Suze Orman reports that the IRS tax refund policy allows the taxpayer to direct their federal tax refund into up to three different accounts at three different financial institutions. Suze Orman strongly encourages taxpayers to take advantage of the offer by the IRS. In her Money Matters column, Suze Orman delivers the financial evidence to back her statement, beginning with the fact that in 2006 the average federal tax refund was $2,700. Orman goes on to suggest that by having the IRS deposit tax refunds money into a Roth IRA invested in a low-cost index fund or ETF, taxpayers can look to turn their tax refund into $29,000 based on an average annual return of 8% over 30 years.
Suze Orman’s pleasure with the new IRS tax refund policy is overshadowed by her view on tax refunds in general. In her Money Matters article, Orman says, “The fact is that tax refunds are a sign that you’re wasting money.” Suze Orman’s position on the matter of tax refunds is clear; getting a tax refund means that a taxpayer is pouring money into the federal government’s coffers over the period of a year that they could have been using for their own gain. Suze Orman offers investment and retirement strategies for taxpayers and recommends that all taxpayers break the “refund habit.” Suze Orman’s bottom line is that taxpayers make 2007 the last year they receive a federal tax refund.





