Before starting her career as a financial journalist, Katie was an active-duty Airborne Operations Technician for the United States Air Force. During her time in the military, she gained in-depth knowledge on how the military operates and learned how defense companies, and the equipment they provide, impact military readiness. Katie has a degree in analytic philosophy from the University of Colorado. After college, she was accepted into The Motley Fool's Writer Development program. Upon completion, she joined The Motley Fool as a contributing writer and used her military background to analyze defense companies. She now writes for First Quarter Finance. Her work has also appeared on The Cheat Sheet, Investing.com, and numerous other sites.