The Truth About Your Tax Refund

If you get a large tax refund, you’re allowing the IRS to take too much money out of your paycheck. You’re loaning the government your money—interest free. That’s money you could use to pay off debt and/or build wealth each month.

Getting a chunk of your money back at tax time is not the same as taking it home in your paycheck each month. According to the IRS, the average tax refund will be $2,800 in 2010. That’s about $230 per month you can’t use because you’re sending it to the government!

Instead of giving your $230 a month to Uncle Sam, invest it in a Roth IRA earning a 12% rate of return. In 10 years, you’ll have $53,438. Got some extra time? After 32 years, your Roth IRA will be worth over $1 million—tax free!

Your goal is to pay nothing at tax time and not get a big check back from the government. To do that, do some figuring now to determine what your taxes will be for next year. Fill out a new W-4 to have the proper amount withheld from your paycheck. You can get an idea of your potential savings by using the withholding calculator at irs.gov.