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  • Tips for Signing up for Life Insurance

    Tips for Signing up for Life Insurance

    If you’ve been looking into life insurance, it can be a complex and daunting field! Whether you’re worried about your spouse, children or even grandchildren, life insurance is a great thing to have. You never want it to come up, but someday your family will need it!

    Tips for Signing up for Life Insurance

    Visit Your Doctor

    The first thing you’ll want to do before signing up for life insurance is head by the doctor for a quick check-in. This is doubly true if you used to smoke but don’t anymore. Similarly, if you were overweight but have lost weight since your last check-up, you’ll want this reflected in your records.  That said, this is a good practice anyway: checking in with your doctor regularly is important, regardless of whether you’re looking to get life insurance soon!

    Buy Layered Coverage

    You probably don’t need one gigantic policy. You can save yourself some money by layering your coverage and buying coverage for different lengths of time and with different criteria. While this might sound complex, it’s not too hard to accomplish. You simply see what your life insurance needs are and figure out how much coverage you need. Then, take out individual policies that offer the coverage you need! That way, you’re getting more coverage for less! That’s the definition of a win-win.

    Volunteer No Unneeded Information

    While it can be tempting to simply offer up all of your info unbidden, it’s best not to. When it comes to life insurance, you should only tell the insurance company the information that they ask for. A lot of times, you’ll be penalized for information like whether either of your parents died of cancer. However, some applications will only ask about things like heart disease. It’s okay to simply answer the questions they ask, and not offer any elaboration unless they specifically request it.

    This might seem a bit counterintuitive: after all, no one wants to be dishonest. However, it’s not dishonesty if the insurance company doesn’t ask about it. Simply offer them the information they’ve asked for and you’ll make things much simpler for yourself!

    Whether to Have an Exam

    We highly recommended getting a policy that has an exam if you’re healthy. This is where that doctor’s visit from earlier comes in handy: if your doctor gave you a clean bill of health, you can save some serious money with an exam policy. The policies that don’t have exams can be anywhere from three to six times more expensive than those that do! Don’t spend money you don’t need to, if you’re healthy, go with the exam!

    If you’re not in terribly great health, however, it might be less expensive to get a no-exam policy. However, you should discuss with your doctor any health issues that you think are affecting you. We highly advise you talk to a knowledgeable independent insurance agent if you feel as though your application may be complicated by poor health.

  • Careers as a Medical Billing Specialist

    Careers as a Medical Billing Specialist

    A career in medical billing is a growing field that allows you to work within the healthcare industry. While you’re not dealing directly with patients, you’re providing a valuable skill that is the foundation of a great healthcare system.

    A medical billing specialist has a unique role in the world of healthcare that isn’t diminished by being behind the scenes compared to the role of a doctor or nurse. Are you looking for a new career? Great with data and numbers? Interested in the growing health care field but don’t have an advanced degree? You should definitely consider becoming a medical billing specialist. Check out some important information about the medical billing career that we put together!

    Medical Billing Specialist Schooling Requirements

    There’s no degree associated with a job as a medical billing specialist. However, there are a number of programs you can attend to get a certificate for the position. Most employers would prefer to employ specialists with certificates, so they are well-worth acquiring.

    Additionally, specialists will need a basic understanding of medical and biological terminology. This is because they have to input codes for billing based on procedure and need to understand what those procedures entail.

    Workplace

    Specialists typically work inside a hospital, doctor’s office or nursing homes. They could also work in a therapist’s office or a similar environment. Essentially, any place that offers medical treatments and accepts health insurance is in need of at least one medical billing specialist.

    The work can be described as, generally, medium-stress and not physically taxing. It’s largely typical of office work and involves working from a desk at a computer. This means that people who want to work in the medical field, but maybe not be in the thick of it, would enjoy this type of career.

    Medical Coding

    The medical coding performed by a billing specialist is very important. For one thing, they’re the way that the hospital gets paid. For another, they’re highly specialized. If someone inputs the wrong code, the wrong amount of money will be billed, which simply can’t happen! Jokes aside, the type of coding is called ICD-10, which is what you learn during certification.

    Once that information is input into the system, it’s updated alongside a patient’s file. That means that working as a billing specialist is really important for both record-keeping and medical accuracy. Typically, this also means that billing specialists will work closely with doctors and nurses to ensure that a patient’s information is correct in their file. The last thing you want is to bill a company for a procedure that didn’t happen!

    Reasons to Work in This Field

    There is ample work to be found in this field! For one, there is a great amount of demand. There is a large aging population that will need medical service, and that service will require billing! That means that there is a good deal of demand and job security. If you’re looking for a career opportunity with growth, this is also one great part of this field.

    The medical administration field grows as the medical field does. Administrative positions generally oversee things like personnel, filing and, of course, billing. The type of work wouldn’t change much, though the opportunity for advancement would be a great draw! That’s a lot of upsides for a career path that doesn’t necessarily require a 4-year degree.

    Type of Work

    The type of work performed by a billing specialist includes inputting codes into computer software to send bills to an insurance company. This means that the work is primarily from a desk, on a computer and involves mostly data entry. If you don’t mind sitting at a desk to work, and you’re proficient at entering data from a chart, this type of work might be right for you!

    The job of a billing specialist is an important one. For one thing, it’s the main way hospitals and the like get paid by insurance agencies! That means that, for people to receive adequate care, the billing specialist has to be doing their job! That makes them just as important as other medical professionals, although they are primarily behind the scenes.

    Average Pay

    On average, billing specialists make about $38,000 per year, or roughly $18 per hour. That’s not too bad, considering the position doesn’t require a 4-year degree! Maybe a job as a billing specialist is right for you!


  • The World’s Best Supercar

    The World’s Best Supercar

    The first ever supercar was the Ensign 6 in 1920, and since it was dubbed as such automobile manufacturers have been chasing that gold standard. Today, we’re looking at some of the world’s best vehicles to see which one is worthy of the title supercar.

    The World’s Best Supercar

    Bugatti Chiron

    The muscular, rounded and mean-looking body of the Chiron just scream “power.” While other high-end luxury cars have a design reminiscent of a samurai sword, the Chiron harkens back to American muscle cars of the 1960’s. It’s also got an engine that would make the gnarliest of muscle cars blush. Sixteen cylinders make this eight-liter engine run like it’s feet are on fire.

    1500 horsepower is no joke, but running this engine flat-out can suck all the fuel out of the engine in 7 minutes. Additionally, the Chiron is outfitted with some unique, top-of-the-line tires that allow it to maneuver even at super-high speeds. Speaking of high speeds, the body of the vehicle is made from high-end aluminum that is designed to stand up well during high-speed crashes.

    Lamborghini Aventador S Coupe

    The Aventador is the latest in a storied line of Lamborghini supercars. If you’ve kept up with Lamborghini at all, you know that they’ve been making supercars almost as long as the class has existed. The Aventador is a beast, coming in with a V12 multipoint injection engine that almost defies physics.

    Notable additions this year include a redesigned nose that helps keep the car aerodynamic and a magnetically-tuned suspension. Additionally, the car has been designed with crumple-zones that help protect the driver in the event of a crash. That’s a good thing, too, because the engine can put out 400 cubic inches of force per stroke! This bad boy can move!

    Gumpert Apollo IE

    The mythological Apollo drove a chariot across the sky, carrying the sun behind it. The Gumpert Apollo is almost as fast as the mythological one, thanks to their expert engineering. The vehicle looks like a Formula 1 stock car fused with a ton of knives to make a Transformer. And it’s got performance to match its appearance!

    The V12 engine puts out 780 horsepower and revs to 9,000 RPM. Its max safe speed is an eye-watering 210 miles per hour, and it’s fantastically rare. In fact, only ten models were stated to have been created for the 2018 model year. Talk about exclusive!

  • Apple Event: Updates to the iPad Pro

    Apple Event: Updates to the iPad Pro

    Apple is having another event this month to introduce new products and provide updates. This is the follow up event to the iPhone XS event early last September. We are expecting even more great new products and some updates to our favorites.

    The event has come to be known as “There’s more in the making” so you know something special will be unveiled. Apple sent out unique and individualized invitations and the event is always a must attend for the tech world. We will bring you all the updates and juicy details from the event.  Let’s take a look at what we got coming out, especially updates to the iPad Pro!

    The Updates to the iPad Pro

    Apple unveiled what it’s calling the biggest change to the iPad since its inception eight years ago. Its new features play in to Apple’s mission to make the tablet more adaptable and appealing to a larger audience.

    Apple announced their new and bigger 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pros in New York today, which now come with Face ID, a USB-C charging port, and a new “Liquid Retina” display. With 5.6 million pixels, iPad Pro features the highest-resolution Retina display of any iOS device. The 12.9-inch screen makes everything you do — editing 4K video, designing presentations, running a business — easier, faster, and more engaging. And the Multi-Touch subsystem has been re-engineered, expanding the ways you can interact with iPad. Aesthetically, they’ve got slimmer bezels that only come in black, like the new MacBook Airs. The black bezels, when paired with the Smart Keyboard Folio, make the iPad Pro look closer to a laptop than it ever has before. They also allow for the 11-inch model display to fit a bigger screen into the same overall dimensions as the prior 10.5-inch model.

    There’s a new iPad Pencil stylus with support for gestures that let you switch between the different digital brush styles. You won’t lose this one as easily as last year, since it clips to the side of the iPad with magnets. It even wirelessly charges when attached to the iPad, an improvement over the silly Lightning plug from last year.You’ll pay more for the iPad Pencil and a keyboard, though, which cost $129 and $179, respectively.

    The new iPad Pro is 5.9 mm thinner — about 15% slimmer than its predecessor. And that Home button….Gone. It has been updated with the iPhone x gesture controls. The iPad Pro also features a nearly edge-to edge-display and rounded corners. Its beautiful and very sharp looking. You can also charge your iPhone, essentially turning it into your own personal power bank. At the heart of iPad Pro lies the new A9X, a third-generation chip with 64-bit desktop-class architecture. It delivers up to 1.8 times the CPU performance and double the graphics performance of iPad Air 2. So even the most demanding apps run effortlessly.

    iPad Pro runs iOS 10, the world’s most intuitive, advanced, and secure mobile operating system. And with improved built-in apps and multitasking features like Slide Over, Split View, and Picture in Picture, iOS 10 helps you get more done in powerful yet simple ways. Whether you’re researching on the web while writing a book report or browsing your photos while creating a presentation, you’ll get more out of your iPad than ever before.

    There’s a new iPad Pencil stylus with support for gestures that let you switch between the different digital brush styles. You won’t lose this one as easily as last year, since it clips to the side of the iPad with magnets. It even wirelessly charges when attached to the iPad, an improvement over the silly Lightning plug from last year.

    For work, you can attach a keyboard. It felt just like the keyboard Apple launched with last year’s iPad Pro 10.5 but can adjust the screen to two different viewing angles, which is a nice touch.

    The Final Thought
    It’s the company’s first iPad not to include a home button, which allowed Apple to extend the screen vertically for a much more immersive experience. The bezels have been downsized on all four sides. Like the iPhone XR, Apple is referring to this screen as a Liquid Retina Display.The new iPad Pro comes in two screen sizes: 11 inches and 12.9 inches. The 11-inch model has essentially the same proportions as the prior 10.5-inch model. And the 12.9-inch model puts the same-sized display into a much smaller form factor. The new iPad Pro starts at $799 for the 11-inch and $999 for the 12.9-inch. Preorders begin today, and it ships on November 7th.


  • New MacBook Air

    New MacBook Air

    Apple Is live in an Event. This is the follow up event to the iPhone event early last September. We are expecting a lot of great new products and some updates to of favorites. Throughout the event today I will bring you a few updates with the details of the event. This event is come to be know as “There’s more in the making”. Apple sent out unique and individualized invitations last week. Lets take a look at what we got coming out. First up a new MacBook Air.

     

    First up we have a new MacBook air. This is long overdue and been waiting for a refresh. Starting at $1,199, the MacBook Air features a 13.3-inch display with borders that are 50 percent narrower, and you get 4 million pixels of resolution. The FaceTime HD camera is still there at the top of the display, and you can conduct group FaceTime calls.

     

    The new Air is 17 percent smaller in terms of volume and it’s 15.6 mm thin and it weighs 2.75 pounds, compared to 3 pounds for the previous Air. That’s a quarter pound lighter than the previous Air. Apple says that the body is made of 100 percent recycled aluminum.

    Apple has included a Touch ID button on the keyboard, complete with Apple’s T2 security chip.

     

    New MacBook Air Quick Speck Look

    • T2 chip for Touch ID and Hey Siri support
    • FaceTime HD camera
    • Three-mic array for better voice recognition
    • 3rd-gen butterfly keyboard
    • Force Touch trackpad
    • eGPU and 5K display support
    • 8th-gen Intel dual-core i5 processor
    • Up to 16GB 2333MHz memory
    • Up to 1.5TB SSD
    • 2.75 pounds
    • Made from 100 percent recycled aluminum
    • 17 percent smaller

    The Final Though

    With its processor that’s three generations behind and thick bezels around its low-res 1,440×900-pixel display, the 13-inch MacBook Air was last updated 2017 and hasn’t really changed physically since the first model in 2008. It is, however, the cheapest Apple laptop starting at $999 and frequently found for less. It was time and I like what they have done. Pre-Orders start today and will be available the 7th

  • Best Body Wash for Daily Use

    Best Body Wash for Daily Use

    There’s nothing like that clean feeling you get after a good shower. Finding the right body wash for daily use can be difficult, though, since there are so many options! Today we’re looking at some of the best body washes on the market to use every day!

    Best Body Wash for Daily Use

    Purely Northwest Tea Tree Oil Body Wash

    People who have reviewed this Purely Northwest body wash have stated that it’s great for a number of reasons. Reviewers have stated that it’s great for cystic acne, making it a must-have for those who suffer from chronic acne. Additionally, users have noted that it’s effective at stemming infections, especially fungal and bacterial skin conditions.

    Notably, this body wash is really marketed at people with issues like eczema or athlete’s foot. That said, it’s great for daily use, especially those who suffer from acne.

    Everyone 3-in-1 Soap

    This soap lasts for a long time, thanks to its design. Reviewers have noted that just two pumps of this 3-in-1 soap can clean you from head to toe. It’s also usable as a shaving cream and is marketed at people of all genders. You can shave your legs, face or whatever else, as it doubles as a shaving gel. That’s not to mention it works great as soap and shampoo!

    It’s also marketed as being cruelty-free, which is a great bonus. It also has no synthetic colors or dyes and doesn’t have any fragrance. It leaves a slight clean smell, but it doesn’t linger.

    Dove Deep Moisture Body Wash

    People with chronic dry skin have reviewed this body wash very highly. They’ve stated that it has a great fragrance and works wonder for dry, flaky skin. This is especially important in the colder months, as the air is so dry and damaging to sensitive skin.  It’s got a creamy, almost lotion-like texture, and helps to heal dry skin.

    The bottle is rather large for its price, and it’ll last you for a while if you use the recommended amounts for washing. While it doesn’t have a lot of natural ingredients, its low price is a great selling point for people with dry skin.

  • Best Online Stock Trading Platform

    Best Online Stock Trading Platform

    Stock trading can be a scary concept. After all, investing in markets is something difficult that only professionals can do, right? Well, not really. All you need to start trading today is some money to invest and a good online stock trading platform.

    Best Online Stock Trading Platform

    E-Trade

    The poster child for online stock trading, E-Trade is a great place for beginners to start. If you’ve never done any trading before, we recommend E-Trade. You can get acquainted with the basics through their learning tools. They offer web seminars, reading material and more to get you comfortable with the idea of investing in stocks.

    They even have a team of market analysts who can help guide you in the best ways to invest your money. Their analyses are available through the site, and you can even contact a 24-hour helpline to give you market advice. Really, it’s a great all-in-one for beginners.

    Ally Invest

    Ally Invest is fantastic for those looking for a more budget-friendly way to trade. That’s because they have a low price for trading and a low commission structure for an online stock trading platform. They offer $5 trades, or $4 trades for people with more than 30 trades per quarter. That’s a pretty enticing deal for those looking to make a lot of trades!

    If you’re a relatively confident investor who just needs a good, stable and inexpensive platform, Ally Invest is for you. They’ve got a few nifty tools for users, and they offer the best bang for your buck.

    TD Ameritrade

    TD Ameritrade doesn’t have the low price of Ally Invest, but they offer some other interesting features. Trade Architect is TD Ameritrade’s beginner-friendly platform that will introduce new investors to all the concepts they need to know. The simplified platform is considered a rival to E-Trade’s easy-to-understand approach.

    TD Ameritrade also offers a platform called Thinkorswim, which is great for established and confident investors. Thinkorswim offers market analyses, charts, graphs and in-depth reports fit for the most discerning of investors. So, whether you’re a greenhorn or a grizzled vet, TD Ameritrade has an online trading platform that will work for you!

  • How to Find Free Makeup Samples

    How to Find Free Makeup Samples

    It can be hard staying pretty! After all, cosmetics are really, really expensive. If you’re trying to keep up with the latest fashions and stay pretty, you’re going to spend some money. Unless, that is, you’re able to find some free samples online! Let’s talk about how to find free makeup samples!

    How to Find Free Makeup Samples

    Order Gifts

    This is the most straightforward way to get free cosmetics. Most makeup brands will offer free gifts with checkout when you order through their online site. Sometimes you’ll have to select what free samples you want, and other times they’re just included. Large retailers often offer these samples as incentives when you try out new cosmetics. Other retailers cycle through new types of makeup they want you to try.

    The main thing to remember is to just read the fine print. Most retailers offer lots of free samples, and all you need to do is keep up with which ones are offering which samples. Just keep your eyes peeled for great deals!

    Facebook Promotions

    Check on Facebook promotions for free samples. Every company has a social media rep trying to get more clicks and likes. If you follow your favorite brands, odds are good they’ll run some giveaways. Whether that’s in the form of discount codes, sweepstakes or straight-up free samples, it’s worth following them.

    This is the easiest way to keep up with free samples, since it’s somewhat passive. You’re likely already following your favorite brands online, so you just need to keep up with their promotions. It’s worth it for those sweet, sweet free samples!

    Test Groups

    The most active way to receive free makeup samples can be a great option for influential or social people. Joining test groups is a great way to have assorted free samples sent to you for testing. You wear the makeup or perfume, or whichever item is sent to you, and then you fill out a survey on it. You’re often encouraged to leave reviews or do other promotional tasks, as well.

    While this type of free sample is most often available to influencers like those on Instagram, anyone can sign up for these programs! All you need to do is test the cosmetics and answer the surveys to keep the free makeup coming!

  • Top 7 Horror Movies of the 70s

    Top 7 Horror Movies of the 70s

    The 70s where an amazing decade, It was an amazing decade for film too. Most of all it was an amazing decade for horror flicks. With the emergence of Steven king and the newly spawned  slasher films, that have dominated the scary genera for half a century, the 70s made great, timeless horror movies. What is really great about the films of the seventies, even the low budgets ones, is how well lighted, large-format 70 mm celluloid stands out. They hold up so well when we increase the tech and resolution of out 4k HD TVs of today. Add in the culture or lack of culture in the 70s you get films that are stunning to see and fun to watch or re-watch. Since all hallows eve is approaching, lets take a look at the Top 7 Horror Movies of the 70s.

    Number 7: Carrie

    Steven Kings Carrie, 1976. Directed by Brian De Palma. White, a shy, friendless teenage girl who is sheltered by her domineering, religious mother, unleashes her telekinetic powers after being humiliated by her classmates at her senior prom. Carrie is a horrifying look at supernatural powers, high school cruelty, and teen angst — and it brings us one of the most memorable and disturbing prom scenes in history.

    6: Texas Chain Saw Massacre

    1974, Directed by Tobe Hooper. Two siblings and three of their friends en route to visit their grandfather’s grave in Texas end up falling victim to a family of cannibalistic psychopaths. The inspirations for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre are surprisingly diverse, ranging from director and co-writer Tobe Hooper’s attempt to make a modern retelling of Hansel and Gretel to real-life Wisconsin murderer and corpse defiler Ed Gein. 4 decades later it is still, terrifying, exciting and a load of fun to watch.

    5: The Wicker Man

    Sergeant Howie (Edward Woodward) arrives on the small Scottish island of Summer isle to investigate the report of a missing child. A conservative Christian, the policeman observes the residents’ frivolous sexual displays and strange pagan rituals, particularly the temptations of Willow. This intelligent horror film is subtle in its thrills and chills, with an ending that is both shocking and truly memorable.

    4: Dawn of the Dead

    1978, American independent zombie horror film directed by George A. Romero. As hordes of zombies swarm over the U.S., the terrified populace tries everything in their power to escape the attack of the undead, but neither cities nor the countryside prove safe. One of the most compelling and entertaining zombie films ever, Dawn of the Dead perfectly blends pure horror and gore with social commentary on material society.

    3. Halloween

    1978. On a cold Halloween night in 1963, six year old Michael Myers brutally murdered his 17-year-old sister, Judith. He was sentenced and locked away for 15 years. But on October 30, 1978, while being transferred for a court date, a 21-year-old Michael Myers steals a car and escapes Smith’s Grove. A man in a William Shatner mask and a knife, what could be more fun..

    Number 2 on The Top 7 Horror Movies of the 70s … The Exorcist

    1973. And still the scariest movie of all time. When a teenage girl is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two priests to save her daughter. Fightful and magnificent performances all around. This is one for the history books of film. Horror, and religion. Be in the right frame of mind before watching… I still hesitate every time I go to watch it.

    1.The Shining… Of Course

    While Technically this was released in 1980, it was filmed, shot and set in the 70s so ill make this exception. Not only is this one of the best Steve King movies, Kubrick Movies, scary movies or just movie in general. It is an all-time classic and one of the most fun movies to watch and quote. Jack Nicholson is a master. Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) becomes winter caretaker at the isolated Overlook Hotel in Colorado, hoping to cure his writer’s block. He settles in along with his wife, Wendy (Shelley Duvall), and his son, Danny (Danny Lloyd), who is plagued by psychic premonitions. Though it deviates from Stephen King’s novel, Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is a chilling, often baroque journey into madness — exemplified by an unforgettable turn from Jack Nicholson

    The Final Thought

    Top 7 Horror Movies of the 70s  was a fun list to do. As time goes by your forget how a simple horror movie can play every emotion you have. That is what makes the genera so masterful and the best truly stand out. I hope you enjoyed perusing the Top 7 Horror Movies of the 70s as much as I did writing it.  My local theater is playing the Shining on the silver screen Halloween night. I’ll be there, you should join.

  • Top 5 DNA Tests for Ancestry

    Top 5 DNA Tests for Ancestry

    For centuries, genealogists have relied on oral and written records to trace their family trees. But around the year 2000, the age of genealogical DNA testing was launched. This provided genealogists and family historians with an opportunity to use well-established scientific methods to prove relationships and ancestry.

    Ready to take an ancestry DNA test to better understand your family’s past, but aren’t sure which one to choose? You’re not alone. Several excellent DNA tests for genealogy are now available for a reasonable cost, but picking the right one for you can be very confusing. Which DNA test is best?

    23 and Me

    Called 23andMe as a nod to each person’s unique set of 23 chromosomes, 23andMe is the only kit in this lineup to offer health screenings aside from autosomal testing.  Fill the tube with your spit, send it back for testing, and get your results in 6-8 weeks. Results are kept indefinitely, so you can log on at any time to see or update your family tree.

    23andMe’s health tests can give valuable information about genetic illnesses, health risks, carrier status on health conditions, or traits that may run in your family — providing you with an important heads up about any checkups you may want to schedule.

    23andMe is possibly the easiest to find, sold at retailers like Target as well as Amazon and 23andMe.com. Though the starting price on these sites is $29.99, the lab fee will add up to either $69 or $169 — $10 cheaper than the base price on 23andMe’s official website, depending on if you choose just the ancestry test or add the health screening to that.

    MyHeritage

    If you’re balling on a budget and are only looking for the autosomal testing, MyHeritage could be the DNA test for you. First timers may also find this kit the most appealing as it is the most user-friendly. Swab the inside of your cheek with the provided tool, send it back for testing, and have your results in 3-4 weeks. Results are kept for 25 years.

    MyHeritage is said to be the fastest and cheapest test, usually sending results back to participants in 3-4 weeks and not requiring a monthly-paid subscription to access results. MyHeritage also pulls from 42 graphic regions, the third highest number behind AncestryDNA and Living DNA. DNA can be linked online to create a family tree, and there is an option to upload raw data — so if you’ve gotten some sort of genealogy tests done before or have outside genetics information that you’d like to use, it can easily be included in results.

    Ancestry.com

    AncestryDNA makes it easy to explore your ethnic origins but can’t differentiate between maternal and paternal lineages. This test is great for tracing your ethnic roots and finding living relatives.  Though all of the DNA services provide broadly similar results for ethnic origins, AncestryDNA presented this data in a clearer manner and placed the information in a useful historical context.

    For people seeking distant cousins or even biological parents, the company’s claimed DNA database of 10 million customers—twice the size of its closest competitor’s—increases the odds of successful matches. Unlike the other services we tested, however, AncestryDNA cannot track your maternal and paternal heritage independently or trace your ancient migration path out of Africa. Ancestry.com also is one of the most affordable DNA tests out there, usually $99 but currently offering a holiday special for only $59!

    Family Tree

    Family Tree is a data trove for genealogists with a bigger budget. It has options for highly detailed analysis of maternal and paternal lineages. But the cost for the genealogist-oriented add-ons can add up quickly. Family Tree DNA offers a more comprehensive suite of testing options than any service we evaluated, with additional tools that should satisfy genealogy buffs looking to explore their connections to early human migration or find relatives from one particular side of their family tree.

    As you would at a good sushi restaurant, however, you’ll want to watch your bill. Family Tree DNA’s à la carte approach can quickly add up; you can easily spend more than than three times the testing cost of our main pick.

    Living DNA

    Living DNA is a UK-based genomics firm that offers autosomal DNA data, as well as a breakdown of matrilineal and patrilineal lines. DNA data is gathered through a mouth swab. We liked how shipping for the test kit is free.

    If you’re looking for a DNA service that can match you to other possible relatives throughout the world, Living DNA is not the service for you. While Living DNA is beginning to build up a family match database, there’s nothing there now to work with.

    On the other hand, Living DNA’s test is quite comprehensive if you’re researching your background without regard to finding long-lost cousins. The company tests 638,000 autosomal SNPs, 22,500 Y chromosome SNPs and 17,800 X chromosome SNPs, along with 4,700 mitochondrial SNPs.

    Of particular interest to those looking backwards throughout their history, Living DNA tracks DNA to 80 geographic regions, and, for those of you with a UK family history, can even can provide an map of where your ancestors lived on the islands.