EmigrantDirect Introduce its new 1.25% Cash Back Credit Card

EmigrantDirect has started its new 1.25% cash back credit card and posted detailed info on its website. But it doesn't meet people's expectation. Because you have to maintain an Average Daily Balance of $10k to get the 1.25% cash back reward.

Card Summary:
(1) 1.25% cash back on all net retail purchases if you maintain an average balance of at least $10k in your EmigrantDirect American Dream Savings Account. Otherwise 0.50% cash back.
(2) Cash back rewards deposited into your EmigrantDirect American Dreams Savings Account twice annually.
(3) No cap to your cash back potential.
(4) 0% Introductory APR on Balance Transfers for 6 months - 3% BalanceTransfer fee, min $5 / max $50.

ING Direct Winter Save Promotion: 4.75% APY

The ING DIRECT Winter Save Up Sale earns you 4.75% APY on new deposits to your Orange Savings Account.

Here's How It Works:

1. Deposits eligible for the Winter Save Up Sale ---- Only New Funds are eligible for the 4.75% APY. New Funds must:
(1) Be from an external source
(2) Be deposited into an Orange Savings Account
(3) Be deposited any time between January 19, 2006 to April 15, 2006 – the Sale Period
(4) Increase your total balances with ING DIRECT compared to your balances in all deposit accounts at the beginning of the Sale Period

2. 4.75% Interest Calculation
To determine what portion of your Orange Savings Account balance will earn the 4.75% APY, during the Sale Period, they add up all of your new deposits from an external source and then subtract all withdrawals from the account (whether internal or external) from that total. If that amount is greater than zero, it is eligible for the 4.75% APY. If an account is closed during the Sale Period, the 4.75% may not be earned for the entire period that the new funds were on deposit.

3. Accounts eligible for the Winter Save Up Sale
(1) All new Orange Savings Accounts opened by new ING DIRECT Customers
(2) All existing Orange Savings Accounts belonging to currentING DIRECT Customers

4. After the Winter Save Up Sale ends
After April 15, 2006, all the money in your Orange Savings Account will earn the current APY at that time.

Hire your kids, cut your taxes

You can hire your kid to work for you and cut your income tax. Your kid will have to pay taxes on the money you pay them only to the extent it exceeds the standard deduction (currently $5,000). But even if they have to pay taxes, they'll pay at a much lower rate than you will.

Here's how the three-step hiring process works:

1. Hire your children to work for your unincorporated business. If they are under age 18, you don’t have to pay Social Security or Medicare tax. The courts already have ruled that you can deduct taxes for any "reasonable wages" that you pay your children ages 7 or older to perform duties related to your work. The key is to get your "business" off the ground and show a "profit objective." So long as you can establish a profit objective, you don't have to actually make a profit to claim the deductions.

2. Substantiate the deduction. This means you've got to keep records. Put your children on a time clock, punching in and out or writing their time down on a time sheet. Pay the children with a check. It’s recommended that you write to your state Department of Labor asking if the hiring of your children in your unincorporated businesses would violate any state child labor laws. Keep copies of the letters.

3. Provide the children with W-2s at the end of the year. You need to give them a real report of what they were paid and send a copy to Uncle Sam.

Moving Expenses Tax Deduction

If you moved to start a new job, or to seek work in a new city, you may be able to deduct the cost of your moving expenses from your income.
Qualifying expenses include costs for packing and shipping your household goods and personal property, storage of your goods for up to 30 days, and costs for travel and lodging. Meals are not deductible as a moving expense.
You do not need to itemize your deductions in order to claim the expenses.
You can deduct the cost of moving expenses that exceed any reimbursements from your employer.

You must meet the qualifications in order to claim this tax deduction. First, your move must be because you started a new job. Second, Your move has to make your commute shorter than it was prior to your move. Third, you must meet the distance and time tests.
1. Your new job is located at least 50 miles farther from your old home than the distance between your old home and your old job.
2. You must work full-time for at least 39 weeks during the 12 months following your move. If you are self-employed, you must work at least 78 weeks in the 24 months after you move.

110 Free Photo Prints from Shutterfly.com

Shutterfly.com has an awesome deal going on at the moment. You get five 8X10, five 5X7, and a hundred 4X6 prints free! All you pay is shipping. This offer is available for current customers as well.

Here are the promotion codes:

Code: FL50-PRTS = Free Products (4x6 Print) - 50 avail expires: Jan 31, 2006
Code: 30UP-ROMI = Free Products (4x6 Print) - 30 avail expires: Jan 15, 2006
Code: SW03-PRTS = Free Products (4x6 Print) - 10 avail (5x7 Print) - 3 avail (8x10 Print) - 3 avail expires: Jan 31, 2006