How much $ for a graduation present these days?

DuckRyder said:
Is she going to College? Does she have a reliable vehicle (if freshmen are allowed one)?

Id say based on what you've said minimum 500 bucks... if you can afford it.
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She already has a free ride for college and no tuition bills.

Trust me, her Mom and Dad will have NO problem, if I give her more than they do! They pay her every day expenses, so mine is just a bonus. LOL

She has a 2005 Ford Expedition with probably 150,000 miles? My 2018 Subaru Forester has 60,000. Has been very well maintained. All fluid changes, brake fluid and all done per owners manual. Just got new spark plugs too per manual. Also new battery, just because I no longer trusted a 5 year old battery

She does not know it yet, only her Mom. We are swapping vehicles this fall, as she moves to college. I will be driving her 2005 Ford. I really don't drive anymore except an occasional in town trip. Don't trust myself driving anymore. The old Ford will do that fine for me.
 
AmBeRnEcTaR said:
Plus it's high school not a 5 year tenure at 'Uni.
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^ This... to paraphrase Winston Churchill... high school is not the end these days... it is not even the beginning of the end... it is perhaps only the end of the beginning.

Frankly IMHO High School graduation is to be expected, and a gift is appropriate, but a modest one...

I would also base the size of the gift on the level of achievement and effort shown... valedictorian with early acceptance to a 4 year university in an approved field of study would earn more of a gift from me than middling "Cs" and no clear path forward...
Large gifts would be reserved for proven performance beyond high school... finishing undergrad... larger gift... cum laude... magna... summa? Larger gift still... Master's Degree? Larger still...

Graduate Medical School or Law School? Largest gift... perhaps even paying off student loans if they were going into an approved field like concierge medicine or elective plastic surgery...

Anyway, long story short... high school graduation with no proven track record of success, or a mediocre GPA... maybe $500. You could even base it on performance... $200 per GPA point... up to a maximum of $800 for a 4.0... that way they have skin in the came and the harder they work, the greater the reward... just like the real world.

Now, for unsolicited advice... You have two children... you are leaving one family line 45% and the other 55%... the child without children's line is getting 10% less... in my experience this is a recipe for hard feelings, even if they kids won't admit it while you are alive... if you want to cause family angst for years after your death, favor one child's line over another's, or leave unclear instructions. If you left each child 50% would not the granddaughter's parents take care of her... "trickle down" style? It is your money, you do what you want with it, I only point out a potential pitfall.
 
The gift is from your heart, give as much or as little as you feel appropriate.
I actually dont know what you mean by making other grandparents "look cheap"
Cheap would be your definition and not that of other families. It sounds like you are being a bit judgmental of others in a way that you feel you can give more than others.
What I am saying is I think you're wrong to judge and access what other people do and give to their grandchildren. You should give what you feel you should to your grandchild and not worry about the "Jones next door" as they for all you know could be giving something much more valuable in life. Give whatever it is that you would like.
 
If your giving her the car, I think whatever you feel is appropriate. I would agree $500 - $1000 sounds about right. 200 isn't what it used to be.

You could also find out if she needs something - new laptop, tablet, luggage, etc - and purchase that instead.

Or open a treasury direct account in her name and invest in I bonds or something? Starts good habbits and maybe she needs it down the road.
 
I dont mean ot be a grinch, but...
Highschool graduation isnt really a terribly big accomplishment.
Dont see the point of any gifts at all.

I didnt get any and I dont know anyone who did among my family+peers.
No College graduation gifts either and I also dont know anyone among my peers who got anything like that.

Maybe some household goods and/or grocery store giftcards could be gifted, IF she goes off to a) a university and b) its out of town.
 
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Legal Eagles said:
Now, for unsolicited advice... You have two children... you are leaving one family line 45% and the other 55%... the child without children's line is getting 10% less... in my experience this is a recipe for hard feelings, even if they kids won't admit it while you are alive... if you want to cause family angst for years after your death, favor one child's line over another's, or leave unclear instructions. If you left each child 50% would not the granddaughter's parents take care of her... "trickle down" style? It is your money, you do what you want with it, I only point out a potential pitfall.
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I have that figured out and in my will. Son has POD for the house. Lives with me anyway. He is deaf and handicapped. Bank accounts are POD as well, one for each kid. Retirement accounts are divided, as fore mentioned. They both have copies of my will and are good with it.

Daughter gets all my guns and shooting stuff. Antiques as well. She likes to shoot and will appreciate them along with hubby. Son had zero interest in guns and would just sell them. Plus, he suffers from depression now and then, so I would not trust him with guns. Son gets depressed over being 43 and never married. He is handicapped and does not drive. Rides a bike if he needs a store run. Not very many women are attracted to that. Have it all split up, best I know how to equally. She gets short changed on the house, but she understands the situation and approves. In exchange, her Daughter gets a cut. Her and hubby both have good jobs, so she understands and does not want her Brother homeless. (or living with her...LOL)
 
Just an idea here, but my in-laws do a monthly deposit into my nephew's account. While it's only a couple of hundred dollars every month, it helps him with the every day expenses while he's at school.
 
palmerwmd said:
I dont mean ot be a grinch, but...
Highschool graduation isnt really a terribly big accomplishment.
Dont see the point of any gifts at all.

I didnt get any and I dont know anyone who did among my family+peers.
No College graduation gifts either and I also dont know anyone among my peers who got anything like that.

Maybe some household goods and/or grocery store giftcards could be gifted, IF she goes off to a) a university and b) its out of town.
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Turning 3, 7, or 14 years old isn’t a big accomplishment either. But we celebrate those. I never understood the “well, I never got/had that” mentality. So what. I doubt anyone goes to therapy for being loved too much. Especially from a grandparent. It hits different from grandma or grandpa.
 
ATex7239 said:
Turning 3, 7, or 14 years old isn’t a big accomplishment either. But we celebrate those. I never understood the “well, I never got/had that” mentality. So what. I doubt anyone goes to therapy for being loved too much. Especially from a grandparent. It hits different from grandma or grandpa.
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^this. My parents were land rich and dirt poor. My wife's parents were the same. They didn't give us much because they had nothing to give, so we struggled along with school then children, etc - with any sudden expense being a catastrophe almost. Finally made it over the hump. My wife's parents passed away a few years ago and when that is finally settled we will get several hundred thousand dollars. When my parents pass it will be the same thing. So we will inherit a bunch of money, at a time in my life where I have everything I truly want and the money is meaningless.

A tiny fraction of that when I first left school, or we had our first baby, would have been a huge benefit.
 
Legal Eagles said:
...Now, for unsolicited advice... You have two children... you are leaving one family line 45% and the other 55%... the child without children's line is getting 10% less... in my experience this is a recipe for hard feelings, even if they kids won't admit it while you are alive... if you want to cause family angst for years after your death, favor one child's line over another's, or leave unclear instructions. If you left each child 50% would not the granddaughter's parents take care of her... "trickle down" style? It is your money, you do what you want with it, I only point out a potential pitfall.
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It's a valid point, but I look at a different way. My estate will go to benefit the furtherance of my family line. Any of my kids get married and have kids of their own, they will get the bulk of the estate. No kids = token amount. Hard feelings, too bad so sad. In this thread's case, I would reevaluate if the other family produced offspring.

With my youngest approaching 40 and no grandkids in sight, it looks like my wife (subsequent, not the bio-mom) and I had better get on with trying to spend it all.

As to the thread starter, my recommendation is you give as much as you'd like. You have a special relationship with your granddaughter. It's not a competition.
 
On the one hand, I think spoiling kids especially with big items like cars is a recipe for life disaster. Case in point, a good friend's brother got their daughter a nice new vehicle at age 16. She wrecked it in a week. They got her another. No consequences. Especially girls, then look at men as cash machines without accountability. Recipe for failure.

On the other hand, the OP's grand-daughter has apparently studied very hard in HS and has earned scholarships, a reward inof itself. I can see a modest 6 year old car as a nice gift to reward such an accomplishment and show some admiration. Young people do need a vehicle, and it would be nice to allow her to spend her time studying or in extra-curricular, vs. working late night shifts at a convenience store or wasting time taking public transit, bugging others for rides to get groceries, or come home, etc. I absolutely hated not having a car or resources in college and I missed out on a lot of opportunities and probably could have done better in school and life, if I had some economic advantages vs. working crap jobs in all of my free time.

I ended up being very resentful in some ways to my wealthy grandparent who could have helped me, alleviated my burdens a bit, but did not whatsoever. Never got a helping hand and even a token amount of money could have helped me pay a phone bill or books or food, etc. or 1 less work shift every week so I could study harder, etc.

If it were me, I would make the gift CONTINGENT on continued good grades, carrying at least a B average, no worse than a C in any course, etc. and no getting into trouble at college. Keep the title, pay the insurance, and retain the right to "repossess" it until after college graduation when the "gift" is finalized. This is a good reasonable carrot-stick approach to help her stay on track.
 
My daughter was a disaster. At 19 she had 1/2 of 10th grade completed. Idiot boyfriends etc.
Then suddenly grew a brain. Got her HS at college, followed by first year English and a BSc.
At 31 she found herself a single mother of a 1 year old. At 32 got accepted for nursing.
For an income she walked and boarded dogs. Graduated OB/RN at age 36 with over $100,000
in student loans. She'll be 41 June 25th, has a son and 2 daughters. Yesterday she worked a 14 hour OT shift.
You can't just go home in the middle of an emergency c-section.

I told her the chainsaw, lawn mower, snow blower and pressure washer are her grad gifts.
She says it's the 2018 3500 Duramax High Country & ARE canopy.....
If I try and repossess it, she has all of my guns too.
 
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Jdeere562 said:
My Granddaughter graduates high school soon. I always spoil her all year long and am very generous. She is my only Grandchild and we have always been very close. Her Dad was in Kuwait when she was born with the military. Daughter was going to school to become an RN. I was babysitting her every day for years, since she was less than a month old. Taking her to school every day and feeding her breakfast first.

I have her on my car title now, "Mark or Hayley". So she gets the 2018 Subaru Forester as well. Also have her into my will for 10%. Son and Daughter get 45% each.

I just don't want to make the other Grandparents look cheap and over do them. Know what I mean?

Advice appreciated and thanks in advance.
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I got taken to olive garden, lol!

I also bought myself a brand new Z06 corvette about 8 months later as a graduation present to myself. Never really did need people to give me things once I became a young adult. I am the one who makes stuff happen for me.
 
Jdeere562 said:
My Granddaughter graduates high school soon. I always spoil her all year long and am very generous. She is my only Grandchild and we have always been very close. Her Dad was in Kuwait when she was born with the military. Daughter was going to school to become an RN. I was babysitting her every day for years, since she was less than a month old. Taking her to school every day and feeding her breakfast first.

I have her on my car title now, "Mark or Hayley". So she gets the 2018 Subaru Forester as well. Also have her into my will for 10%. Son and Daughter get 45% each.

I just don't want to make the other Grandparents look cheap and over do them. Know what I mean?

Advice appreciated and thanks in advance.
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Screw the other grand parents pamper you grand daughter.
 
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