Tax refunds can feel like Christmas in springtime. With a sudden boost to your bank account, you can look forward to going on a shopping spree, catching up on debt or squirreling the refund away in savings. These days, you can even anticipate when your windfall will arrive by tracking the status of your refund with the Refund Status tool available from the IRS online. For those receiving minimal refunds, the celebration can be less like real bubbly and more like club soda. B

With the extended 2017 tax filing season drawing to a close, now is the time to act promptly if you still need to claim a tax refund. Your preparer may take information directly from you or ask you to complete a questionnaire. Either way, you’ll need time to collect and organize the information. Here are 10 steps to take before meeting for your tax prep. 1. Choose a preparer Hiring a professional – trustworthy tax preparer is actually important. Be sure that the person you

There are a range of reasons to keep records. In addition to tax purposes, people may need to keep them for insurance purposes or for getting a loan. Good records is useful to: Identify sources of income. People may receive money or property from a variety of sources. Records help them determine the sources of income needed to separate business from non- business income and taxable from nontaxable income. Keep track of expenses. This will help taxpayers identify expenses