That means it’s time for me to figure out what to buy everyone on my list.
I have four sisters with five kids between them. The grown-ups in our family have skipped exchanging gifts for a few years, but we still like to have presents under the tree for the children when we all gather at Grandma and Grandpa’s for Christmas.
I’m not great at picking presents. I’m never sure what anyone actually wants. Or the difference between a toy meant for a 3-year-old versus one for a 6-year-old. Or whether kids are still obsessed with “Frozen.”
Also, what if they already own one of everything?
This year, I think I’ve discovered an answer.
Putting Money Toward Their Future
As a personal finance writer, I know I could do better for these kids than buy yet another plastic gadget they’ll forget about by spring.
But as a non-parent who’s not eager for long-term commitments, I don’t want to navigate complicated options like contributing to a 529 plan or other investment when I’m working with a modest gift budget.
This year, I’ll give gift cards that buy stock.
Yep. Someone out there understands aunts like me, and they’ve made it super simple.
Through Stockpile, you can purchase fractional shares of well-known companies such as Nike, Apple or Tesla. Or maybe the kids would rather own a piece of Barbie, Disney or Dora the Explorer!
(Are kids still into Dora? What’s popular right now?!)
How It Works
Stockpile’s goal is to make purchasing stock as straightforward as buying groceries or that scented candle you were about to grab for your office Secret Santa.
To gift stock in a loved one’s favorite company:
- Start here, and pick how you want to present it: an e-gift or a physical gift card. You can find a local store to pick up a physical card, or — if you’re planning ahead like this stellar aunt — order it online.
- Pick the company whose shares you want to buy. With an e-gift card, you can select virtually any stock. Physical cards are limited to a selection of popular stocks, or you can purchase a generic card that lets the recipient choose any company.
- Decide how much you want to spend. E-gift cards allow any amount, starting as low as $1. Physical cards are sold in $25, $50 or $100 denominations.
Whichever way you buy it, your purchase will include a small fee — $1.99 per gift under $100, or $1.99 + 3% for gift cards over $100 — to cover trading commission and transaction costs. That way the recipient doesn’t owe anything when redeeming the card.
- To redeem, the recipient visits the website or downloads the Stockpile app to sign up. They’ll enter the redemption code from the card and purchase their stock.
If they don’t like the stock you picked, they can invest in something else. If they don’t want stocks at all, they can swap the gift card for a merchant gift of their choosing.
We can still sleep a little easier knowing we attempted to be the responsible aunt and put something toward their future.
Bonus: No time wasted trying to figure out which doll is Anna and which is Elsa.
(Serious question: am I totally out of the loop? Please tell me what kids are into these days.)
Trying to keep holiday spending under control? Check out discounted gift cards for ways to save, and follow Savinly Deals on Facebook to stay updated on the latest shopping tips, tricks and sales!
Your Turn: Do you know any clever gift ideas for kids this holiday season?
Samantha Cole (@samcole) is a staff writer at Savinly. She’s contributed to various outlets and sprinkles humor into her work whenever it fits (and occasionally when it doesn’t).
