It's April 15: Tax day. (Insert your favorite ominous music here.)

My 2007 taxes  were finished a few weeks ago, and already the small refund has been directly deposited in my account. Barbara had to pay in a little this year, but in 2008 she should be able to reap the tax benefits of a full year of homeownership.

However, the April 15 deadline still looms for other financial decisions. Just yesterday I made the mad dash to my broker's office to deposit the allotted 2007 nondeductible contribution amount for my Roth IRA. Nothing like getting it in under the wire.

If you're still in college, you might not be thinking about retirement just yet — I know I wasn't. In fact, my IRA was a college graduation gift from my father. He contributed $2,000 annually for 10 years — a pretty generous start to my retirement nest egg. (Thanks, Dad!) Over time I converted it to a Roth account from a Traditional IRA and upped the contributions as both the law and my income allowed.

This year, I decided to put some of my tax refund toward my IRA contribution and use the rest to pay the first installment of my 2008 property taxes — certainly not the splurge items I used to treat myself to! It all feels so grown-up.

Where's your tax return going this year?