Review Methodology
Last updated
Who reviews products
Reviews are researched and written by Joshua Dunigan, DO, MedMoneyGuide’s founder and editor. There is no separate review team or second reviewer, which is why our rules are written down on this page and in our Advertising Disclosure.
Our independence rules
- MedMoneyGuide has no affiliate or advertising relationships, so we earn nothing when you choose one provider over another
- Companies can’t pay to be included, to be listed first, or to appear on a “best of” list
- No company sees or approves a review before it’s published
- If we ever accept a paid relationship, we’ll say so on our Advertising Disclosure first and label every link it applies to
How we research
We compare providers on their own published terms: rate sheets, eligibility rules, fee schedules, and policy and rider forms, taken from each provider’s site and dated with when we checked them. Where a public source is the better authority, we cite it instead: the IRS, studentaid.gov, AAMC and MGMA data, state insurance regulators, and A.M. Best ratings. We don’t rely on other review sites for facts.
Most reviews don’t give providers a star score. They put each provider’s terms side by side on the criteria below, so you can see the differences that matter for your situation. A product that’s great for the average consumer can be a poor fit for a resident with $300,000 in loans.
Two comparison pages still show a score out of 5: contract review services and residual disability riders. Each publishes the weights behind its score under its comparison table, and the score is our judgment on those criteria.
What we evaluate
Physician mortgages
- Maximum loan amount available with 0–5% down
- How student loans are counted in debt-to-income (for example, IDR payment vs. a 1% rule)
- Whether private mortgage insurance (PMI) is waived
- Whether you can close on a signed contract before your start date, and how far in advance
- Eligible degrees, training stages, and states
Disability insurance
- Strength of the own-occupation definition, including specialty-specific language
- Residual and partial disability benefits
- Future increase options and how underwriting works when you use them
- Insurer financial strength (A.M. Best rating of A or better)
- Premium relative to benefit for your specialty class
Student loan refinancing
- Fixed and variable rates compared with your current federal and private rates
- Reduced payments during residency and fellowship
- Death and disability discharge and forbearance options
- Fees, cosigner release, and customer service track record
Keeping reviews current
Benchmark mortgage and prime rates refresh automatically from Freddie Mac and FRED; see where our rates come from. Provider terms are checked by hand and show the date we checked them. Fast-moving categories like mortgages and refinancing are rechecked more often than evergreen topics, and every review shows its last-updated date. If you spot a rate, term, or feature that’s out of date, tell us and we’ll verify and correct it.
What a comparison isn’t
A comparison, or a score on the two pages that still have one, isn’t a recommendation for your situation. The right product depends on your specialty, loans, state, and career stage. Use our reviews to narrow the field, then compare current quotes, and consider a fee-only fiduciary advisor for big decisions.
See something we should re-check?
We reply within 1–2 business days.
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