Part of that is understandable: If you don't have enough tax withheld throughout the year through payroll deductions or quarterly estimated tax payments, you'll be hit with an underpayment penalty come April 15. But the flip side is that by over-withholding, you're essentially giving the government an interest-free loan throughout the year.

If you ordinarily receive large tax refunds, consider withholding less and instead putting the money to work for you, by either saving or investing a comparable amount throughout the year, or using it to pay down debt. Your goal should be to receive little or no refund.

Ask your employer for a new W-4 form and recalculate your withholding allowance using the IRS' Withholding Calculator (at www.irs.gov). This is also a good idea whenever your pay or family situation changes significantly (e.g., pay increase, marriage, divorce, new child, etc.) IRS Publication 919 can guide you through the decision-making process.

Meanwhile, if you do get a hefty refund this year, before blowing it all on something you really don't need, consider these options:

Pay down debt. Beefing up credit card and loan payments can significantly lower your long-term interest payments. Suppose you currently pay $120 a month toward a $3,000 credit card balance at 18 percent interest. At that pace it'll take 32 months and $788 in interest to pay it off, assuming no new purchases. By doubling your payment to $240 you'll shave off 18 months and $441 in interest.

Note: If you carry balances on multiple cards, always make at least the minimum payments to avoid penalties.

The same strategy will work when paying down loans (mortgage, auto, personal, etc.) Ask the lender to apply your extra payment to the loan principal amount, which will shorten the payoff time and reduce the amount of overall interest paid. Just make sure to ask whether there's a prepayment penalty before trying this strategy.

Boost your emergency fund. As protection against a job loss, medical emergency or other financial crisis, try to set aside enough cash to cover six to nine months of living expenses. Seed the account with part of your refund and then set up monthly automatic deductions from your paycheck or checking account going forward.

Increase retirement savings. If your debt and emergency savings are under control, add to your IRA or 401(k) accounts, especially if your employer matches contributions; remember, a 50 percent match corresponds to a 50 percent rate of return - something you're not likely to find anywhere else.

Finance education. Enroll in college courses or vocational training to gain additional skills in case you lose your job or want to change careers. And ask whether your employer will help pay for job-related education.

You can also set money aside for your children's or grandchildren's education by contributing to a 529 Qualified State Tuition Plan. As an incentive, the government allows your contributions to grow tax-free until they're withdrawn.

And finally, to check on the status of your refund, go to the IRS's Where's My Refund site. You can usually get information about your refund 24 hours after the IRS acknowledges receipt of your e-filed return or about four weeks after filing a paper return.

Lee crashed the net to break a 3-3 deadlock and put the Mallards on top for good at 4:04 of the third.  Lee buried the winner just two minutes and four seconds after Mike Ramsey had evened the score for the Mavericks with a wrist shot from the right wing circle.  At 7:23 of the third Matt Boyd's wraparound goal provided vital insurance for the Mallards.

The Mallards, who never trailed, got an early jump on the Mavericks by outscoring Missouri 2-1 over a wild two minute and thirty-four second stretch of the first period.  Justin Fox's point blank power play goal gave the Mallards a 1-0 lead at 7:39 of the first.  One minute and five seconds later, Mike Stinziani's shorthanded wraparound doubled the margin.  The Mavericks got on the scoreboard for the first time when Andrew Courtney swept the puck in from the doorstep at the 10:13 mark.

The second period brought more rapid fire scoring.  Thomas Frazee's one timer from the slot gave the Mallards a two-goal cushion at 14:52 but the Mavs' Obi Aduba narrowed the gap to 3-2 from the high slot just 14 seconds later.

The Mallards welcomed a total 11,020 fans to their final two regular season home games and have drawn throngs of better than 5,000 to the iWireless Center six times since January.

The Mallards head to Rapid City Friday and Saturday for games one and two of their best-of-seven opening round playoff series against the Rush.  The Mallards return home for game three on Wednesday, April 9 at 7:05 p.m. and game four on Friday, April 11 at 7:05 p.m.  If a fifth game is necessary, it will be played on Saturday night April 12 at 7:05 p.m. at the iWireless Center.  Should a sixth game be required, the series will shift back to Rapid City on Tuesday, April 15.  If the series goes to a seventh game, the Rush would host the deciding contest on Wednesday, April 16.

Tickets for Mallards home playoff games can be purchased in person at the iWireless Center box office, online at ticketmaster.com, at Ticketmaster outlets or through Ticketmaster charge-by-phone toll free at 1-800-745-3000.  The ticket office is open weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and on game days from 10:00 a.m. until the start of the second period.

Access to the Democratic Governor Primary Ballot at Stake

DES MOINES, IOWA | March 29, 2014 - On Friday, March 28, the Iowa Supreme Court granted Jonathan Narcisse's motion for expedited appeal of the District Court's refusal to reverse the Secretary of State's denial of Narcisse accessing the June 3^rd Primary ballot for Democratic governor nomination.

Three Iowa Supreme Court justices, Wiggins, Hecht and Mansfield, will hear the appeal and parties have until noon on Monday, March 31^st to submit their briefs. Narcisse was denied ballot access due to technical errors on three petition pages submitted to the Secretary of States' office on March 15^th.

On March 27^th the Iowa District Court in Polk County refused to allow any of Narcisse's exhibits as evidence in his effort to gain ballot access, citing both affidavits from Narcisse petitioners and a 2012 "Conclusion of Law" from Secretary Schultz and Attorney General Miller, as inadmissible. The District Court cited an Arizona ruling on election law as support for calling Narcisse's evidence "extrinsic."

The 2012 "Conclusion of Law" found that state senator Joe Seng's technical errors for submission to the primary ballot for a US House run, "should be liberally construed to the benefit of the electors in order to provide every lawful opportunity for the electors to express their preference at the ballot box."

Encourages Uninsured People Across Illinois to Attend a "Last Chance" Enrollment Assistance Event

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today attended one of Get Covered Illinois' (GCI) "Last Chance" enrollment events to urge everyone still waiting on the sidelines to take action to obtain affordable health coverage. With just three days left for uninsured residents to enroll in the Illinois Health Insurance Marketplace under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), GCI is hosting a series of late-night "Last Chance" enrollment events to provide in-person assistance. For the next three nights, GCI will also be extending call center hours until midnight.

"We want everyone to know that if you don't have health insurance, now is the time to take action and get covered," Governor Quinn said. "We will have the Get Covered Illinois navigators working until midnight across the state to help uninsured residents sign up for affordable health coverage before the Monday deadline."

The Governor appeared at an enrollment event at the Broadway Armory on the north side of Chicago where navigators armed with laptops and computers were helping uninsured residents explore their coverage options and enroll in a health plan. The last day to enroll in the Illinois Health Insurance Marketplace is March 31. Also at the event was the GCI Road2Coverage RV, which has been conducting a mobile tour across the state throughout the month of March to raise awareness about the historic opportunity to gain coverage and the impending deadline of enrollment.

More than 333,000 Illinois residents have signed up for health coverage under the ACA, according to federal and state figures. A total of 113,733 had purchased a plan through the Marketplace as of the end of February; an additional 220,000 have enrolled in expanded Medicaid under the ACA. GCI is on pace to meet the state-level enrollment estimate of 143,000 for the Marketplace established last September by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (from national Congressional Budget Office estimates).

The GCI website - GetCoveredIllinois.gov - has experienced a sharp increase in traffic during the month of March, seeing the daily count of unique visitors jump from less than 10,000 per day in February to 40,000 per day this week. In addition, the number using the GCI screening tool, which determines if applicants should seek coverage in the Marketplace or may be eligible for Medicaid, has tripled to more than 12,000 per day this week.

"We are telling everyone who was waiting until the last minute, that the last minute is now," GCI Executive Director Jennifer Koehler said. "Our team is working statewide to help make sure Illinois consumers don't miss out on the 'Last Chance' opportunity get the coverage before the March 31st deadline. We need everyone who hasn't enrolled to start the process now!"

Failure to act to get health coverage could result in:

·         Missing out on the coverage you and your loved ones need to stay healthy - the next opportunity to enroll in Marketplace health plan will be in November, with coverage starting in January 2015.

·         Incurring huge medical bills if you get hurt or sick.

·         Being fined either 1 percent of income or $95, whichever is greater, when you file your 2014 federal taxes.

GCI is urging health care consumers to take advantage of the assistance that is being offered via the web, over the phone and in person through hundreds of community partners statewide.

·         Visit our website at GetCovereredIllinois.gov (includes a Spanish-language version).

·         Call the Get Covered Illinois Help Desk at 866-311-1119.

·         Meet in person with a specially trained "Navigator" who can help you understand your options and help you enroll at one of the hundreds of partner sites across the state. There are more than 1,500 Navigators throughout the state that can be located by visiting the website and entering your zip code or through calling the Help Desk.

The following locations are offering special late hours for in-person enrollment assistance over the next three days:

Chicago events:

·         UIC Hospital: 1740 W. Taylor St., Saturday, Sunday, Monday 11 a.m. until midnight all three days.

·         Mercy Hospital: 2525 S. Michigan Ave., Saturday, Sunday, Monday noon to midnight.

·         Ann Sather's: 909 W. Belmont Ave., Saturday and Sunday 4 p.m.-midnight, Monday 10 a.m. to midnight.

·         Norwegian American Hospital: 1044 N. Francisco, Saturday, Sunday and Monday 8 a.m. to midnight.

Outside of Chicago:

·         Ingalls Hospital: Harvey, 1 Ingalls Dr., Saturday, Sunday and Monday 8 a.m. to midnight.

·         St. John's Hospital: Springfield, 800 Carpenter St., Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to midnight, Monday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.

·         OSF St. Anthony: Rockford: 566 E. State St., Saturday, Sunday and Monday, 8 a.m. to midnight.

·         St. Elizabeth's Hospital/East Side Health District: Belleville, 211 S.  3rd St., Saturday, noon to midnight.

Follow Get Covered Illinois on:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/CoveredIllinois

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoveredIllinois

Twitter: @CoveredIllinois

Hashtag: #GetCoveredIllinois #Road2Coverage