your money

Are you happy about that big income tax refund? You shouldn’t be.

The problem is that a refund isn’t someone else’s money that you’ve won; it’s your money, something you’ve worked hard for all year, and it’s been working all this time for the federal government.

A large tax refund is even worse if you’ve been carrying a credit card balance in the meantime; you could be out hundreds of dollars while your refund languishes in the U.S. Treasury.

Learn more about how to put that money to work in Your Money in Sunday’s Business section.