CFP® · MS Personal Financial Planning · 19 Years Experience
Patricia Monroe is a CFP® (Certified Financial Planner) with 19 years of experience in retirement income planning. She holds an MS in Personal Financial Planning from Kansas State University and spent 7 years as a Benefits Counselor at the Social Security Administration in Chicago — giving her direct, hands-on knowledge of how SSA processes claims, calculates benefits, and handles errors. After leaving the SSA, Patricia joined Ameriprise Financial as a senior retirement advisor before becoming a full-time financial journalist.
She is a member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) and a fee-only planner registered in Illinois. Her retirement planning analysis has appeared in Kiplinger's Personal Finance, Forbes, and The Washington Post. At MONEYlume, Patricia covers the single most important financial decision most Americans make: when to claim Social Security. Her calculators and guides have helped over 2 million readers maximize their lifetime benefits.
View LinkedIn ProfileEducation: MS Personal Financial Planning, Kansas State University · BA Economics, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · CFP® (CFP Board)
All content by Patricia Monroe, CFP® is written according to MONEYlume's editorial standards. Facts are verified against primary sources including the IRS, Federal Reserve, CFPB, and peer-reviewed financial research. Articles are updated when regulations or market conditions change significantly.