Life moves quickly. It’s easy to get distracted. But that can be costly.
Miss an important financial date or deadline, and you could be on the hook for a penalty or lose out on a limited-time opportunity to save money.
Enter our “Money Calendar” series.
In this edition, we’ve rounded up the noteworthy money dates in November 2022. Take a look and mark your calendar with any dates that apply to you.
Nov. 1 — New Series I savings bond rates announced
The U.S. Department of the Treasury will announce new rates on Series I savings bonds, which are tied in part to inflation, on the first business day in November.
This time around, the composite rate is expected to fall, from the current 9.62% down to 6.48% — which is why you’ve probably been encouraged you to buy before Nov. 1.
To learn more about I bonds, check out “7 Things You Should Know Before Investing in I Bonds.”
Nov. 1 — Open enrollment starts for ACA insurance
The annual open enrollment period for Affordable Care Act health insurance policies starts Nov. 1. If you buy coverage through one of the health insurance marketplaces created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010, this period is your opportunity to enroll or re-enroll in a plan for 2023.
The period runs until Jan. 15, although you must enroll in a plan by Dec. 15 if you want the coverage to start on Jan. 1. If you enroll in a plan between Dec. 16 and Jan. 15, your coverage will start Feb. 1 instead.
For more information, or to apply for coverage or view plans, visit the federal government’s HealthCare.gov website.
Nov. 1-2 — FOMC meeting
The Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) generally meets eight times a year, and we usually exclude those meetings from our Money Calendar series. But they are a hot topic this year, given continued inflation.
The FOMC is expected to vote on Nov. 2 to raise its target federal funds rate, which can affect everything from your savings account yield to your credit card interest. It would be the sixth hike this year.
To learn more about what this means for you, check out:
Nov. 3 — Netflix launches a cheaper plan
The streaming giant will debut a new plan, called “Basic with Ads,” on Nov. 3 at 9 a.m. PT.
The bad news is that, as its name suggests, the plan will include commercials — an average of four to five minutes’ worth per hour, Netflix says.
The good news is that the new plan will be cheaper: $6.99 per month in the U.S. (Currently, Netflix’s existing plans cost anywhere from $9.99 to $19.99 per month.)
To learn more about Basic with Ads, check out Netflix’s Oct. 13 announcement about it.
Nov. 5 — First holiday mailing deadline
If you plan to send a holiday package to someone at an overseas military or diplomatic address, and you want it to arrive by Dec. 25, take note of the U.S. Postal Service’s 2022 holiday mailing deadlines for these destinations.
The first such deadline — for retail ground service — is Nov. 5, while the others are in December.
Nov. 6 — Daylight Saving Time ends
The end of Daylight Saving Time isn’t exactly a financial date, but there are few better ways to spend the “extra” hour it creates than investing the time in your financial well-being.
Money Talks News founder Stacy Johnson proposes a plan to get the most peace of mind and bang for your buck out of the time gained when you “fall back” one hour in “5 Smart Ways to Spend Your ‘Free’ Hour on Sunday.”
Nov. 8 — Election Day
Election Day isn’t exactly a financial date, either, although the actions of our political representatives certainly can end up affecting our finances. So we wanted to remind you about the day.
If you’re unsure of your polling location or anything else about the voting process, head on over to the website of nonprofit Vote.org.
Nov. 17 — IRS Free File ends
This year, the IRS is keeping its Free File program up and running longer than usual, until Nov. 17. This program enables taxpayers with an adjusted gross income (AGI) of $73,000 or less to file a tax return online for free using brand-name tax software.
The IRS extended this deadline to help the millions of taxpayers who may qualify for certain 2021 tax credits, including the third stimulus payment, but who didn’t file a 2021 federal income tax return and therefore have yet to receive those credits.
To learn more, see the IRS’ Oct. 13 announcement.
Nov. 25 — Black Friday
The day after Thanksgiving is one of the biggest retail holidays of the year. So, get ready for the bombardment of sales — if you aren’t tired of it already, that is. Early Black Friday sales kicked off earlier than ever this year, as retailers encourage shoppers to buy holiday gifts earlier in light of supply-chain disruptions and inflation. For example, Target’s first early Black Friday sale of the season was Oct. 6-8, and Amazon had a Prime Early Access Sale on Oct. 11-12.
In the meantime, check out our story about the best and worst things to buy in early November.
Nov. 26 — Small Business Saturday
Don’t forget about Small Business Saturday amid the Black Friday frenzy. This one, started by American Express, is an opportunity to support your local economy and find unique gifts, among other benefits we detail in “6 Reasons to Shop on Small Business Saturday.”
Nov. 28 — Cyber Monday
This year, November brings not one, not two, but three retail holidays. So, be ready for Black Friday-type sales to continue through at least Nov. 28, at which point online retailers will start calling them “Cyber Monday” sales if not “Cyber Week” sales.
All month — Open enrollment continues for Medicare
The fall open enrollment period for Medicare — the federal health insurance program primarily for folks age 65 and older — started Oct. 15 and runs until Dec. 7.
If you’re on Medicare, this period is your opportunity to make changes to your health care plan and drug plan for next year.
If you haven’t already done your open enrollment homework, start by rounding up the following resources:
Dates vary — Open enrollment starts or continues for many employer insurance plans
If you have health insurance through your employer, the chances are good that open enrollment for plans is underway or will start any day now. If you’re unsure of exactly when it starts, check with your employer so you aren’t caught off guard.
Karla Bowsher
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