Kevin Haney MBA | Expert Author of Growing Family Benefits
Hello – my name is Kevin Haney, the principal owner and founder of ASK Benefit Solutions, LLC, which publishes the Growing Family Benefits website.
I am the primary expert author of most of the articles found on this site. Much of the content addresses important choices that people must make about their finances.
Therefore, you may wonder whether you can rely on the information you are reading and if it comes from a trustworthy person.
Below is a summary of my work history, education credentials, and a partial listing of publications and articles that quoted me as an authoritative source. You can also dig deeper into my Linkedin profile as well.
Insurance Agency Owner
I established ASK Benefit Solutions, LLC as an independent health insurance agency in 2007. The National Producer Number 789704 and resident New Jersey License Number 1003951 were active until 2016.
The primary focus was selling supplemental health insurance (short-term disability, personal accident, hospital indemnity, life, and dental insurance) in the early years, using the Ask 4 Benefits (www.Ask4Benefits.com) web property as a business-to-business storefront. We placed policies with three of the major companies.
- Aflac
- Colonial Life
- Humana
We began publishing the Growing Family Benefits (www.GrowingFamilybenefits.com) website in 2008 as a business-to-consumer storefront, getting the word out to families nationwide about the importance of purchasing these policies before they had a pre-existing condition.
Unfortunately, too many consumers found us after it was too late. Their poor timing convinced us to branch out into credit and financing to give people a possible solution – a second area where my expertise fit. Therefore, we folded the Ask 4 Benefits web property into Growing Family Benefits in 2016.
Credit Bureau Executive
My work history also includes over a decade as an executive with Experian, one of the big three consumer credit reporting agencies. I lead teams who worked directly with many of the largest banks and lenders on the East Coast to help them target, acquire, and grow customer accounts using data and decision support systems.
During my tenure with Experian, I earned the “Platinum Circle” recognition for outstanding annual sales achievement in eight out of ten possible years.
This experience gives me the expertise to write about a variety of related topics covered throughout the site. We founded the Savvy On Credit (www.SavvyOnCredit.com) website to address consumer questions in this arena, later combining the content with Growing Family Benefits in 2018 to offer a one-stop user experience.
- Consumer credit reports and scores such as FICO and Vantage
- How lenders use the files and scores to make approval decisions
- Things borrowers do that get them into trouble
Education Background
My educational background also contributes to my authority on many subjects covered by the site.
- Master of Business Administration
- Rutgers University Graduate School of Management
- Bachelor of Business Administration
- College of William and Mary in Virginia
Subject Matter Expert Citations
Many online publications seek expert opinions when writing articles about a specific topic. Below is a partial listing of websites and articles that cited my contributions. There is more media interest in credit scores than insurance – even though lack of coverage is the hidden killer of borrowing credentials.
| Publisher Name | Article Title |
|---|---|
| Berkely University | United States Maternity Leave Policy Proposal to Improve Breastfeeding |
| Best Company | Do I Need Disability Insurance |
| Best Rates In | 5 Reasons Your Prequalified Credit Card Application Was Rejected |
| Card Ratings | Credit card cell phone insurance: What you should know and how to get it |
| Care.com | 6 facts about pregnancy insurance and supplemental policies |
| Clear Point | Here’s How Zero-Percent Financing Offers Can Affect Your Credit |
| Colonial Life | Self-employed? Make sure you’re properly insured |
| Credit Karma | How to dispute an error on your credit report |
| Credit Loan | Refused a Personal Loan? 8 Things To Do Now |
| CreditCards.com | Coronavirus: How to manage your finances if you’re sick or disabled |
| Credit cards that offer free credit scores | |
| How a DUI can tank your credit | |
| How to increase your credit limit | |
| Debt Management & Credit Counseling Corp | 3 Things to Know About Debt and The Statute of Limitations |
| Economia Personal | Older Men Who Smoke May Pay $10,000 per Year More for Life Insurance |
| Eon Clinics | Does Insurance Cover Dental Implants? |
| Financial Avenue | How Do Student Loans Affect Your Credit Score? |
| Fox Business News | 6 Ways to Outsmart Data Brokers |
| Does having credit cards with a zero balance hurt your credit score? | |
| Go Banking Rates | What Do Credit Reporting Agencies Do That Affects You? |
| Why Having a Perfect Credit Score Is Overrated | |
| Gusto | How Should You Pay for Your Long-Term Disability Insurance Premium? |
| Insurance Quotes | Pregnancy complications: What’s covered by health insurance and what’s not? |
| Insurance.com | How your credit affects home insurance |
| Investopedia | FICO Resiliance Index |
| How Flexible Spending Accounts Work | |
| Who Really Benefits From 0% Balance Transfers? | |
| John Locke Foundation | Dental Therapy in North Carolina |
| Lending Tree | How Salary and Income Affect Your Credit Score |
| Maginfy Money | 3 Ways to Keep Medical Debt from Ruining |
| Match Financial | How to Dispute a Credit Report Error: A Primer |
| How to Reduce Your Debt-to-Income Ratio – Best Steps | |
| Why a Personal Loan May Be a Better Idea Than an Auto Loan When Buying a New Vehicle | |
| Medium | How Does Medical Debt Affect Your Credit Score |
| My Bank Tracker | When its Best to Pay Your Medical Bills with a Credit Card |
| NASDAQ | Should I Get an FSA? |
| National Education Association | 3 Ways to Consolidate―and Take Control of―Your Debt |
| Tips for Getting the Best Loan Rates | |
| Net Quote | How to Manage the High Cost of Having a Baby |
| Post Bulletin | Credit option for credit invisibles |
| Property Casualty 360 | Homeowners with poor credit pay more for insurance in these states |
| Seatttle Times | Confronting a hotel’s credit-card hold |
| Self Storage | 6 Ttips for Protecting Your Credit When You’re Moving |
| Self.inc | Alternative Credit Scoring and How It Can Affect You |
| Can you still build credit when your credit is frozen? | |
| Insufficient Credit History: What It Means and How to Fix It | |
| Single Care | Flexible Spending Account (FSA) 101: What you need to know |
| Term Life 2 Go | The Best Short Term Disability Insurance |
| The Street | 5 Disability Insurance Myths That Need to Be Debunked |
| Introductory 0% Credit Card Offers: No Bark, But Plenty Of Bite if You’re Not Careful | |
| Which Political Candidate’s Followers Have the Best and Worst Credit? | |
| The Washington Post | Cracking the case of the mysterious credit card ‘hold’ |