For The Little Investor Boy

Dear Sweet Gifts,

My brother’s 19th birthday is coming up real soon and I don’t know what to get him. He likes computer games but he already has all the ones he wants. He’s also into the stockmarket and investing and all that stuff and I’d like to get him something related to that, but I’m not interested in it at all and wouldn’t have a clue what to get him. Do you have any ideas?

Sherry, WA.

Sherry, it’s great that you are eager to get him something he will enjoy and make use of. Trading and investing can be a pretty intense and exciting hobby.

Books make a good gift. As every conscientious investor knows, the best investment is your financial education. Your brother can learn in a couple of weeks what it took someone else years to discover. Surf Amazon.com and reputable-looking investment websites for recommendations and reviews on books about the kind of investing field he is interested in.

Make up a shortlist of possible books, and find subtle ways to mention them to your brother. He may give away whether he has read a particular book on your shortlist and whether he is keen on ot.

If you are undecided about which book and time is ticking away, book vouchers can also be useful. If you are concerned about giving a gift voucher as a present, maybe you could get a voucher of a greater value than the price of the book you had in mind, or dress up the gift with a personal letter or fancy box of edibles.

Alcohol is another possible gift, which he can use to celebrate his next highly successful trade, or his next profitable real estate investment. Champagne loses its fizz over time and some spirits have a limited shelf life because of dairy content, so if the birthday boy is not an enthusiastic drinker, be sure to check the shelf life of anything you purchase.

Your brother’s investment hobby may be taking up most of his financial resources, so if you aren’t set on buying something investment related, a gym membership, or snack hamper, or a book of movie tickets or anything else that he may normally purchase himself will enable him to put more money into his hobby of choice.

Finally, money is one gift that can keep on giving. If your brother is saving up for a trading account, your gift will take him one step closer to making one of his dreams come true.