One of the local radio stations was having listeners call in to answer the question, “What are you going to spend your tax refund check on?” I didn’t even want to listen to the responses. I knew most, if not all, would be about the purchase of frivolous material goods. As if the IRS is their interest-free layaway program. Due to a planning mistake on my part, I too was about to get a very sizable refund. Enough to buy several tech gadgets, fancy clothes, some bling like a new watch, and still have money left over to go on vacation for a couple weeks to an all-inclusive resort. So what was I going to buy? All of them…I “deserve” it. Right? Wrong. Such is not the way of someone trying to retire early. I can’t wait to get my refund check, only to immediately turn around and deposit it into my brokerage account. Every single penny of it. One step closer to retirement.