Investopedia's Personal Financial Calendar for 2021 summarizes all upcoming important dates and events that will take place over the upcoming year, including market events, tax deadlines, and holidays. Whether you are a novice investor or rushing to retire, it's worth noting what dates are important on your calendar or the calendar on our site to ensure you will not miss anything that could have an impact on your finances.
How to Create a Personal Finance Calendar
As 2020 has shown us, we cannot always prepare for what is coming. Depending on how much attention you have been paying to the news, the COVID-19 pandemic hit without warning, and its financial effects have been devastating for many. As a result, you should plan for the worst that may happen in 2021. Since the world is hoping to return to normal, we've already got a fair idea of what to anticipate in that year.
In addition to keeping track of the days when you can save money, having a comprehensive calendar is a preventive measure. In addition, it prevents you from spending more than you need to. For example, most people probably don't enjoy paying their taxes, but they do it on time to avoid a late payment or late filing fee.2 A calendar is also a valuable budgeting tool, allowing you to plan for important expenses like shopping during the holidays.
What can we expect in 2021
The deadlines that ought to concern most financial professionals are those for filing taxes. In addition to the major Tax Day on April 15, there are several additional/alternative deadlines throughout the year that may apply to you, depending on your circumstances. Additionally, there are changes to your Social Security and retirement accounts. All of them go into effect at the beginning of the year, and they can impact how much you're able to save for retirement or what kind of budget you'll have to work with.
In order to effectively plan for your financial future, you will also need to take the annual holidays and other major life events into consideration. While a few of these events aren't too expensive — though they should be budgeted for — others can be quite costly. As these dates coincide with significant savings events, it may be necessary to plan ahead and invest around them. Additionally, the bank dates and the NYSE dates coincide with various national holidays, so investors may want to consider them as well, even if they don't celebrate those holidays.