When It's Not Right To Give Jewelry Gifts



Younger People use iPads or other tablets to manage their personal finances



When one of my younger cousins sent out the invitations for her recent wedding, the couple requested cold hard cash for a home down payment instead of gift like a crystal bowl. That says it all about the economic times we are living in now.  The couple would have gotten plenty of cash anyway but I guess economic realities could not allow them the luxury of looking at a bunch of gift-wrapped baubles instead of money.

I think that the same thinking applies to gifts for new college graduates given the burden of college loans and a less than stellar job market.  Let’s be real!



Balancing a checkbook



Whatever gift you do give to the happy couple or new graduate, here’s one more that you must give: Personal financial and wealth creation education.

Many high schools and colleges no longer have Home Economics courses, where the hands-on basics of personal finance, budgeting, getting a home mortgage and wealth creation were taught prior to 1980.  Give this gift of knowledge to make-up for this gap in public education.

Give insight and direction to financial experts, books and websites. Let them know ways to maneuver their financial life in a stalled economy.

Best of all, let them know ways to be ready for when the economy honestly heats-up.  Then, maybe the young couples and new college graduates will be in a financial position to buy jewelry gifts  for you.