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  • She Wished She Knew THIS ONE THING Before her Plumbing/Electrical Emergency

    She Wished She Knew THIS ONE THING Before her Plumbing/Electrical Emergency

    We’ve all been there. Suddenly, pipes burst. Your power fails. Your electrical or plumbing system in your home goes belly up at a moment’s notice, and you have no idea what to do about it. Well, we’ve got a few tips for you to help you figure out what to do when a plumbing or electrical emergency occurs.

    What to do During a Plumbing or Electrical Emergency

    Professional Help

    When you have an emergency with either your plumbing or your electrical system, you need to get in touch with a professional right away. Professional plumbers and electricians can be expensive to contract, but emergency situations involving your home’s important systems can’t be ignored. Unless you’re a very experienced electrician or plumber, it’s best to leave the repairs of these systems to a professional.

    For one thing, it can be dangerous to mess with electrical systems when you don’t know a lot about them. Plumbing isn’t as dangerous, but you could cause lasting damage to your home if you make mistakes while attempting to work on it.

    Plumbing Emergencies

    If you have a plumbing emergency on your hands that involves broken pipes or overflowing water or drains, you’ve got a few options in the short term before help can arrive. You can shut off the water from the main, which will help prevent ongoing damage to your home when things are getting out of hand.

    This will also give you time to assess the situation and the damage, and clean up the damage that’s already occurred. If you don’t know where your main is, you should find that out, because it’ll be hard to find it when things go sideways. In a more minor emergency, such as with an overflowing toiler, you can simply turn the water off from the toilet’s own main valve at the wall.

    Water Heater

    Similarly, if you have an emergency that requires you cut the water main, you’ll want to make sure you cut off the water heater too. Water heaters can back up with heat even when there is no water, which puts them at risk of bursting. If you have a gas-powered water heater, you want to make sure you turn off the gas first. Find out where your water heater is, how to turn it off, and how to quickly get to it in the event of an emergency.

    Electrical Emergencies

    Electrical emergencies can be very dangerous. In the event of a serious, life-threatening emergency, make sure you call a professional in to help you. Never touch exposed wires, and stay far away from any outlets if your home has been struck by lightning or is experiencing a surge.

    In the event of an emergency that is threatening you, your family or your pets, you can go to the main breaker and cut the power to the house. This will make all electricity cease flowing to your home, which is a great first step to give you a chance to call out a professional.

    After Cutting the Power

    Once you cut the main power to your home, keep in mind that your fridge is no longer receiving power. Don’t open the fridge or freezer, so you keep all residual cold trapped inside. After an hour or so passes, however, you might have to toss out the perishables. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

    Additionally, while the power is out, you could consider unplugging all of your appliances. If your home is receiving too much power via a surge, it could result in damage to your appliances. In the meantime, make sure you call out a professional to investigate the issue.


  • How Much of a Mortgage Should You Take On?

    How Much of a Mortgage Should You Take On?

    It can be difficult to think critically when it comes to home buying. After all, you want the best money can buy for you and your family. However, that doesn’t mean you should take on a huge mortgage just to get into a slightly bigger house that’s slightly closer to downtown. Today we’re going over some smart rules of thumb to keep in mind when you’re buying a home, and how you can make the most of your home buying budget.

    How Much Home Should You Buy

    First Steps

    The first steps in any purchasing decision need to be taking inventory. Go ahead and look at your current living situation and figure out how much you’re allocating every month to your rent or mortgage. Then, make an honest and clear-eyed budget to get a grasp on where your money goes and how much extra income you might have, if any.

    Once you’ve taken a look at your finances, you can honestly begin thinking about where you want your mortgage payments to be. Get a ceiling for your budget and don’t go over it, no matter how intense of a bidding war gets launched on the property you want. This allows you to think critically when you’re making your purchasing decisions.

    Rule of Thumb

    The old, time-tested rule of thumb when it comes to mortgages is the 28/36 rule. This rule holds that you shouldn’t let your total monthly expenses for housing cost more than 28 percent of your income. It also holds that you shouldn’t let your total debts, including credit card or student loan debts, exceed 36 percent of your income. Putting that together, you get some clear numbers.

    For some hard examples, this means if you make $50,000 per year, you shouldn’t spend more than $1,166 on monthly housing expenses. If you make $60,000, that number is $1,400, for $75,000 that number is $1,750, and if you make $100,000 per year your cap on housing expenses should be $2,333.

    Down Payment

    Make as big of a down payment on the home as you can. The bigger your down payment, the better. A big down payment means that you’ll have a shorter mortgage length, or a smaller mortgage payment. If you have no problem paying down a larger monthly bill, you could consider “paying” yourself more for your current housing expenses in order to make a savings account for your down payment.

    Buyers with a larger down payment available are also more likely to win out in bidding wars over properties. Realtors typically want more cash up-front, even if that means less cash in the long run. Ideally, you’ll want to provide a down payment of at least twenty percent of the mortgage in order to avoid paying mortgage insurance. Paradoxically, this means you’ll save more money by having more money up front.

    Do Your Research

    Make sure you do all the research you need to about the area you’re trying to buy a home in. Work closely with your realtor on this endeavor. It’s important you have an idea as to how much a home in the area should cost, so you don’t fall for any overpriced homes. Consider factors that add to the price, such as pools, garages and proximity to schools and shopping centers.

    When you’re equipped with the knowledge you need you’ll find it much easier to negotiate. You’ll also find it easier to walk away from poor deals, as you’ll know what kind of deals you can get on comparable houses in the region. Remember: your budget is important, and you shouldn’t go above the 28/36 rule, especially when you know you can find a better deal elsewhere.


  • Top Tips for Selling Your Home like a Pro

    Top Tips for Selling Your Home like a Pro

    It’s not easy to sell your home. However, there are a lot of steps you can take to make it easier to sell your home quickly, for the price you want, and in a way that won’t make you pull your hair out. Today we’re going to help you zero in on the top ways to make your home selling experience as smooth as possible.

    Selling Your Home Like a Pro

    Get a Good Realtor

    Finding a good realtor to help you sell the property is step one. In some senses, it’s step zero, because a realtor has a lot of skills that will help you navigate the complexities of selling property. Think of it like this: you wouldn’t go to court without a lawyer, would you? So why would you try to sell property without a realtor? A good realtor is worth their weight in gold, taking a ton of the more complex aspects of the sale off of your plate and helping you make the right calls.

    Do Your Research

    Next, you’re going to want to do your research. Find out what homes in your area are selling for, and figure out if you have any special qualities with your home that could make it cost more. Do you have a garage, a pool, a big yard or a particularly excellent location? If so, you should factor that into the asking price.

    When you set your asking price, make sure it’s realistic and in line with other homes in your area. Your realtor should be able to help you figure out what a good opening price would be, so you don’t make prospective buyers think you’re disconnected from reality.

    Keeping Things Clean

    Make sure your landscaping and interior are on point when people come to look at the home. You want to have well-sculpted grass, trimmed hedges and trees all in line. Make sure there are no weeds in the flower bed and that things outside the home just look nice, in general.

    On that same note, clean the inside of your home. Get rid of clutter and sweep, vacuum, clean out the cat boxes and clean the kitchen and bathrooms. It’s important that prospective buyers get a great first impression from your home. If they see everything is shiny and well-maintained, they’ll trust you more as a seller than if things were overgrown, cluttered and dusty.

    The Best Photos

    When you take pictures for the online listing, make sure they are top quality. Your realtor can help you with this, but here are some basics. Firstly, make sure it’s a bright, sunny day when you’re taking photos of the house. Show off every room in the house from the best angles, making them look as big as possible and filling them with natural light.

    Keep all the blinds open when taking these pictures. Make sure there’s no clutter or junk around and in the way when you’re taking the pictures. The same goes for outside: no overgrown yards, ugly weeds in the neighbor’s yard, or beaten-up old cars in the background of the pictures. Remember: the first impression is everything in real estate.

    The Yard Sign

    Don’t forget to put up the “for sale” sign in the yard! While online listings and your realtor’s help are important for selling your home, you shouldn’t overlook old-fashioned curb appeal. People could drive by, see the for-sale sign and your excellently manicured yard, and say “I want to buy that place!”

    Then, ta-da, you’ve got a prospective buyer and you only had to put up a sign. That’s the very definition of good marketing!


  • Should You Refinance Your Home?

    Should You Refinance Your Home?

    Refinancing your home’s mortgage can be done for a variety of reasons. In short, refinancing a mortgage means paying off your existing loan balance with a different loan, allowing you to restructure your debt. One of the main reasons people do this is to get their interest rates lower, shorten the length of their mortgage or simply consolidate their debts.

    Is refinancing your home right for you? Well, that’s a complex question. There are a lot of factors that go in to refinancing, including the terms of your current mortgage, your financial situation and your life status. Today we’re going over some of the basic of home refinance.

    Home Refinancing

    What is Refinancing?

    As stated above, refinancing is the practice of getting another loan to pay off your existing mortgage. This can cost between three and six percent of the loan’s principal, involves a title search, appraisal and application fees, and is typically done to give the homeowner some economic advantage.

    Due to the complexity of refinancing, it’s a good idea to take things slow and do a lot of research before refinancing your home. Diving in might not be the wisest course of action. However, there are a number of reasons you might want to refinance, so learning more about the process can be a good long-term well of knowledge.

    Interest Rates

    One of the most common and popular reasons to refinance is to secure a lower interest rate. When interest rates drop, look at your home and compare what you’re paying now to what else is available on the market. If you can save even one percent of interest, it might be worth refinancing. The general rule of thumb, though, holds that you should refinance if you can save two percent or more on your loan.

    This does a few things. Firstly, it means your monthly payments will be lower, which is great. Secondly, it could mean that you can pay off your loan sooner, meaning you get to invest in your home’s equity more quickly.

    Loan Length

    When you refinance to a lower interest rate, you’ve got two choices. You could either choose to keep the loan length the same and pay less every month, or you could pay the same amount and shorten the loan’s duration. That’s a tough choice for some, but it depends on your situation.

    If you’re making your payments comfortably, it might be ideal to take the shortened loan length and pay your home off faster. However, if you’re struggling to make payments every month, consider taking the lowered monthly payments, which will help you stretch your budget on a monthly basis.

    Fixed Rate vs Adjustable Rate

    Another common reason to refinance your home is to change it from a fixed rate mortgage to an adjustable rate mortgage, or vice versa. Often, ARMs begin at lower rates than FRMs, but can become higher over time as their rate is adjusted for inflation and other market changes. Meanwhile, a fixed rate can often start higher but become much more reasonable as time goes on and the market increases around it.

    On the flip side, if you have a FRM, but interest rates are falling, it might be ideal to switch to an ARM. ARMs can be a very good idea for refinance when you’ve got a short amount of time left on a mortgage and interest rates are low in the market.

    Do Your Research

    Make sure you do yourself a favor and do lots of research on interest rates, your mortgage and the market before you refinance. It’s a big leap and can be a very costly endeavor if you’re mistaken about what’s best for your home. When done right, however, refinance can be a huge money saver.


  • How to Find the Best Realtor: Sell Your Home the Right Way

    How to Find the Best Realtor: Sell Your Home the Right Way

    When it comes time to sell your home, you’re going to need the right realtor. You want to make sure you’ve got the right person in your corner to help you impress potential buyers, and to help you negotiate with sellers. In short, having a good realtor is like having a good lawyer. Things are just easier when the person on your side is good at their job!

    Today we’re going over the top things you can do to find the right realtor to help you sell your home and make sure you get what you want for it. After all, cutting through the marketing hype and finding the real gems can be difficult, but you owe it to yourself to get the best!

    Finding the Best Realtor

    Do Some Research

    Firstly, you’re going to want to do some research on a given realtor. When you see someone’s business card or flyer, don’t just buy their marketing hype. Look them up, ask around about them. Get in touch with their recent clients and see how they felt about the experience. Was the realtor professional, did they do their job well? Was the client happy with the sale, and the purchase of their new property? If you’re hearing lots of negative stories, it might be good to steer clear.

    Another piece of research to engage in is looking into the realtor’s license and seeing if any disciplinary actions have been taken against them. Your state will have a registry of licensed realtors, and you’ll be able to see if the person is licensed and whether they have any disciplinary marks against them. If they do, you’ll know to avoid the untrustworthy realtor.

    Look into Specialties

    Not many people know this, but realtors have specialties and fields of focus, much like doctors and lawyers. When you’re looking into a realtor, find out what they specialize in. For instance, if you’re selling your home, you’ll likely want a realtor who is a CRS, a certified residential specialist. On the other hand, if you’re purchasing a property, you’ll likely want an ABR, an Accredited Buyer’s Representative, who has special education in representing buyers.

    Another specialty to be aware of, if you’re over fifty, is the SRES, or Seniors Real Estate Specialist. This specialty means the realtor has completed additional education on representing buyers and sellers who are over fifty!

    Current Listings

    Check a realtor’s current listings online. Are they selling enough homes that it looks like they have a healthy business going? On the other hand, does it look like they have so many things on their plate that they might not be able to give you adequate attention? You want a realtor who is in that sweet spot right between the two extremes.

    Likewise, when you speak to a realtor, mention nearby properties and discuss your area. If the realtor is well-informed about the area, that’s a good sign. If they can give you info on nearby properties, what has sold recently and how business is in the area, you’ve likely got a realtor with a good sense for their job. You want someone with an ear to ground on your side.

    The Voice of Experience

    When you first encounter a realtor, it’s a good idea to find out how long they’ve been in business. In the case of a newer realtor, such as someone who has only been in business for less than five years, you might want to go with someone else. A realtor who has started less than five years ago is still learning a lot, and you don’t want them learning and making rookie mistakes with your property.


  • Which Credit Cards are the Best for Someone with Bad Credit?

    Which Credit Cards are the Best for Someone with Bad Credit?

    If you have bad credit, it can feel next to impossible to dig your way out. It’s hard to get approved for loans, you have a hard time saving and getting ahead, and everything can feel like an uphill battle. When you’ve got bad credit, how can you right the ship and get yourself back on track?

    One of the best ways to rebuild bad credit is to get a credit card with low fees up front and that report on your credit to all three bureaus. Ideally, you want a card that offers pre-qualification checks, too. Today we’re going over how you can rebuild your credit, and what some of the best cards for doing so are.

    Best Credit Cards for Bad Credit

    Rebuilding Credit with a Credit Card

    When it comes to rebuilding your credit, your best bet is going to be operating on a very small scale. Set yourself a small budget, something you know you can easily pay off every month and put that on your card. Maybe just get gas, or just buy groceries with the card, and nothing else. Never float a balance past a month and make regular payments.

    While you’re doing this, keep an eye on your credit. Make sure the positive changes are being reported regularly and that your credit is moving in the right direction. This ensures that you’re doing the right thing and that your credit is being repaired.

    Applying for Cards

    Don’t look desperate by sending out a huge burst of credit card applications. This is a surefire way to put a big dent in your credit. Each time you apply for a credit card, a hard inquiry is placed on your credit, which can negatively impact it for as much as twelve months. Make sure you only apply for a few cards and consider going after pre-qualification cards.

    Pre-qualified cards do a soft inquiry of your credit, which allows you to avoid the issue of having your credit tanked by repeated inquiries. Once you get your card, you can begin rebuilding your credit with it, so the soft inquiry is well-worth the effort.

    Capital One Secured Mastercard

    The Capital One Secured Mastercard is a great pick for anyone looking to rebuild their credit. The card has no annual fee, and you can set down a small amount of money up-front for a credit line of $200. That’s enough for you to buy groceries on or buy gas, and then pay off before the end of the month.

    When you make enough payments on time, you’ll even get an increased credit line that allows you to put more expenses on the card. Not to mention, you get to pick your own due date for the money. That means you can set up your bills to hit when you get your paycheck, so you’re never late on your card payment!

    Milestone Gold Mastercard

    You can set this card up to pay off bi-monthly, allowing you to keep a tighter leash on your spending and help you get into good spending habits. The card doesn’t require a security deposit and it offers $0 cash advance fees the first year. In short, if you’ve got a prior bankruptcy on your credit history, this is a card worth looking in to. Just watch out for some of the minor fees, like for adding another authorized user or late payment fees.


  • Degrees in Nutrition: Can You Get One Online?

    Degrees in Nutrition: Can You Get One Online?

    If you’ve been thinking about changing career path, you might have considered a job as a nutritionist. Or, if you haven’t maybe you are now. Work as a dietary expert or a nutritionist is very important in our ever-changing world, and it’s not hard to find work in the growing field. Today, we’re going over the career path of a nutritionist and how you can get a degree in nutrition online.

    Nutrition Degrees

    What is Nutritional Science?

    Nutritional science, the field of study one pursues in a nutrition degree, is the study of the intersection between optimal health, dietary choices and food. In short terms, nutritional science looks at the types of food people eat to see what kinds of health those foods promote.

    Nutritionists are becoming increasingly more important in the US for a variety of reasons. Firstly, the population is aging: Baby Boomers, one of the largest demographics in the country, need increased dietary attention as they age. Secondly, American lifestyles are becoming increasingly sedentary, and people aren’t getting enough good nutrition on average.

    Careers in Nutrition

    Due to these demographic factors, it’s estimated that the need for nutritionists will increase by 15% by the year 2026. This means that nutritionists will see career growth around 7% greater than the national average, according to current projections. This means that a job in nutrition is a great bet for your future and your career.

    In order to find work as a nutritionist, the average dietary professional needs a bachelor’s degree in nutritional science or a related field. This education covers a wide variety of topics, from medical science to physiology to food science. In short, it’s a rather involved field!

    Average Pay

    On average, a nutritionist working in America will make $55,000 per year. That’s roughly $25 per hour, which is not a bad median income for a bachelor’s degree! Since the pay is relatively good, the work is stable and in high demand, and the position requires only a four-year degree, work as a nutritionist is increasingly popular.

    However, not everyone has the free time to attend a four-year university to get their nutritional science degree. If you’re interested in making a change of careers to nutritionist, but don’t know how you’ll find the time to get your degree, you should consider online courses.

    Online Degree

    People with busy schedules, full-time jobs and families often can’t make the time for full-time attendance of a university to get a new degree. However, taking courses online can open up possibilities for your education. Since online courses can be taken in the evenings or whenever you have down time, you can fit them around your busy schedule more easily.

    Contrary to popular misconceptions, a degree you get online is just as valid and respectable as one you get in person. If you attend an accredited online university with a legitimate degree program, you will get a legitimate degree!

    Common Misconceptions

    Some people believe that online degrees are easier to obtain than in-person degrees, or that they’re less important. This isn’t true, though. Someone acquiring their degree online will work just as hard as a student in a classroom. Studying, writing papers and taking tests are all still parts of online course work, they’re just done on the schedule of the student, instead of the schedule of the course.

    Another common misconception about online degrees holds that they are often cheaper than in-person courses. However, this also isn’t always true. However, with an online degree, you don’t need to worry about certain collegiate expenditures, like covering a dorm room, a meal plan and a parking pass for on campus!


  • Is it Possible to Get a Doctorate Online? The Facts

    Is it Possible to Get a Doctorate Online? The Facts

    The pursuit of higher education is a noble one. However, not everyone has the time and money to set aside in order to pursue doctorate programs. If you’ve been wanting to go after a doctorate degree but you feel like your responsibilities would get in the way of going to a grad program, you’ve got options. As it turns out, you can take a doctorate program online! Today we’re going over the pros and cons of online doctorate degrees, so you can know the facts before you step into an online program.

    Online Doctorate Programs

    Doctorate Programs

    A doctorate program is a higher education curriculum that students who have a graduate degree pursue. Typically, highly skilled and complex professions require a doctorate-level degree and possessing one can lead to a huge increase in your salary and the positions open to you in your career.

    Hard to Get?

    There are a lot of myths that circulate about online doctorate degrees. The biggest of these is the myth that an online degree is easier to acquire than a degree you receive in person. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. While there are degree mills that churn out pieces of paper for money, they are far from the reality of online schools.

    There are numerous accredited and reputable universities that you can attend online. These are full doctorate courses that offer all of the challenge and knowledge of a traditional school experience. That brings us to our next myth: the misconception that online degrees are easier to get.

    Real Degrees

    An online doctorate is a real degree. When you apply for a doctorate program, know that you’re signing up for a serious commitment. You’ll be expected to read the material, study diligently, work hard and write your dissertation. Online degrees aren’t junior versions of doctorate programs, they’re full-blown degree programs.

    Another common misconception holds that people will find an online-acquired doctorate less important or impactful than one acquired in-person. This is also an untrue narrative. As we’ve laid out, online programs that are properly accredited are REAL doctorate programs. They are just as difficult and time consuming as getting your degree while attending a school.

    Why Study Online?

    Maybe you’re wondering why someone would opt to get their doctorate online. After all, if it’s not easier or faster than getting it in person, what’s the difference? This is largely missing the point of getting a degree, though. The biggest draw to online programs is the flexibility they offer working people with many responsibilities.

    It can often be difficult to find the time to make it to campus for lectures, tests and the like. For many busy people, it’s so much easier for their schedule if they can work on their doctorate from home, on their own time. That way, they’re able to tackle the material under their own parameters and cover things at their own pace.

    How to Get an Online Doctorate

    If you’re serious about getting your degree online, you need to make a plan. Do some research, see which school looks right for you. Consider what degree path you want to take. Are you trying to advance in your career by getting your doctorate, or are you looking to switch careers? Once you’ve figured out what program you want to be in, get ready to set aside some resources.

    Be realistic with yourself. How much time and energy can you devote to the program? What’s a realistic timetable for yourself as you tackle your degree? Remember, you still want to have some free time to spend with friends and family. At the end of the day, just remember that you can take on a doctorate at your own pace when you opt to go with an online degree!


  • Degrees in Human Resources: The Right Path for You?

    Degrees in Human Resources: The Right Path for You?

    The term “human resources” refers to a rather large swath of professional opportunities and careers. There are a lot of great options out there for someone with a degree in HR, though knowing more about the career path is a great place to start.

    One of the most sought-after online degrees, degrees in HR are far-ranging in scope. There’s just a lot to learn in the field! There are degrees available at nearly every level of higher education, from associates to bachelors, all the way up to MBA degrees. Today we’re going to talk about these in a bit more depth.

    Human Resource Degrees

    Associate degree

    Seeking an associate degree in HR is a fast way to get your foot in the door. An AD is a great way to get started in an entry level HR position, such as a generalist at a larger office or a clerk in a smaller office.

    Secondary tasks such as payroll, benefits specialization and development coordination could fall to a generalist or a clerk. Of course, the pay grade of someone with this degree would be lower than someone with higher degree.

    Bachelor’s Degree

    A holder of a bachelor’s degree in HR opens a lot more opportunities for their career. You could enter into the field from any of a variety of entry points. For instance, you could come in and get work as a manager at a smaller company, or as a full HR specialist at a larger company.

    Generally speaking, seeking out a bachelor’s is a better long-term investment than an associate degree, if you can afford the tuition and extra time. Ideally, you can specialize in your HR focus so that you’re more appealing to companies as an HR specialist. Many programs offer business degrees with roughly 120 credit hours that have specialized focuses in human resources.

    Master of Business Administration

    MBA degrees with a focus in HR aren’t terribly common, and so those who hold them are highly sought-after. If you’ve got your eyes set on advancing your career through an HR path with a major company, an MBA is an invaluable asset. If you have a desire to hold a leadership position, this is the degree that will give you the training you need to do just that.

    In short, if you hold an MBA with a human resources focus, it’s unlikely you’d have difficulty holding a leadership position anywhere in the US. When acquiring your degree, consider how focused you want your studies to be. A more general MBA with a loose focus on HR allows you to cultivate transferable skills. On the other hand, a more focused path can set you apart from other candidates for sought-after jobs.

    Length of Time

    Another consideration when it comes to higher education is the amount of time it takes to acquire a degree. Generally speaking, it takes roughly two years to acquire an associate degree and four years to acquire a bachelor’s degree. MBA programs, which you take after graduating with a bachelor’s degree, can take an additional one or two years, depending on your course load and school.

    Careers

    On average, an HR specialist makes around $50,000 per year, or roughly $20 per hour. They tend to work in office settings, though there are some exceptions. Salaries can change dramatically based on education level and employer, as well as work history and experience.

    HR managers, on the other hand, make an average of $108,600 per year, or roughly $52 per hour. If that sounds like the career path you’d like to pursue, consider looking into a degree in HR today! There are numerous online programs that could be right for you.


  • Careers in Medical Billing and Coding: Online Degrees

    Careers in Medical Billing and Coding: Online Degrees

    Getting a degree online is one of the smartest things you can do when you’re looking to change careers. A very popular online degree course for new career-seekers is a career in medical billing and coding. There’s a lot to love about this career path, and today we’re going over what you could expect from a career in medical billing and coding. Let’s talk shop.

    Medical Billing and Coding

    Job Description

    What, exactly, does a medical billing and coding specialist do? Well, there are two answers to that. The straightforward answer is that a billing and coding specialist sends people the bill for the medical services they were provided. Pretty simple, right? Well, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

    A more complex answer is that the billing specialist oversees what’s known as the billing cycle. The billing cycle is the main interaction between patients and doctors once medical services are completed. A billing specialist oversees the registration, processing, recording and handling of sensitive patient records, which makes this a very important job.

    Responsibilities

    When a patient comes in for a visit to the doctor, the billing and coding specialist has to translate all of the services rendered and activities to codes. These codes indicate a record of what kinds of medical services are being billed for. Then, this recording is sent to whoever is paying for the visit, which is usually an insurance company.

    Other than billing and entering code, specialists also handled denied claims and work with insurance agencies to understand why claims are denied. When bills are past due, specialists have to reach out to the patients or insurance agencies in question regarding the late payments to acquire the missing funds.

    Job Satisfaction

    This means most of the work a billing and coding specialist does is highly specialized and technical, but not incredibly fast-paced of inherently stressful. The work is usually done in a medical setting, such as a doctor’s office, though some specialists work independently and are contracted.

    If you’re interested in a job in the medical field that doesn’t involve directly dealing with patients, this might be a good job for you. Those with a good eye for details, strong work ethic and who enjoy clerical work are ideal candidates for billing and coding specialist jobs.

    Where You Work

    There are a number of places that billing and coding specialists work, but primarily they find their work in hospitals. Private practices are also common employers of billing specialists, as are nursing care facilities, outpatient clinics, health insurance companies and pharmacies. In short, you can find work as a billing and coding specialist in nearly any aspect of the medical profession.

    Other specialists work from home as independent contractors. While it is possible to begin a career as a work-from-home coding specialist, these cases are much rarer than working in a medical setting. That said, there are some medical billing specialists who make a living from home, just know that you likely won’t start in the field as a contractor right after getting your online degree.

    Average Pay

    The average pay for a medical billing and coding specialist varies depending on their experience, the setting they work in and what kind of work they’re doing. In general, however, a billing specialist makes an average of $34,000 per year, or around $16 per hour. That’s assuming an average amount of experience, a college degree and work in an office of some kind.

    Keep in mind, contractor work will end up paying more than full-time employment, but contract work means you need to have your own insurance and pay taxes yourself.