Our Mission
At RSSA, our mission is clear: We are dedicated to helping Americans secure the maximum Social Security income they are entitled to. Our commitment goes beyond just numbers; it’s about enabling individuals to enjoy their lives more fully and retire confidently.
Empowering Better Retirements
We believe that a secure and comfortable retirement should be within everyone's reach.
Social Security impacts all Americans, and we are here to ensure that they receive the benefits they deserve. Our mission extends to helping people have better retirements and retire with confidence.
Three Pillars of RSSA
At RSSA, we have built our organization around three core pillars, eachessential to our mission:
1. Education
Our education program is the bedrock of RSSA. We provide expertise and knowledge to professionals across the nation, equipping them with the tools to help their clients maximize their benefits. Empowering financial advisors, we ensure that they have the skills and information needed to guide their clients towards a financially rewarding retirement.
2. Software
The RSSA Roadmap is the centerpiece of our technological innovation. Our cutting-edge software empowers advisors to reach new clients and assist existing ones more effectively. With intelligent strategies, our technology impacts retirements nationwide, saving individuals hundreds of thousands of dollars. We are revolutionizing retirement planning through the power of intelligent software.
3. Values
RSSA is a purpose and values centered company. Our daily commitment stems from our mission to improve retirements across the United States. We wake up every day with the goal of achieving incredible results for our network of RSSAs and the countless Americans who rely on us to secure their best retirement.
Our values in helping Americans maximize their Social Security benefits, are our guiding principles, defining what we stand for as a company. We exist to ensure that Americans live well, retire well, and confidently plan for a great future for themselves and their families.
At RSSA, we are dedicated to making a positive impact on the lives of Americans by empowering them to achieve the retirement they deserve. Our commitment to education, innovative software, and strong values is the driving force behind everything we do. Join us on this mission, and let's build a better retirement future, together.
A Recognized Credential
The training curriculum meets QAS requirements and is accepted for self-study in all states for CPAs by the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy, for Enrolled Agents and PTIN holders by the Internal Revenue Service, and for CFPs by the Certified Financial Planner Board.
Leadership Team
Registered Social Security Analysts (RSSA) is administered by the National Association of Registered Social Security Analysts (NARSSA). Our leadership team ensures that RSSA is the premier educational and technology platform for professionals that seek to advise new and current clients on issues related to Social Security.
Martha Shedden, RSSA, a co-founder of our organization, is passionate and enthusiastic about educating financial professionals and retirees on the details of Social Security income planning, the foundation and first step to creating a financially secure retirement plan. Martha is certified as a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC), through the College of Financial Planning. Through her business, Shedden Social Security and Retirement Planning, she helps retirees create financial plans they can rely on throughout their retirement years. Trained and practicing as a professional engineer for over 30 years, she enjoys the detailed, problem solving aspect of Social Security income planning and sharing that knowledge with others.
Martha has more than a decade of experience providing Social Security education, consulting, and analyses for individual clients, financial and accountancy professionals. She is the author of numerous Social Security white papers, seminar presentations and articles in financial publications. Martha is the contributing author and presenter of the webinar Social Security Planning, An Essential Element in Attracting Female Clients on the BrightTALK Thought Leadership for Financial Advisors channel. She is a Professional Continuing Education Instructor with various national providers specializing in women’s Social Security income planning and retirement.
Michael Rosedale, a co-founder of Registered Social Security Analysts, has been a licensed Certified Public Accountant in New York State since 1984. He holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Accounting from Hofstra University. For over 30 years, Michael has remained an active CPA providing small businesses and individuals tax compliance and advisory services. He is currently the managing partner in the firm Rosedale and Drapala CPAs. Through their small business tax division, CPA Tax Partners, the firm provides tax services to businesses and individuals throughout the U.S. Michael has been an advisor and consultant to companies that seek to establish successful marketing strategies for introducing new products, technology and services to the CPA and accounting profession.
He founded CPAdirectory.com in 1999, the first national online membership directory of the CPA Profession. He founded and subsequently sold 1800Accountant.com. With the federal regulation of the tax preparation industry in 2011, Michael believed there was an opportunity and need for a national directory of all registered tax professionals. He created PTINdirectory.com which remains the only comprehensive national online directory with over 700,000 federally registered tax preparers. The directory is used by local and federal agencies, individuals and business owners to find a tax preparer that has been issued an IRS Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN).
As our VP of Business Development, Ted plays a leading role in the RSSA growth strategy. Ted focuses on advancing the RSSA brand and creating compelling value propositions for its partners. Ted is also the VP of Business Development with CPAdirectory.com where he leads ad sales and partnering initiatives. Prior to joining CPAdirectory.com, Ted spent over five years with the leading global premium content company Viacom where he provided FP&A and accounting support to some of the media world’s biggest brands including Nickelodeon and MTV. Ted graduated from Ithaca College with a B.S. in Accounting.
As RSSA’s Content & Community Manager, Pamela works on building community across digital platforms and runs our social media accounts. Pamela is a Registered Social Security Analyst and is passionate about educating others on Social Security. She writes informational content on the topic, which you can find in the RSSA resource center. Pamela graduated from Penn State and then went on to earn her Masters from CUNY Hunter. She worked as an elementary school teacher for 7 years, which gives her the creative and educational edge needed in her current work.
As Vice President, Operations, Norm leads our Analyst Team and ensures an exceptional experience for Clients, Partners, Financial Professionals, and other RSSAs. A passionate business leader, Norm has over 30 years of experience in Financial Services, Fintech and Operations working with companies like JPMorgan Chase, PNC Bank, First Data and Citibank. Norm is also a Registered Social Security Analyst having educated and optimized benefits for many high-profile clients. Norm is a graduate of Hofstra University with a B.B.A. in Marketing.
Carol has been instrumental in the creation and ongoing development of the NARSSA course and in bringing our program content to the web. Carol works directly to support the NARSSA members as they progress through the course. She is passionate about the details of Social Security work and NARSSA customer relationships. Carol has more than 15 years of experience in managing complex systems and people. She has a Bachelor’s of Science Degree from the University of California, Berkeley.
As Director, Strategic Partnerships, Thomas Drapala works directly with our clients to analyze, implement, and optimize their Social Security benefits. He also works closely with our network of RSSAs to share best practices, collaborate on new initiatives and connect them to other team members looking to expand their Social Security expertise. Thomas is a passionate Social Security expert, developing training programs for our RSSAs across the country. Thomas received his bachelors degree in Finance from Long Island University.
As Director, Education Strategic Partnerships at NARSSA, Melissa Warren works with organizations to facilitate the education of financial professionals in Social Security. She is also a Senior Analyst at NARSSA, working with clients to address their unique claiming situations and contributing to the coursework and continuing education needed to earn and maintain the RSSA designation. Coming from a background in engineering, she is passionate about the problem-solving aspect of Social Security. She is a graduate of the University of Utah with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering.
As RSSA’s Head of Relationship Management, Ann is responsible for ensuring a smooth process for RSSA Partners and Financial Professionals, so that they may incorporate expert Social Security services into their practices. Ann has over 25 years in the Financial Services industry with companies such as First Data, JPMorgan Chase and Versapay. Ann has extensive expertise in complex product training, sales acquisition and process support, partner relations, and direct customer interaction. Ann is highly recognized for achieving consistent results and creating a common vision both within and outside the RSSA organization.
Mitch Stein is a proven executive leader and entrepreneur with over 40 years of experience in creating strategic channel partnerships, key alliances, corporate development, and training with expertise in highly consultative B2B and B2C environments such as financial services, marketing, SaaS, behavioral healthcare, digital marketing, education, the fashion industry, and real estate.
He is highly recognized for achieving consistent results and has a track record of creating and implementing successful business models and growth strategies especially in startups using best practice methodologies. and is responsible for spearheading new client acquisitions at RSSA.
When not at work he is passionate in making a difference in his community and improving the lives of the disenfranchised. Connect with Mitch on LinkedIn.
Devin Carroll is an RSSA and financial planner who is obsessed with studying and understanding the complexities of Social Security. He founded Social Security Intelligence to demystify a confusing, complicated, and often overwhelming retirement system for others so they can confidently choose the best strategies to maximize their benefits. As a social media influencer, more than a million people read Devin’s blog and watch his YouTube channel each month as he shares what he’s learned about Social Security. When he’s not creating content to help the masses better navigate the Social Security system, Devin works with financial and retirement planning clients at the firm he founded, Carroll Advisory Group. Since 2003, he’s created financial plans that have helped countless couples and families enjoy greater peace of mind and clarity around their financial futures.