What To Do With The Stimulus Check [POLL]

NEW YORK — Coming to a mailbox or a bank account near you is part of a $2 trillion federal economic relief package meant to help Americans soften the economic blow dealt by the new coronavirus outbreak. Some 80 million people should have already received a $1,200 payment by April 15 via electronic deposit.

When you might receive the money varies. The first group was made up of people whose bank account info was already in the hands of the IRS. People who will be receiving paper checks probably won't see them until late April or early May. Checks will be going out to the lowest income families first.

You can check on the status of your stimulus payment by using the "Get My Payment" tool found on the IRS website. Direct deposit information can be updated through that tool.

Once you figure out how and when the stimulus payment will show up, the question that remains is, what are you going to do with it?

Syndicated personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary has a few suggestions if you haven't already earmarked the money for something.

Writing in The Washington Post, she said, if you've been using plastic to get by lately, perhaps that check should be used to keep from taking on more debt.

Singletary also said that now is the time to save, especially if you are still working, because you never know what the future holds.

She has other suggestions which are worth considering, including helping others.

Now it's your turn to weigh in on the issue. Vote in our unscientific poll and tell us what you think in the comments.