Social Security Literacy for Insurance Agents
My Journey to Becoming Social Security Literate
In 2011 I began learning about Social Security. I am in the middle of the Baby Boomers and up until that time I had not given it much thought. I would see the estimated monthly benefit but not realize the significant amount of income this would provide for me throughout my retirement years.
Then I began learning the rules – how we become eligible for benefits and how those benefits are calculated, what FRA and PIA are, my options as a divorced woman who had taken time off and worked part-time raising my children – it was overwhelmingly complicated.
As a civil engineer, I am very detail oriented and love solving puzzles. My self-taught journey into the “tangled world” of Social Security rules was compelling and I literally became obsessed with understanding the details and sharing them with my friends and family, to their bewilderment!
In 2013 an opportunity opened for me to teach a basic Social Security course online for CPAs and I jumped at the chance. Unfortunately, I did not yet understand the rigorous requirements needed to meet the high standards of continuing education for NASBA. The first webinar presentations were a challenge, scary really, and a wake-up call on what it takes to meet the expectations of the audience. I was required to repeat several to meet the audience evaluation score needed to be a presenter.
I realized that I needed the credibility of a retirement financial designation if I was going to pursue Social Security education and advice, so I enrolled in the CRPC course and passed the exam early in 2014. With my confidence on less shaky ground, I felt confident enough to start a business, Shedden Social Security and Retirement Planning.
I began offering free Social Security educational presentations in my community and providing claiming decision analyses and advice for a fee. I found that I enjoyed this very much and that helping people make their most optimal Social Security claiming decision was extremely satisfying. I was passionate and obsessed with helping as many people as I could!
In late 2016 I met my co-founder and business partner, Michael Rosedale, a CPA who knew I was teaching online continuing education on Social Security to CPAs. He was getting questions from his clients, and being a very entrepreneurial individual, proposed that we go into business together.
We formed NARSSA in 2017 and began selling our five-module Social Security program in August of 2018.
