To hear Democrats in the media tell it, the partial government shutdown is an apocalypse. For the most part, it doesn't affect many of us, with the exception of tax refunds.
Michael Smith, president of Houston's STA Wealth Management, says your refund will probably be delayed.
"When you shut down the government you delay things and it's going to delay the processing and that's something that probably will hurt most of the listeners, especially those looking for a refund."
Smith says if you're expecting a refund, expect a delay, but if you owe the IRS, there'll be no delay.
"For those expecting refunds you might want to plan ahead in terms of additional savings but for those that have to pay, well, guess what, there's no delay; you're going to have to pay like you always do."
Smith says those who itemize and/or receive a child tax credit need to prepare.
"If they have a child tax credit they're probably expecting some sort of refund, so they're the ones who really use the standard deductions and tax credits; they're probably the ones in line for a refund so they might want to plan ahead because of a delay in that refund."
Smith says there's no estimate on the delay right now because we don't know how long it will last.