Best Money-Smart Gift Ideas for Graduates

It’s time to celebrate our graduates! After years of preparation, studying and achievement, let’s make sure your grad is prepared to take their financial future to the next level.

With virtual graduations and celebrations happening across the country this month, most people will default to the gift of cash via Cashapp, Venmo, or Zelle. Not too shabby, but you can do better!

I’ve created a list of unique gifts that will have a greater impact on the lives of these future leaders and will likely stretch a lot further than cash. Check out a few of my favorite gift ideas for graduates this season!

Some of the links are affiliate partnerships where I may receive a small commission to sustain my morning coffee habit.

1. GiveAShare.com
GiveAShare makes it easy and affordable to buy one share of stock as a gift. This clever gift idea lets your graduate become a real owner of their favorite companies like Disney, Coca- Cola, Apple, and Netflix, with over 110 companies to choose from. The recipient becomes a true shareholder and gets a framed stock certificate. Click here to give this unique gift. Use Code “hollycpa5” for $5 off any stock order! Pro Tip: When uncertain which stock to choose, allow your grad to select their own stock by giving them a Gift Certificate!

2. Apparel from Black Market Exchange or The Master Playbook
Send your graduate into the world with apparel that sends a message, looks good, and motivates – all at the same time.

←Shop the Black Market Exchange collection here and Shop the Legacy Builder collection here→

3. A Roth IRA

Retirement is probably going to be the last thing on your graduate’s mind… but they will thank you later! Roth IRA contributions grow tax-free, so with decades of time until retirement even a relatively small deposit can have a large impact. Should your grad need access to their contributions early, they can always get it.

Help your grad open the account and gift the seed money (or take a portion of the cash gifts they will likely receive) to launch their nest egg.

4. Gift of College for Student Loan Help
Student loans can weigh a new grad down, so offering help towards student loan payments can be a tremendous gift. If you want to make sure the money goes toward student loans, you can purchase gift cards from GiftofCollege.com that can be redeemed directly into a student loan account.

5. Stockpile.com allows you to buy fractional shares of 1,000+ stocks and exchange-traded funds for as low as $5. They offer both physical gift cards and e-gift cards, which make for great last-minute gifts! Get it here!

Pro Tip: The lucky grad that receives this gift can redeem their gift card for a different stock if they like. Sign up today for special discount codes!

6. Raise.com Before you shop online or in stores, check out Raise.com for discounted gift cards to brands such as Target, The Home Depot, Macy’s, and more! Raise is a gift card marketplace where you can BUY or SELL unwanted gift cards at a discount. I personally use this site to purchase discounted gift cards from popular stores to increase my buying power to get the merchandise I like. Get your gift card today! Pro Tip: Sign up for Rakuten first, and save even more on Raise.com.

7. “Broke Millennial Takes On Investing: A Beginners Guide To Leveling Up Your Money” by Erin Lowry

Millennials want to learn how to start investing. The problem is that most have no idea where to begin. Erin Lowry answers those questions and delivers all of the investment basics in one easy-to-digest package. Click here to buy it.

8. “It All Starts With a Budget” by Kemberley Washington

This book explores the basic budget principles using a biblical approach. The book provides the necessary building blocks to conquer your financial goals by applying the keys to successful budgeting. Click here to buy it.

9. “Affording Travel: Saving Strategies for Financially Savvy Travelers” by Danielle Desir

Many people come out of college and are ready to see the world. While traveling worldwide is a concern today, it shouldn’t stop us from gifting the next generation the ability to see the world once the pandemic subsides. This a great forward-looking gift to encourage your grad to pursue their travel dreams. This book is for those who desperately want to break free from the limiting beliefs that they can’t afford to travel. Learn the savings strategies to afford traveling the world and identify ways to make it part of your lifestyle. Click here to buy it.

10. “The Richest Man in Babylon” by George S. Clason
This book is an absolute gem to this day. It dispenses financial advice through a collection of parables set 8,000 years ago in ancient Babylon. The book remains in print almost a century after the parables were originally published, and is regarded as a classic of personal financial advice. Get your copy here.

I want to hear from you. What graduation gifts have you found to be well-received by your graduate?