[strictnein]

Related story: Grew up receiving stock gifts from my grandfather who was a lifer at 3M. He gave us 10-15 shares of 3M or Medtronic every year for Christmas.

Unfortunately, when I turned 18 I sold it all (for something like $15-$20k) and wasted it during college. Had I kept it, with the splits and dividend reinvestments, it'd be worth roughly $150-$200k now. Would have paid for my kids schooling.

Giving stock is a great gift, if you also take time to help teach responsibility, otherwise you're just handing them a post dated check.

[bobhaigler]

It's a great point. I think people are getting better about teaching kids about finances, but it's still a difficult conversation for some. Kids receive many signals about how to be a consumer, but perhaps could benefit from more focus on how to make something, grow something, save or invest. Thanks for the feedback, it's something people have mentioned to us and will guide how we message kids about gifted stock, and which educational materials we develop.