The 13 worst things to do with your tax refund Using a tax refund check to pay off debt is the most popular way to spend a tax refund, as 27% of respondents plan to do so, according to the GOBankingRates survey. “The goal in spending a tax refund should be long-term financial security,” said Tim Gagnon, a professor of accounting at Northeastern University’s D’Amore-McKim […]