The National Consumer Law Center has issued a disturbing new report about tax preparation chains and some independent outfits. Undercover mystery shoppers found that many tax preparers steered them toward refund loans. Many times the secret shoppers were just defaulted into the refund loans without being asked. That's unacceptable in Clark's book.

Then there were the issues of preparer accuracy. About 30 years ago, Clark worked as an H&R Block preparer while he was a graduate student. He found the training to be very thorough and it was a great part-time job. Of course, he can't vouch for the level of today's training. But Clark doesn't really blame preparers for errors. The reality is that the tax code is a joke, so you're going to have mistakes. Why not consider using the IRS Free File option to do your taxes yourself? This option is available to those who have an adjusted gross income of $54K or less. And if you doubt your competency, pay a preparer and compare the results.