Saturday, May 30, 2020

Surgery without Health Insurance

Surgery without Health Insurance A couple of years ago we had some expensive hospital work that we were trying to plan for.  For various reasons outside of our control, we didnt have health insurance.  Today, with a different kind of health insurance we get from employers, and more people out of work, I thought it would be important to bring this up again. Heres a post that describes what happened.  It was scary, but such an amazingly positive experience (with regard to the finances). From an August 2009 post: Three months ago we had a baby and paid for it without health insurance (even cheap health insurance) or government aid. Last week my wife had a surgery and we’ll have it paid for as soon as we get the final invoice, again without any health insurance or government aid. You should note that I have NOTHING against private health insurance (well, I think it’s grossly overpriced and doesn’t offer what it should) nor am I against getting government aid when appropriate (more on that tomorrow).  This isn’t a political post, or a bashing post… I just wanted to share a couple of ideas that might help you save money (or, be able to afford the health care you need). When asked what our insurance is we simply respond that we are “self-pay.”   This means it doesn’t go through insurance, rather that we pay for it ourselves.   As self-pay you can finance the service(s) through the service provider (hospital, doctor., etc.).   Or you can  pay in full.   Why would you pay in full? Read on. When we had our baby we told them we were self-pay and asked them if they offered a discount.   Guess what the discount was? OVER 50%!   Instead of paying more than $8,000, our total hospital bill was around $3,400.   That is a huge, significant savings.   I like getting things on sale, and I like saving almost $4,000. Note: We had to pay this in full before my wife got out of the hospital. Fast forward three month (yeah, surgery three months later sucks).   My wife goes in for a surgery, fairly standard, and the doctor said he would do surgery wherever we wanted, so we could shop around.   We didn’t know you could or should shop around, asking hospitals what the cost would be.   We found there were pretty significant differences and chose to stay with this same hospital, which offered 50% off of this procedure. (we also learned that if you are insured and pay the copay up front you save 25%) The doctor also offered 50% off â€" we took advantage of this for both the birth and the surgery. Did you know you could save so much?   We had no idea.   But for us it’s a necessity. We also learned we could get a prescription for any oral medicine the doctor would prescribe that was to be administered in the hospital and get that filled at our local pharmacy and then just bring that in for another significant savings.   I have no idea how much we saved but it was cool to know we could do that. My point with this post is that health insurance isn’t the only way to get stuff paid for… if you don’t have it simply ask your doctor or the staff (the medicine thing was a suggestion from his front desk staff), and the hospital finance people… there are plenty of people who are self-pay and it isn’t as bad, scary or undoable as we thought it would be. The scary part of this is that it exposes how expensive health insurance is.   If a doctor and a hospital are willing to discount 50% of their invoice just to (a) get paid in full upfront, and (b) not go through the insurance system, can you imagine what healthcare would be without health insurance in our system? Do you have any other suggestions on finding affordable healthcare. Two years later the question is still highly relevant what suggestions do you have? Surgery without Health Insurance A couple of years ago we had some expensive hospital work that we were trying to plan for.  For various reasons outside of our control, we didnt have health insurance.  Today, with a different kind of health insurance we get from employers, and more people out of work, I thought it would be important to bring this up again. Heres a post that describes what happened.  It was scary, but such an amazingly positive experience (with regard to the finances). From an August 2009 post: Three months ago we had a baby and paid for it without health insurance (even cheap health insurance) or government aid. Last week my wife had a surgery and we’ll have it paid for as soon as we get the final invoice, again without any health insurance or government aid. You should note that I have NOTHING against private health insurance (well, I think it’s grossly overpriced and doesn’t offer what it should) nor am I against getting government aid when appropriate (more on that tomorrow).  This isn’t a political post, or a bashing post… I just wanted to share a couple of ideas that might help you save money (or, be able to afford the health care you need). When asked what our insurance is we simply respond that we are “self-pay.”   This means it doesn’t go through insurance, rather that we pay for it ourselves.   As self-pay you can finance the service(s) through the service provider (hospital, doctor., etc.).   Or you can  pay in full.   Why would you pay in full? Read on. When we had our baby we told them we were self-pay and asked them if they offered a discount.   Guess what the discount was? OVER 50%!   Instead of paying more than $8,000, our total hospital bill was around $3,400.   That is a huge, significant savings.   I like getting things on sale, and I like saving almost $4,000. Note: We had to pay this in full before my wife got out of the hospital. Fast forward three month (yeah, surgery three months later sucks).   My wife goes in for a surgery, fairly standard, and the doctor said he would do surgery wherever we wanted, so we could shop around.   We didn’t know you could or should shop around, asking hospitals what the cost would be.   We found there were pretty significant differences and chose to stay with this same hospital, which offered 50% off of this procedure. (we also learned that if you are insured and pay the copay up front you save 25%) The doctor also offered 50% off â€" we took advantage of this for both the birth and the surgery. Did you know you could save so much?   We had no idea.   But for us it’s a necessity. We also learned we could get a prescription for any oral medicine the doctor would prescribe that was to be administered in the hospital and get that filled at our local pharmacy and then just bring that in for another significant savings.   I have no idea how much we saved but it was cool to know we could do that. My point with this post is that health insurance isn’t the only way to get stuff paid for… if you don’t have it simply ask your doctor or the staff (the medicine thing was a suggestion from his front desk staff), and the hospital finance people… there are plenty of people who are self-pay and it isn’t as bad, scary or undoable as we thought it would be. The scary part of this is that it exposes how expensive health insurance is.   If a doctor and a hospital are willing to discount 50% of their invoice just to (a) get paid in full upfront, and (b) not go through the insurance system, can you imagine what healthcare would be without health insurance in our system? Do you have any other suggestions on finding affordable healthcare. Two years later the question is still highly relevant what suggestions do you have?

Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Paternos Reaction to Being Fired Predictable, Quite Common One - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Paterno’s Reaction to Being Fired Predictable, Quite Common One - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Notwithstanding the significant moral and legal issues involved (which I will gladly leave to the legal system, the media pundits and Penn State University to sort out and further  address), it was nonetheless sad to see the 48-year-long, glorious career of Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno come to such an ingloriousâ€"and suddenâ€"end. Here is Paterno’s reported initial response to being summarily fired: “That’s the thanks I get for giving everything to this university for 48 years?!” I say that  this was Paterno’s reported initial response because within hours the media then changed their tune and began reporting that the comment actually had come from “someone ‘close’ to Paterno,” not from the coach himself. To be honest about it, I have no doubt whatsoever that Paterno himself made the comment (or something very close to it) when he first learned he was fired because it is such a predictable and quite common reaction from someone who has just been unexpectedly fired from his or her job! It’s also a comment I have heard more frequently than I like over the years from candidates whom I had earlier tried to place with hiring companies and who ultimately passed on a position to stay with their current employersâ€"only to later re-contact me when they suddenlyâ€"and unexpectedly!â€"were fired. Here are some typical responses from these candidates: “How could they do this to me after all I’ve done for this company?!”  â€œI thought my job was safe because I just had an excellent performance review!” Unfortunately, by the time I do hear such comments from former job candidates, it’s usually far too late for me to offer them much solace or any viable recourse. When they plaintively ask (as most do), “Is the position I applied for still open?” almost always my answer is “No, it’s already been filled.” The candidate comments to me when they earlier informed me that they were going to pass on the career opportunity being offered were far, far different. These were typical comments I was hearing then: “My company has really been loyal to me over the years and I would feel like a ‘traitor’ if I left them now.” “I feel like I’m a part of a ‘big family’ at my current employer. I would really hate to desert them.” “I hate to give up the good job I have now, which at least pays me a fair salary, to go with another company, about which I really know very little.” That was before “the hammer” suddenly and unexpectedly dropped on them and they got a real “wake-up” call, a real taste of just how tenuous any job, at any level, can be in today’s economy. Most of these men and women didn’t lose their jobs because of scandal or alleged performance issues, of course, but that fact hardly mitigated the gravity of their situation or the tremendous personal and professional sense of loss and shock they were experiencing at the time. Their job loss usually occurred for far more mundane reasons. Maybe it was simply because the company wanted to save money and a general staff reduction was implemented. Or, maybe there was a realignment following a merger and “over-lapping” jobs had to be cut, theirs being among the cuts. Maybe they were among the “highly compensated” employees in their companies and the company decided to eliminate their positions and hire two or three new employees for the same cost. Honestly, there could be many and sundry reasons. Bottom line . . . as far as these employees were concerned, it really made little difference at that point what the actual reasons were for their being fired. How prepared are you for suddenly losing your job? No longer should you expect to have just one job for your entire working career. As we’ve seen, the jobs of both the mighty and not-so-mighty are continually in fluxâ€"for a whole variety of reasons. Unless you have been with your current employer for quite a number of years and are nearing retirement age, you should expect to have a series of jobs throughout your working career. This is merely a hard fact of life in this all-new, unparalleled job market we have today. The question then becomes, are you going to control your own fate and determine both the timing and quality of this series of jobs, or are you willing to cede that control to a current employer, out of some misplaced sense of trust and loyalty? In other words, just how prepared are you if you were to lose your job today? As I’ve stated a number of times in previous blogs, the idea of loyalty from a company to its employees is really a quaint, anachronistic notion these days, if it ever truly existed. The truth of the matter is, companies are not in the business of making sure all their employees are “fat and happy,” they are in the business of making money! Period. If they are not, they soon will cease to exist, which would mean, of course, that all of the company’s employees would lose their jobs! Maybe you are one of the (rapidly dwindling number of) men or women who are completely satisfied with their current job and employer. If so, congratulations, and I am certainly not suggesting that you should now become “paranoid” about losing your job. What I am suggesting, though, is that you make sure you are thoroughly prepared if the  unimaginable (to you) should occur, and this next Friday, just about quitting time, you receive a “pink slip” and are given all of 15 minutes to box up your personal belongings before vacating the premisesâ€"forever! How should you prepare yourself for this possible eventuality? Here, as a minimum, is what I suggest:  Make sure you always  have a current résumé on  hand, as well as one that clearly and immediately brands you as someone  who can make a company money or  save a company money (or both).  (If the unexpected happens, and you don’t  have an up-to-date, high-quality résumé readily available, chances  are, you won’t have the time or the proper attitude to prepare one at that  time.) If you haven’t  already done so, establish an ongoing relationship with a “headhunter” who  specializes in your market niche or profession. (That way, you’ll have  another “advocate” in your corner at a time when you will need all the  advocates you can get!) Establish and  diligently maintain meaningful networking activities, such as those  offered online through LinkedIn and similar sites, as well as those  involving local, regional and national professional groups and  organizations. (The time to first  â€œreach out” to someone is  NOT when you are in desperate  need of a new job!) Brand yourself  as a “go to” person in your professional specialty, someone who is always  in the know, someone who is integrally involved and thoroughly committed, a genuine  â€œcenter of influence.” Essentially, I am by nature an optimist, or more precisely, a realistic optimist. You should be too. But, as the late President Ronald Reagan so cogently and sagely advised, “trust but verify.” In the case of your current job, then, I advise you to trust that things are continuing to go well for you, but also to verify that your perception is an accurate one. If your perception should be proven to be a false one, then make sure you are prepared to change course with the least effort and the greatest efficiency because no job todayâ€"yours  included!â€"should ever be taken for granted. Author: Skip Freeman is the author of “Headhunter” Hiring Secrets: The Rules of the Hiring Game Have Changed . . . Forever! and is the President and Chief Executive Officer of The HTW Group (Hire to Win), an Atlanta, GA, Metropolitan Area Executive Search Firm. Specializing in the placement of sales, engineering, manufacturing and RD professionals, he has developed powerful techniques that help companies hire the best and help the best get hired.

Saturday, May 23, 2020

How To ACTUALLY Find a Mentor

How To ACTUALLY Find a Mentor I am sure you already know how important it is to find a mentor to show you the ropes and help you succeed. You have probably heard it over and over again. But, no one really tells you how to do it, right? I think a lot of companies believe that mentorship is really important. I dont know how many times I have had an action on my personal development plan at work to Find a Mentor. But, no one told me how!  When I first started, there were very few women in my company, to begin with, and I couldnt find many that I actually clicked with and admired. Eventually, I was able to find one but it was a lot harder than I think my managers thought it would be (especially for an introvert!) Here are my two simple tips to find a mentor: 1) Be Natural and Dont Force It I believe that mentorship has to be natural and not forced. None of the mentors I had did I ever call my mentors. But looking back at my professional life, that is exactly what they were. One of my mentors connected me with everyone in her address book and eventually got me my first job. Another mentor taught me all about networking and informational interviews. Another mentor helped guide me through my first job out of college and made sure that I got promoted my first year. There is no way that I would have been as successful as I have been at my company without her guidance that first year.  If I went up to them today, they would never know how pivotal they were in my life and how much they influenced me. They probably had no idea they were even my mentors.  Why? Because it was so natural and it didnt need the formal mentor relationship where you each sign a document you will meet a certain amount of times per year, etc. When I was in business school, I also joined a formal mentor program. We all signed this form that we would be in the mentorship for a year and yadayadayada. That forced mentor program didnt go very well. I cant even tell you what I even got out of it because the person I was matched with just didnt fit with me. It wasnt natural, it was forced. Find someone that you get along with and that you admire. Be picky. It is really important to find someone that is in the position where you want to be someday. Then just try to get to know him or her as much as possible and ask them questions. Whatever you do, dont come out of the blue and say, Will you be my mentor? Thats a bad way to start. Why?  Because people are busy and if someone asked me that, I would get overwhelmed.  How do I help them?  What if I dont work well with them?  What even are her goals?  Has she even done any research on me?  There are so many reasons not to ask that question.  Just dont do it. Instead, make it natural and get to know them as much as possible first. 2) Help Your Mentor So if you cant ask them to be your mentor, then how do you start?  Take the focus off of yourself and what you need right now, and help them instead. Ask them what their biggest goals and issues are right now and then work your butt off to help them reach their goals or get rid of any issues they have. There are many ways you can do this. You can help them with research.  You can connect people in your network to them.  You can write out a sample business plan for them.  You can volunteer to take over a project for them at work.  If you help them, they will help you.  Its that simple. One of the readers of my blog just told me how she helped her mentor. She reached out to an old boss that she wanted to continue a relationship with and asked her to get together sometime. She told her that she was very open to fit the meeting around her schedule because she knew she was very busy.  Her mentor thought of a perfect way that she could help her out! She asked that she bring her dog and meet at a nearby park over the weekend. This way, her daughters could play with her dog while they chatted! Such a perfect way to help!  Always be on the lookout of how you can help your mentor and come out and just ask them. (This is also a great reminder that meetings dont have to be at work or in an office. Try to grab dinner or do an activity with your mentor to try to get to really know them outside of work). And of course, you have to remember to help you mentor by initiating the meetings and relationship.  So dont wait for them to call you. If it has been a while, contact them and ask to get together again. If you have a question, feel free to email them. If you are still scared, just think that it will actually flatter your mentor when you ask them questions about their life and their success. You arent nagging or bugging them. You are telling them how awesome you think they are and how you want to learn from them. Have you had a mentor? How did the mentorship start?

Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Get Yourself Out Of Debt in 3 Easy Steps

Get Yourself Out Of Debt in 3 Easy Steps 1. Budget, Budget, Budget. Whether it is due to student loans, unforeseen expenses, or some frivolous spending in our youth, carrying debt is something the majority of us are familiar with. It is often unavoidable. According to Money-Zine, Americans carry $886 billion in credit card debt, which breaks down to over $5,700 per card holder. Perhaps even more sobering are the latest statistics from the Federal Reserve, which show consumers are increasing their debt- in July of 2014 the debt in the United States reached $3.2 trillion. Debt is stressful, can hold you back from accomplishing your financial goals, and maxing out your credit will cause your credit score to nosedive. Whats worse is that these reprocussions may haunt you for years if you dont address them. The good news is that with a few easy steps and some hard work, it is a very real possibility to say goodbye to debt forever. By implementing these 3 simple steps, I was able to pay off over $10,000 in under a year and a half, and I am fully confident that you can do the same! 1. Budget, Budget, Budget. The first step towards getting your debt paid off is to diligently track your money. There are many useful tools which can help you outline your income versus your spending, and a huge resource of free budget templates can be found quickly and easily online. You can pick and modify any of them in order to cater to your lifestyle, and this will give you a realistic idea of how long it will take you to pay off what you owe. By closely tracking your spending, you can make conscious decisions that will allow you to align your income with your monetary goals. Take a close look at your expenses and trim any unnecessary ones. Eat out less or cancel that Netflix membership to quickly and efficiently cut expenditures. Also, any  excess cash you have should be thrown at your debt. The more money you put towards paying off your debt, the faster it will go away. 2. Hustle Hard work pays off, and putting in some extra hours can help you kiss that debt goodbye years  faster. You can take on a second job in order to offset your expenses and to meet your goals more quickly. I worked at a restaurant on the weekends to help me pay off a significant chunk of my debt, but there are lots of other possibilities. You could consider freelancing or nanny-ing as other options. While in the short term it may seem difficult, or almost impossible, the payoff is well worth it. A second job will allow you room to breathe, and will afford you more financial freedom than you would have with one sole source of income. 3. Dont Add to the Debt Decide to stop spending, and stick to it. Do not open new credit cards, and do not charge anything to your existing lines of credit. In order to get yourself out of debt, you must stop adding to it. In order to achieve a debt-free future, you must learn to stop living on borrowed funds. It is important to live within your means so that you wont find yourself owing again after youve worked so hard to get out of it. Keep in mind that high interest rates can add to your existing debt. Try to avoid them if opening a new credit card is absolutely necessary. You can also talk to your bank- some will lower the interest rate for qualified credit card holders. Many cards offer a 0% APR (Annual Percentage Rate) on balance transfers for 18 months, and this can be a good opportunity to escape a higher interest rate and to pay off your debt faster. Just be sure to get it all paid off before the higher rate kicks in at the end of the promotional period. The bottom line is this: be conservative in your spending and diligent about putting as much as possible towards paying off your debt. Before you know it, your debt will be gone. Have questions or input? We would love to hear it! Tweet to me  @MsCareerGirl  or  @sncueto!

Saturday, May 16, 2020

Why Choose a Resume Writing Service?

Why Choose a Resume Writing Service?Web developer resume writing service is there to assist you in building a new career path or relocating to a different place of work. The right resume can set your career ahead of the others and also be a convincing tool for getting a position.You must put in consideration of the technical information or educational qualification before hand writing the resume. It is important to be able to tailor-fit the requirements of the company with the availability of information related to qualifications. A web developer resume writing service has extensive knowledge of various educational courses and various types of skills that can be used to impress a potential employer.All the requirements should be covered with the technical knowledge, certification and relevant experience. The web developer resume writing service has a lot of experience in writing web resumes. In addition to this they also have the necessary software, samples and resources at their dis posal. This may be an added advantage to the job seeker.A resume writing service has various means by which the content can be customized in such a way that it can fit the requirements of the particular company. They are equipped with the latest tools and technologies that will enable them to prepare a resume in a jiffy.There are many career oriented and energetic and motivated job seekers who can find many benefits from a resume writing service. These services also offer custom-made resumes to their clients. You just need to contact the web developer resume writing service and you will be able to get your resume out.Depending on the industry and the requirement of the job, certain criteria may be required. Also, if the client requires specific options in terms of formatting and HTML coding; they are able to fulfill the requirement. Custom resume writing services give a professional edge to the job seeker and can also prove to be a time saving technique for him or her.In a nutshell, if you are having trouble selecting a potential employer, then opt for a resume writing service. This service is considered to be a game changer for the job seeker and can prove to be a great source of creating a new career.In short, if you are not satisfied with the information provided by your co-workers, the internet can prove to be a valuable resource to find a web developer resume writing service. All you need to do is log on to the net and search for the web developer resume writing service that meets your requirements. They can help you get your dream job and turn your ideas into reality.

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

Career Spotlight Event Planning - Sterling Career Concepts

Career Spotlight Event Planning Career Spotlight: Event Planning The folks over at EventBrite,  the largest self-service ticketing platform in the world that helps people find and plan events, recently shared a four-step career roadmap infographic on their blog about how to become an Event Planner. They shared details on the following four steps to success as an Event Planner:  (1) earn a bachelors degree, (2) get experience, (3) develop essential skills, and (4) earn certification. While ranked as one of the more stressful jobs, event planning can be very rewarding and fun. So if youre organized, good at time management, and an effective communicator, event planning might be a career field worth considering. Check out EventBrites blog post for details on median annual salary, the 10-year job outlook, and details on their four-step career roadmap.

Friday, May 8, 2020

YouTube Facts You Need To Know [Infographic]

YouTube Facts You Need To Know [Infographic] Photo credit: zoomar via Foter.com / CC BY-NC Photo credit: zoomar via Foter.com / CC BY-NC YouTube has exploded in popularity.  My daughter lives on YouTube.  Watching YouTube stars play Minecraft or she checks out the latest comedy videos (she laughs hysterically I find myself laughing too). YouTube for many companies is a business must.  I know in terms of home repair projects YouTube is my #1 go to source.  Ive loved tossing out those How To Repair manuals and be able to  figure out a solution to the problem in under a couple minutes.  Ive replaced toilet parts, swapped out a burnt out fuse in my car, repaired a screen door.  You name it, a solution is out there. My work for the wireless carriers (Verizon, ATT, T-Mobile, Sprint) and the tower companies that support them, are all driving to increase the amount of data that can be run at any one location.  And what is driving that need is the fact that everyone wants video on their phone. And the success of video all comes back to YouTube. Heres some of the highlights YouTube viewers love celebrities.  And those with the largest fan base are the singers.  With the top 3 being Bieber, Perry and Swift. Now these artists have built followings through multiple marketing sources (selling songs and albums on iTunes, playing concert venues, selling products tied to their brand).  But once theyve built their brands, YouTube is where their fans can constantly connect and consume the latest content especially music videos. Need more proof?  Searchers for music blow the doors off other YouTube searches (yes, Im in the minority I guessnot the prime demographic anymorebut my kids are). YouTube is also now a platform that creates stars.  Heres the new generation of super celebrities.  And their celebrity is based on their domination of the YouTube platform. And YouTube is closing in rapidly on Facebook as the #1 platform for active users. So who creates this YouTube content?  Overwhelmingly (41%) it is individuals like you and bloggers.  Corporations dont dominate this content.  People with personalities do.  This is how you set yourself apart and define your personal style and brand. And where is this content being consumed?  Increasingly it is on mobile devices whether smartphones or tablets.  So your content needs to be optimized for mobile and you need to be thinking about how your content is being used.  Is it being consumed while running around town?  Or at home? Want to get the top-to-bottom details?  Check out the full infographic below provided by filmora.