Hey, whoever penned those words the first time was obviously not looking at his or her list of those for whom they still have gifts to buy, and dwindling opportunities to buy them. Whatever your persuasion around this time of year, whether Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa—and I’ll spare you the harangue about whether or not we’ve lost touch with their spiritual meaning—there’s no question but that the pressure of the gift-giving obligation has, for some, taken much of the joy out of what should be the most joyous time of year.  

More than one person I know has asked many with whom they have traditionally exchanged gifts that they no longer do so. And some have even knocked off the practice of sending cards at this time of year, or at least have decided to send them only to those from whom they received them the year before. What’s that all about? 

What’s so different from a generation ago? I suppose in large measure, it’s the extent to which we have showered gifts on ourselves throughout the rest of the year; and the fact that it takes practically all the waking hours of many to earn the money to enjoy the standard of living we have created for ourselves.  

There’s little time to hit the shops, to say nothing about the quality time it takes to discover enough about out loved ones, friends, and acquaintances to be able to come up with things they want or need. Indeed, isn’t much of the angst often reflected in the lament, “I have no idea what to get for her.”? And that’s almost always followed by, “She has everything!” 

One of my pet peeves is the extent to which people go beyond merely regarding themselves as slaves to the practice of gift-giving, being deeply concerned about the price or perceived value of the gift. Some young parents actually measure the degree of obligation to their kids by what their contemporaries might think or what they do for their own kids. Keeping up with the Joneses has reached a new dimension! 

It is better to give than to receive indeed! Bah! Humbug! 

Lest you think I’m such a Scrooge, I’d like to flip over the coin and look at the other side. After it’s all said and done, and the protest and self-flagellation is over, I think we all enjoy the end result. We’re still warmed inside by the look on our kids’ faces when something we give them turns out to be the thing they spend the most time with after the packages have been opened and the dinner digested. 

And that isn’t restricted to just the kids. When we give anyone something of real value to anyone, and they appreciate it, isn’t that what makes it all worthwhile? 

I know I’m preachin’ to the choir here, because nearly everyone that is reading this is a joyous giver. My experience over the last couple of decades—visiting with many of you in your home towns, watching you spend your discretionary time trying to help others enjoy the benefits you have received through your investment education—has been a joy for me. 

What finer gift can we give to our loved ones, friends, and acquaintances than the gift of an investment education and the financial independence that it has the potential to produce! How much more pleasure can we derive from giving, than to have someone thank us for making a difference in their lives!  

Among our own acquaintances, there are far more people who are afraid of investing that who are not. Can we not combine our gift-giving and New Years’ resolutions into a single commitment to share our knowledge with others and eliminate that fear? 

How do we do that? It’s not all that tall an order. You can do it effectively without cultivating a reputation for being a boring evangelist with a one-track mind, if you follow the following rules: 

• Be alert for, and take advantage of, opportunities to discuss investing. Don’t make any effort to manufacture them.
• Ask leading questions. Don’t preach. “What is it, in a short-term investment, that increases in value and entitles you to a profit when you sell it?” will evoke more interest, thought, and learning than would “Nothing, in a short term investment, increases in value and entitles you to a profit.”
• Stress the simplicity at every opportunity. “Doesn’t it make more sense to share in the good fortunes of well-run companies than to try to guess what a nation of uneducated investors will do in the next hour?” “If you think there’s something in this that’s over your head, you probably don’t need to know it!” “You don’t need to know what’s going on under the hood to drive to the store!” “Like good CEOs, we are interested only in the results company managements achieve and not how they go about achieving them.” “There are only ten terms you need to know.”
• Invite those to whom the opportunity presents itself to join this STOCKcentral community and find out for themselves just how simple it is.

That gift, given whenever the opportunity presents itself, requires no extra effort on your part—no need to go out of your way to do anything. And this “gift of giving” can reward you many times over as those whose lives you’ve changed thank you for it in the years to come.