Filing a Tax Return

While my work doesn't deal with filing tax returns, I have learned what not to do with taxes from the people around me (many of them are CPAs).

You see people all over the internet that received their tax refund, and go buy a video game console or a tiger or something, and you think, I want that! Well, here's why you don't:

That money is not free money that the government is giving you out of the goodness of their heart; it's YOUR money that YOU overpaid. No big deal though, they're giving it back to me, right? Wrong. It's always better to owe money, because someone could easily steal your identity and file a tax return in your name
(this has happened to my parents both the last 2 years). If you are getting a refund and someone files a tax return in your name, they now have your money, and you're fresh out of luck. But if you owe money, then the identity thief doesn't get anything (what're they gonna do, pay your taxes for you?). The money you would have gotten back as a refund, you already have, and you just owe some money to the government.

This is the one time I would say that owing money is a good thing. Your money is safe from identity thieves who file a tax return in your name.