Getting a tax refund? Warren Buffett wants you to spend it like this

Just like you, famed investor and Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett dutifully files his taxes every year — a practice he started at the tender age of 13, when he owed $7 on the earnings from his paper route.

The average individual federal tax refund so far in the current filing season is about $2,900, according to IRS data. While that’s a drop in the bucket for Buffett, the folksy businessman knows that amount of money can make a huge difference for the average American household.

The CEO of Berkshire Hathaway took some time at his annual shareholder meeting on May 1 to pass on investing wisdom. The famously frugal businessman also is a source of knowledge on how to spend an influx of cash wisely.

Due to more internal IRS issues that include staffing shortages and broken equipment, you might be waiting for your refund long after the delayed May 17 filing deadline. But with a little help from Buffett, you’ll know exactly what to do once it arrives.

The wisest way to use tax refunds, according to Buffett

Buffett says whenever you come into any extra money, your first move should be to pay off credit card debt. While he says "the world is in love with credit cards," they're far too expensive.

While Buffett says he understands many Americans are relying on credit cards to get them through the pandemic, it seems like some people think of their plastic as "a piggy bank to be raided."

"If I owed any money at 18%, the first thing I’d do with any money I had would be to pay it off," Buffett said he told his friend. "You can’t go through life borrowing money at those rates and be better off."

But what if your tax refund isn't enough to pay off all of your credit card debt? You could make your remaining balances more manageable and affordable by rolling them into a lower-interest debt consolidation loan.

Buffett would not say to use your refund for your mortgage

Buffett is passionate about avoiding carrying a balance on your credit card: "It just doesn’t make sense," he said during the virtual shareholders meeting.

But that’s not to say he thinks all debt is bad — in fact, he wouldn't suggest you use your refund to pay down your mortgage.

Buffett took out a 30-year mortgage in 1971 when he bought a vacation home in Laguna Beach, California, even though he could easily afford to pay for it in cash.

In a 2017 interview with CNBC, he called the 30-year mortgage "an incredibly attractive instrument for the homeowner."

Fast forward to 2021, that still rings true as mortgage rates are still at historically low levels.

Buffett says his home loan made good financial sense: “I thought I could probably do better with the money than have it be an all-equity purchase of the house," he told CNBC.

Already have a mortgage? Now that the rate on 30-year fixed mortgages is under 3% again, mortgage data and technology provider Black Knight says 13 million homeowners still have an opportunity to save an average of $283 a month with a refi.

No credit card debt? Then invest your refund

So what did Buffett do with the cash he would have used to buy the house outright? He bought stock in his own company. He bought around 3,000 shares of Berkshire Hathaway at about $40 each — and by the time of the 2017 interview, that investment had grown to $750 million.

If you don’t have credit card debt or other pressing needs to cover with your tax refund, follow the Oracle of Omaha’s lead: Consider investing whatever you get back from the tax agency. You could even buy into Berkshire Hathaway.

Berkshire stock has reported average annual returns of more than 20% since the 1960s, versus just 10% for the S&P 500, according to multiple media outlets.

Buffett has never split his company's Class A shares (BRK.A), so the stock is notoriously pricey — now just over $400,000 per share. But you can still grab a “slice” of stock with a popular investing app, that allows you to buy “fractional shares” based on what your budget allows.

Another way to make your refund money work for you is by opening an account with an app that allows you to build your portfolio using "spare change" from everyday purchases.

With the stock market currently setting record-breaking highs, there’s never been a better time to dip your toe into investing.