Every year at about this time, I start getting questions by email and social media \u2014 and even in Real Life: “Do you have any personal finance or money-related gift ideas?”<\/p>\n
I know how tempting it can be to choose gifts that encourage smart financial choices. You look at the poor decisions your brother or sister have made, and you feel like you could help. If only they would read this one book that helped you<\/em> so much!<\/p>\n I get it. I’ve felt the same way. After all, my financial turnaround is a direct result of reading two books that were gifted to me by friends: Your Money or Your Life<\/a><\/em> and Dave Ramsey’s The Total Money Makeover<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n That said, money gifts like these can be dangerous. They have the very real potential to create hard feelings and resentment rather than achieve the goal you’re after. Any time you offer unsolicited advice \u2014 especially in the form of a gift<\/em> \u2014 you run the risk of making the recipient more resistant.<\/p>\n Now, having said that, there are times and situations where gifts with a financial theme make sense.<\/p>\n After fifteen years of thinking about this subject, I’ve come up with a short list of financial gift ideas that might<\/em> help to foster smart money moves without creating resentment. Let’s take a quick look at some potential personal finance gifts that sometimes make sense \u2014 if<\/em> the recipient is ready to hear the message.<\/p>\n Note that I’ve deliberately tried to steer clear of junk. There are tons<\/em> of money-themed gifts out there that serve absolutely no purpose: money soap, money placemats, money t-shirts. These are all basically rubbish. The money gift ideas I’ve listed here are meant to be practical, to foster future wealth. They’re not novelties.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n When it comes to actual money manuals, my default recommendation remains Your Money or Your Life<\/em><\/a> by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin. My friend Michael sent me a copy of this book when I was at the lowest point of my financial life. (But he only did so because he could tell I was ready to read it.)<\/p>\n Your Money or Your Life<\/em> introduced many concepts that nowadays we take for granted in the world of personal finance. It covers budgeting, mindful spending, financial independence, simple living, and your true<\/em> hourly wage. And it conveys the info using real-life stories from real-life people. (The book can get a little New Age-y in parts, so keep that in mind.)<\/p>\n That’s my default recommendation. Based on the subject’s circumstances, though, I might suggest a different title. Here are some examples:<\/p>\n Just typing this list, I’m filled with trepidation. Giving gifts that attempt to teach an overt lesson is…well, risky. It’s not the best approach. Instead, I think it’s often better to come at things sideways. In the case of helping somebody get better with money, I might pass along a book that’s more subtle, something tangentially related to the subject, something that helps the recipient build skills and habits that will lead<\/em> to money.<\/p>\n\n
<\/span>Books About Money<\/span><\/h2>\n
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