Instead of the last-minute sprint to the store to find a gift for your loved ones this Christmas, why not consider giving a financial gift instead?
Investment gifts are a great way to give a meaningful present to your friends and family. Not only are they a great way to show someone you care, but they can also help them reach their financial goals. While a projected $8.3B will be spent on unwanted gifts this year, the right investment gift can instead help put that money to good use. Rather than another knit sweater, you can help someone start or grow their portfolio, build their wealth, and secure their financial future.
If you still have some people to tick off your holiday shopping list, here are a few financial gifts we suggest considering so that your recipients can benefit from your gift long after this year’s Christmas tree is taken down.
While it may not be as exciting as the latest gadget or a new toy, starting an education fund or contributing to it is a meaningful gift to give a child. For younger children, take the time to explain to them how important it is to save for their education so that they understand the implications and get excited about watching their savings grow.
It can be a great idea to give kids a 529 account or Roth IRA as a Christmas gift. These accounts offer tax advantages and help to set up a secure financial future for the child. Contributions to a 529 account can be used to pay for college expenses, while money in a Roth IRA grows tax-free and can be withdrawn tax-free in retirement. Setting up an account for a child is a great way to teach them about the importance of saving for their future.
Stocks can offer the giftee the opportunity to save for their future. They can be gifted in small denominations and can be used to save for retirement, a big purchase, or just as a way to build up savings. Gifting savings stocks is a great way to teach younger family members about the importance of saving and investing. To get them more involved and interested, gift them stocks in companies they’re likely to be familiar with, such as Disney, Nike, or McDonald’s.
You can gift stocks from a brokerage account, or use an online app like Stockpile, which allows kids to gain hands-on investment knowledge under their parents’ supervision.
Savings bonds are another great way to give a gift with long-term value. They’re easy to purchase, usually provide a stable return in the long term, and can be redeemed for cash. They also have the potential to grow in value over time, making them an excellent choice for a Christmas gift. Savings bonds can be purchased in any denomination and are also available electronically. Additionally, they are generally exempt from state and local taxes, making them an even more attractive option.
Depending on the eventual outcome, this gift can be a win-win. Investing in a friend or family member’s business idea is not only a good way to show that you support them and their goals, but if the business ends up growing, you can potentially see returns as well. Of course, it’s always important to do your due diligence and research the business, market, and competition before investing or providing capital.
Alternatively, you could also offer to be a mentor or advisor to the business owner or provide them with resources and tools to help them get off the ground. Investing in someone's business as a Christmas gift can be a great way to show your support, but it's important to make sure you understand the risks associated with any investment before you commit any money, especially when it’s between friends or family.
There’s nothing wrong with gifting gold jewelry as a wearable gift that can also grow in value, but it’s always a good idea to occasionally switch it up to different types of gold investments. If you still want to give a physical gift, gold coins, bullion, or bars can be a good gift. Otherwise, you can purchase shares in gold ETFs, mutual funds, or as commodity options. Your recipient can choose to hold on to the gold assets and use them as a sort of emergency fund if they want to sell them off in the future.
As the saying goes, if you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, but if you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime. The same concept applies to investing and managing finances. Financial gifts such as stocks or education savings accounts are great, but if you’re gifting an investment to someone who doesn’t know how to manage it, your gift might not be as impactful.
Consider gifting a loved one a session or two with a professional financial planner. A financial planner can help people in different walks of life, whether they’re saving for education, looking to buy a home, having a baby, starting a business, or trying to save for retirement.
Look for businesses or individual financial planners who offer set-rate sessions or a package of sessions to make it easier to give as a gift.
Alternatively, online courses in investing or financial management can be a good way to kickstart someone’s personal investing journey. The Passive Real Estate Investor Academy offers courses on investing in real estate syndications for people who are already investing but aren’t yet familiar with this type of asset.
There are plenty of alternative investments that can double as fun Christmas gifts. While some alternative investments may be on a larger scale, such as racehorses or ATMs, you can also gift collectible items that are likely to grow in value and can also fit in with a recipient's hobbies, such as first editions of popular books, collectible figurines, trading cards, or even classic vinyl. For wine aficionados, check out Vinovest, a wine trading marketplace, where you can buy and sell high-value bottles of wine and see which ones are likely to increase in value.
Luxury handbags also make for a great present that doubles both as a fashionable gift and an investment. In fact, the valuation of luxury handbags has increased 83% in the last ten years, making them an even better investment than art, classic cars, and whiskies.
Maybe your friends or family members are already seasoned investors (you must have gotten it from somewhere, right?). Instead of gifting them with an investment, you can help them keep track of their assets in one place with tools like Vyzer. With Vyzer, you can get an overview of how the different investments in your portfolio are performing, helping you make more informed investment choices. Try it free to see how it can help you or an investor you know gain full visibility into their portfolio.
