GE Capital Retail Bank is renewing its private label credit card agreement with ShopNBC. In a press release, the companies announced a new multi-year deal for GE Capital to continue providing the TV and online-shopping portal’s credit card. The two companies have had a relationship since 2006 when GE Capital first started producing the ShopNBC card.

The ShopNBC card has no annual fee, and new members can receive a $25 credit if they make a purchase within 30 days of the opening of their account. The credit will appear within the first two billing cycles after the purchase is made.

The ShopNBC card has a variable APR for purchases, currently 26.99 percent. Card holders are eligible for up to $250 in annual discounts when the cards are used during special promotional periods where perks such as free shipping or deferred interest and other special financing deals are offered via television and online offers.

A ShopNBC Platinum Rewards MasterCard is also available and can be used wherever MasterCard is accepted.

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Here a good question I found in the comments section of a previous post. Maxwell asks us the question:

I am trying to repair my credit. currently i am working on paying off my current debts that are in collections i heard its a good idea to get a secured card to help my credit score while paying off my debts to show i at least have one account in good standing. is this correct.??if i do get a secured card should i just start out with $300 dollars as the limit or should i increase the limit? which amount is better for my credit score?

Answer: Yes, get a secured card.One of the key points for your credit score is length of established credit lines. Better to start that clock ticking now rather than later.Time is your friend in this if you use it wisely.Eventually all the bad items will fall off your credit report. If you have re-established a few credit lines then they will have aged nicely when your negative entries disappear and you will have good credit instead of just not bad credit.As for limits, no.

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In 2011, the state of Florida had the second most amount of bankruptcies in the U.S. with a total of 6,178 filings.  California had the most amount of bankruptcies with nearly double that of Florida; 15,803 consumers and businesses filed for bankruptcy in the state last year.

Tennessee had the highest number of bankruptcy filings per capita.  For every 1,000 people in the state, 6.38 people filed for bankruptcy in 2011.  Nevada, Georgia, Delaware, and California had the next highest numbers of bankruptcy filings per capita.

Last month, the total number of bankruptcies filed in the country decreased by 9 percent from a month before and 14 percent from a year before.  87,946 bankruptcies were filed in the U.S. in January, making the nation’s per capita rate 3.41 out of every 1,000 Americans.

Having children can help you to save on your taxes. The IRS has just revealed the ten tax benefits you can have when you have kids.

1. The most obvious tax benefit in having children is being able to claim dependency deductions. Most of the time, a child can be claimed as a dependent in the year they were born. For more information see IRS Publication 501, Exemptions, Standard Deduction, and Filing Information.

2. You can claim Child Tax credit for each of your children so long as they are below 17 years of age. If you do not benefit from the full amount of the Child Tax Credit, you may be eligible for the Additional Child Tax Credit. For more information see IRS Publication 972, Child Tax Credit.

3. If you hire someone to care for your children under 13 years of age while you go to work (or look for a job), you may be able to claim the Child and Dependent Care Credit.

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Overpayments of Social Security benefits are unsecured debts just like credit cards and medical bills, and they are therefore dischargeable in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy in most cases, short of any finding of fraudulence in the acceptance of the payment by the recipient. In other words, so long as you did not accept the payments knowing that you were not entitled to it—or knowing that you were about to file for bankruptcy—the overpayment amount can be discharged in a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy.

Simply because the claim for the debt is held by a governmental agency does not mean that the debt cannot be discharged. Even IRS or Michigan state or other state tax debts can be discharged in bankruptcy, under certain, very specific circumstances. Bankruptcy is itself a function of Federal law and, therfore, the mere fact that a debt originates with a Federal agency does not tell the tale. All

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Stopping a Tax Offset for a Defaulted Federal Student Loan

Federal student loans are guaranteed by the US government and administered by the Department of Education. When a borrower defaults on the loan, the Department of Education may refer the loan to the Department of the Treasury for collection. The Treasury issues your tax refund check, which can be offset to pay your defaulted student loans. The Treasury will offset your entire refund, even if it includes money owed to your non-obligated spouse or an earned income tax credit.

So what can you do to stop this nightmare?

First, the Department of Education is required to send you notice of the offset. You are entitled to a hearing and an opportunity to present evidence when challenging the debt. If you make a timely request for a hearing, the collection process must stop. So it is in your best interest to review the loan documentation and request a hearing if there are mistakes.

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A look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of hosting a major sporting event.

Hosting a major sporting event can give many economic, social and cultural benefits. However, the costs of hosting the event can also be quite high. What determines whether the benefits outweigh the costs?

Advantages of Hosting a Major Event

Raise profile of city / country.

Raising the profile of a city can lead to lasting economic benefits. For example, cities which host the Olympics can be assured of a persistent increase in recognition and tourism. Barcelona, Sydney, Beijing have all seen this from hosting the Olympics. For a country like China with a controversial human rights record, hosting a major sporting event can be a way to gain greater international acceptance. When South Africa hosted the Rugby World Cup and later the Football World Cup, it was a defining moment in highlighting the new post-apartheid South Africa.

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