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This post is brought to you by Spark Gift.
Spark Gift
When I was young it was easy for kids to learn about money. Back then kids were allowed, and encouraged to work. I stared working at about the age of 12. Some might chuckle at this, but I had a newspaper route. I worked hard literally every day. But, I made good money, even saving enough money to pay for a trip to England. With the help of my parents I learned about saving.
Later, when I went out into the traditional workforce I learned a little more about money. The first really big company that I worked for had all sorts of benefits, including one that permitted us to purchase stocks as investments. Some things were fairly straightforward while others not so much. Even though we had an advisor things were still complicated. I think things would have been simpler if I’d had a better understanding of how stock purchases worked before going in. It would have been helpful if I’d have learned more about stocks and investments when I was younger, but schools didn’t cover that. Now learning and getting started at a younger age is possible with Spark Gift.
Traditional financial firms can make investing complicated. Spark makes investing simple so that young investors can learn the value of investing early and experienced investors can receive gifts that grow their portfolio. A gift can empower someone’s financial future.
Is it difficult to gift stock? No, it doesn’t have to be. Using Spark Gift is a simple way to give stock and takes virtually no time at all. First, you decide how much you want to spend, from $20 to $1,000. Let’s say you want to spend $20. Next you can choose either a specific stock to buy, or an index fund. You can pick from a number of options. You could help someone own a part of their favorite company. You could also choose something you think will do really well. Current popular choices include Google, Disney, Apple, and the Vanguard total stock market index fund. After you’ve made your selections you make your purchase.
Spark Gift
After you make your purchase, the person you are giving to receives an email informing them that they have a gift. At that point, Spark Gift will guide them to create an account and take ownership of the stock. Going forward, they log into their Spark Gift account and watch their investment grow over time.
Spark Gift
So you may be wondering – what if you don’t have enough money to give someone a whole stock?
I remember when Apple stock was cheap. If many of us knew then what we knew now…. As a teen when I wanted a record (you know, the round black things that play music) I had to save my money. If the record was $15 and I didn’t have enough I had an envelope where I’d put what I’d saved away, and would continue to save until I had enough. It would be neat if you could do that with stocks. And, in actuality, you can.
Spark Gift takes advantage of something called fractional shares technology. This system enables you to get a fraction of a share. So, if you buy $20 of a stock that is trading at $100, you get 0.2 of one share. That fraction doesn’t just sit. It will grow like a whole share. And, family and friends can contribute to the account enabling more shares (or other stocks) to be purchased.
Spark Gift is a great gift for people of all ages, and one that grows over time. Their stock gift certificate is a suitable gift for every occasion including baby showers, birthdays, Sweet Sixteen, graduations, baby showers, weddings, Communion, Confirmation, Baptism, Bar Mitzvah, and many others. It’s also a creative solution for teaching someone about saving for the future and investing.

Have you ever bought stock for yourself or someone else?

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0 Comments

  1. This is such a great idea. It would make a great graduation gift for my son. I have never purchased stock outside of what I do through work.

    1. Lindsey, indeed. That’s why we are building SparkGift, to make it super super simple to give this type of gift to kids.

    1. Jeanine, we think so too! Glad to hear that you’d like to use SparkGift to give investment gifts to your friends and family!

  2. Val, thank you for posting your wisdom. Start saving early. We at SparkGift couldn’t agree more! This wisdom should be etched for the next generation.

  3. I think that can be a really cool idea. Being able to start tracking stocks at a young age will be educational and it should teach responsibility.

  4. This is such a wonderful idea! I always dread making suggestions for gift ideas for my children because they have everything under the sun. This is a gift that can truly keep on giving.

  5. My husband plays the market all the time. He knows all about that stuff, but I am not sure I would give it as a gift, though.

  6. My husband had a few shares in his company when he first started working there, but I think he has since sold them. I admit that I’m not really sure how the stock market works, but I know it’s a wise investment if you know what you are doing. Great gift idea for sure!!

  7. I have not bought Stock before. I do have a friend that has done very well in the Stock Market.

    1. Hi Stefany, happy to hear that you’d like to get this started for your nieces and nephews! Our vision at SparkGift is to make getting started with saving as easy as can be. Finance doesn’t have to be complicated, and we’re simplifying it.

  8. Yes, I’ve bought stock and enjoyed watching it go through the highs and lows while surviving. I also remember when investing in a bank account was an option and the interest was 10 percent! Spark Gift sounds like an excellent idea.

  9. This program wasn’t around when I was little, but a favorite teacher once got me a stock certificate as a birthday gift and I still have it, that was one of my cherished gifts from one of my favorite teachers of all time! I think this is a GREAT idea and I will start one for my niece and nephews and encourage everyone to contribute to their accounts as well. They will be little moguls in the making by the time we get done! Thanks for sharing this!

    1. Tracy, that’s wonderful that your teacher got you started on investing! And glad to hear that you’ll start your niece and nephews on saving for their future. Our aim is to make it super simple to start and grow an account, by making it easy for others to contribute. Thanks for sharing your story!

  10. Spark Gift is such a great idea! This could end up being a great graduation gift for a child down the road because it could end up being a lot of money!

  11. My grandparents bout stocks for me when I was young. We have done the same with ours now as well. I think it’s a perfect gift for grads!

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