facebook page for Jennifer Miree Cope, filled with family pictures and such. I'm guessing she has no idea about the "sports" her hubby engages in when he isn't trying to find new tax shelters for Mountain Brook elites.

We sought comment from D. Paterson Cope for this post, but he has not responded to our queries.

Previously:

Article with links to 1-20 in Ashley Madison series

(21) Craig Oliver, attorney, Springfield, MO (1/24/17)

(22) Craig Lowell, attorney, Wiggins Childs, Birmingham (1/26/17)

(23) Thomas Mancuso, tax attorney, Montgomery, AL (2/16/17)

(24) Nicholas Arciniegas, attorney, Washington, D.C. (2/21/17)

(25) Griffin McGahey, vice president, High Cotton USA, Birmingham (3/16/17)

(26) Matthew Couch, attorney, Cabaniss Johnson, Birmingham (3/23/17)

(27) Dr. Keron Vickers, chiropractor, Birmingham (4/4/17)


22 comments:

  1. Sounds like Mr. Cope doesn't love his family as much as he claims in his bio.

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  2. Mr. Cope, it seems, takes people who already are wealthy and makes them even wealthier. Does it really take that much talent or expertise to do that?

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  3. @2:42 --

    Hah! Good point. The really talented guy (or gal) would take middle- to lower-class clients and make THEM wealthy. I don't see any great trick in making money for people who already have a bunch of money.

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  4. Think I'll call Mr. Cope and invite him on a trip to catch fish in a barrel. He'd probably enjoy it.

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  5. This dude is the ultimate Mountain "Brookie." His whole life revolves around the "Tiny Kingdom." He lives in "The Brook." His clients probably all live in "The Brook." He's like the "Boy in the Bubble."

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  6. Is there a point to a post like this?

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  7. @3:06 --

    Yes, there is a point, an important one, as has been explained in previous posts and comments here. You are welcome to use the search box to look them up. Or you are welcome to ponder these two paragraphs from this post. I think they pretty well summarize the point:


    "D. Paterson Cope heads a wealth-management firm that bears his name and is located on Cahaba Road, just off Highway 280 and near Colonial Brookwood Village. Quite a few wealthy Over-the-Mountain types apparently trust D. Paterson Cope Wealth Management with their money.

    "Should Jennifer Miree Cope, the money man's wife and mother of his two sons, trust him? Publicly available records from AM indicate the answer is no."

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  8. Thank God for another Ashley Madison post. If I go more than a week without one, I break out in a rash.

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  9. @3:14 --

    Glad I could help! Didn't realize we had "dermatological curative powers" -- or whatever you want to call them.

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  10. if you're in wealth management its best to have "sound judgement" unfortunately this is just another e.g. of an A.M. customer who by virtue of being a customer is not displaying "good judgement"/ Wouldn't leave my money with that boy.

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  11. More muckraking. Congrats.

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  12. This is just a brutal expose. Have a few questions:

    - How much did this dude pay AM? Seems like he may be the type to be a big spender.

    - Why follow up with the steamy details on Mancuso but not the others?

    - You are almost up to 30 exposes. How long are you going to keep going? There can only be so many people implicated in Alabama.

    By the way, I still pull up the Mancuso post and still enjoy it. Just so over the top that I laugh every time. Can't believe it.

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  13. 1. I don't have the payment details on him yet, but hope to follow up with that.

    2. The details come from a deeper layer of info, and it takes time to pull that out. I have some folks who help me with that, and they have full-time jobs, etc., so I have to be patient.

    3. I can keep going a long, long time -- 400-500 potential posts easily. If my memory is correct, the total paying customers from AL was in the 3,000 to 4,000 range, so the raw material is extensive. It's a lot of work to track down who these folks are, so that you can write about them with accuracy and detail. The posts don't just throw themselves together; there is a lot of research involved. But I've already dug up the basics on several hundred, who tend to fit into what I would call the "high-end professionals" category. There are lots and lots of heavy hitters I haven't posted about yet -- from both Alabama and Missouri. Much more to come.

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    Replies
    1. What other states do you plan to take on?

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  14. Just a thought, a wise old man told me, " If a man will cheat….He'll steal " Lot of X money managers living in the "Pokie" today, cause they managed someone else's money into their own accounts. Sorry for the wife. Call Myz. Bentley, for guidance. You agree, Snauz ?

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  15. Just a thought, a wise old man told me, " If a man will cheat….He'll steal " Lot of X money managers living in the "Pokie" today, cause they managed someone else's money into their own accounts. Sorry for the wife. Call Myz. Bentley, for guidance. You agree, Snauz ?

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  16. @6:56 --

    I'm not sure if I will take on other states or not. Lots of data to sort through on Alabama and Missouri.

    Georgia, Florida, Texas, and Virginia are definite possibilities for inquiry.

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  17. Roger, much of your work is good, but I have a different perspective on your AM project. Yes, I was a short-term AM user. I have never promoted myself as a person of high moral character or an example of "family values." My wife and I have an "open" relationship. She is several years older than me and is partially disabled. I will always take care of her but on occasion have sought the company of other women. I have never broken up anyone's marriage. The only woman I spoke to on AM also had a disabled husband who did not object to her meeting other men. (I did not meet her because, after talking, she did not interest me as an occasional companion) I cannot speak for others, but although I may not have a "conventionally moral" life, I have always been faithful to my wife in the ways that are important to us. It has always worked for us. We are both older and of the "hippie" generation. We do not view sex in the same rigid way that some (often hypocritical) moralists do. Neither of us work now, and I spend my days working in the yard, feeding neighborhood stray cats, and generally just trying to get through life as happily as possible without hurting anyone. While on one level I do not care what other people think of my private sex life, I recognize that other people will judge me and my wife about things that are frankly none of their business. Obviously I would be somewhat embarrassed to have my name published. I understand that you may have no sympathy for my story, but I note that your blog is dedicated to the fight against injustice. Please consider whether it is "just" to embarrass people like myself AND MY FAMILY who have never promoted themselves or claimed to be shining examples of "family values" in the traditional sense. I know that you have asserted that details of AM users is "newsworthy" since the AM hack is newsworthy. The abortion issue is newsworthy also with extreme rhetoric and opinions on both sides of that issue. I would hope that you would not feel comfortable publishing the names of women who have had abortions if someone hacked Planned Parenthood records. In some ways this is similar, especially as it relates to AM users who do not hypocritically promote themselves and whose spouse generally accepts an open relationship. Thank you for listening to my concerns.

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  18. @7:13 --

    Thanks for sharing your perspective. A few points:

    * I've addressed the medical records issue before, either in a post or comments. First, I have no desire to report on anyone's medical records. Second, I'm pretty sure there are laws regarding health-care privacy that don't apply to the AM case.

    * On the newsworthy issue, my main point is that it becomes news when you are talking about an individual who is in a high-level position that serves, or has a major impact on, the public -- someone who is acting in a deceitful, almost predatory, manner. Sounds like you wouldn't fit into that profile.

    * I don't just pick people at random. There is a lot of research involved to see if the person fits the profile noted above. If not -- and you apparently don't -- I move on to someone who does. This shows that it's not about embarrassing anyone; it's about showing that certain folks in positions of trust, who portray themselves online as being in positions of trust, do not act in a trustworthy fashion toward their loved ones.

    * Every person I've reported on has been contacted in advance of publication to see if they have a story like yours, or other circumstances that make them fall outside the profile noted above. I know of at least a half dozen individuals where I've declined to report on their situation because of extenuating circumstances.

    Thanks for a thoughtful comment. I don't think you, or anyone like you, has a reason to be concerned about my reporting.

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  19. Interesting comment and response.

    What about a moron like me? I am in a position of trust as you have described it. I signed up for AM, but it was mostly out of curiosity and I was immediately turned off by the tawdry site. Never used it, in fact never even paid for it. How do your reporting standards deal with this situation. I suspect a lot of people are in my situation.


    I will add that in my 48 years, this is my biggest regret.

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  20. @2:45 --

    If you didn't pay for it, you wouldn't appear on my list (or you shouldn't). My list is of paying customers only.

    Again, this is why I contact everyone before publication. If someone has a legit explanation/excuse, I don't want to be writing about them.

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