NEW YORK — The average taxpayer is getting a $2,852 refund, $75 more than last year, based on the most recent IRS data. So what should you do with that money?
Experts generally advise putting it toward debt and savings, but, for many people, that’s unrealistic.
A tax refund is typically the “biggest extra windfall of the year,” said Courtney Alev, consumer financial advocate at Credit Karma.
“One thing we do see is a propensity to consider a tax refund something to splurge with. One in four taxpayers see it as free money and plan to spend it on something they would not otherwise,” she said. “While this behavior is completely understandable, given how hard up people are — with the rising cost of living, and high interest rates, the best thing you can do is use it as an opportunity to advance your financial goals.”
Emily Garcia, 30, who works in marketing for a medical imaging software company in Toledo, Ohio, said she and her husband, with whom she filed jointly, were refun