Largest cash gift

[NW-Bound]

For nieces and nephews:

$50 for HS graduation
$100 for college graduation
$500 for wedding

For my own children, heck, we spoil them rotten with 5-figure gifts.

Perhaps I should think more of myself, instead of making my kids instant millionaire when I croak and spoil them even more. But with the market going the way it is, that potential problem may just go away.

 

[Gumby]

Wedding gift for the daughter of my college roommate -- $1000

 

[Act2]

All of these relate to 3 nieces/nephews and their spouses (when you marry into the family, you are now family):
Birthday & Christmas $ 250 per person. May discontinue Christmas at some point.

High school and college graduation: $ 1000 each graduation (plus a financial book at high school graduation)

$ 2500 to the couple on their first wedding; hope I don't need to figure out second weddings anytime soon

People living with a family member awhile but not related or married to my family member: $ 25-50 gift card

Also was able to send $ 2750 to help ex-husband during a family crisis, & was glad I was able to do so.


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[NW-Bound]

For nieces and nephews:

$50 for HS graduation
$100 for college graduation
$500 for wedding

For my own children, heck, we spoil them rotten with 5-figure gifts.

I just remember that our nieces and nephews are in their 30s and even the early 40s now, and the amounts were way back then.

 

[younginvestor2013]

I am spoiled of course (stating the obvious), but my largest gifts were:

$200k UTMA from parents, received control around 21 Y/O
$4k gift from parents in early 2015
$500 from uncle for Christmas in 2014

 

[NW-Bound]

The OP excluded gifts to immediate family members. Naturally, that's where people tend to be most generous. I have given my children 5-figure gifts on special occasions, on top of a debt-free college education.

I am not sure I can give my children more at this point. It's not just the risk of spoiling them, but also whether I can be sure that I am not going to ask them back in my old age if I run into hardship. Once money leaves your hand, it's gone for good. Besides they are having a good job and enjoying life plenty.

My sister and her husband have been giving money to their children to fund their Roth, I think about $5K each year. It may be a good thing to give money away gradually to your heirs, rather than a lump sum at your death. But that would be subject of another thread.

PS. We have also given money anonymously to charity organizations that we vetted. One year, it was equivalent to 0.5% WR.

 

[Corporateburnout]

My sister and her husband have been giving money to their children to fund their Roth, I think about $5K each year. It may be a good thing to give money away gradually to your heirs, rather than a lump sum at your death. But that would be subject of another thread.

I fund both of my kids' Roth every year and I plan to do it as long as my portfolio allows me to. In the event that DW and I require an extended stay in a long term care facility and we die broke they would have gotten some inheritance.

But you're correct that requires another thread.

 

[sengsational]

I think for my nephew's wedding I gave them $350 cash plus served about 100 pints of home brew beer at the destination wedding venue. Awe, the beer doesn't count because not only wasn't it cash, it saved the brides parents money, not the bride and groom.

 

[bingybear]

paid more one of my kids in laws major dental work.... twice. well over 1k ... twice

 

[NW-Bound]

I fund both of my kids' Roth every year and I plan to do it as long as my portfolio allows me to...

I thought about it, and the one thing that bothered me was that it might make my children think that they could go spend all that they made because the savings were already taken care of.

But again, we are drifting from the thread...

 

[Sojourner]

Really interesting to see that 40% of those voting have given $1000 or more. I suppose that's not so surprising considering the financial status of most of us here, but on the other hand it is slightly surprising given that it's "not immediate family".

Knowing that most people give generously to their children (and grandchildren) over time, I wanted to filter that out to get a clearer picture of gift-giving generosity when it comes to those other special people in our lives. And it's kind of nice to see that we appear to be a pretty generous bunch.

 

[NW-Bound]

I gave donations much larger than $1000, and it is to charities, hence the ultimate recipients are strangers, not my immediate family.

But these large donations are not to individuals (though I also gave smaller amounts to specific individuals on some occasions). I do not know how you or other posters consider these for the poll purpose.

 

[Dash man]

We took ten extended family members on an all expense paid cruise vacation a few years back. It wasn't a cash gift to them, but an experience that cost us about $3K per person. We figured it was about the last time we'd be able to get everyone together for a family vacation, so it was worth it.


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[45th Birthday]

We usually only give small gifts ($100 for college graduation, weddings) to relatives and close friends. Mostly because that is the norm for these people and they would probably feel uncomfortable if we gave more, because they couldn't reciprocate. For charities we are involved with/feel especially close to, the numbers range to $10K-15K for a one-time gift, or $3K-$5K for annual gifts. Sporadic $1K-2K gifts to others. Odd thinking about it how we give more to "strangers" but the larger gift recipients have almost always been the result of positive experiences with these charities. Some through a small foundation we set up years ago, and others through appreciated stock.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

$100 each to nieces and nephews at Christmas.

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[Sunset]

$250 for the family of a deceased person.

Kids got 1/2 college paid for regardless of how long it took, but they are pretty immediate family.

 

[ABQ2015]

$300 for my niece's wedding

I also give my other niece $150 at Christmas to buy presents for her 3 kids (or a family present). Also $50 each to my best friend's girls at Christmas and Birthdays. I don't have any children and consider them my "god children." When they were younger, I gave presents but find it hard to select gifts for older children so just give cash.

Gave $200 recently to family of FB friend for funeral expenses. I hardly knew him in high school but was in the same graduating class as his sister. He fought cancer for several years and could not work so he spent time on FB posting memories of our home town and high school/college days. So I came to know and admire him.

I have also made some more significant contributions to help out
two of my brothers - one had cancer and the other was laid off at age 61 with limited resources. But these probably do not fall into the definition of "gift" as intended by the poll.

 

[Ronstar]

$1000 to niece and nephew at high school graduation and again when they married.


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[lemming]

$365 each year at Christmas to a niece and her husband. I actually said it was a dollar a day-so I think of her daily(schmary and not true) Got that thrown back at me as ONLY a dollar a day. Coal is cheaper.

 

[Rick_Head]

I gave a friend $1K to eat during his last month of law school. It wasn't requested as a gift, but I knew it would probably become one. Therefore I didn't get too excited when he died without repaying it.

 

[EastWest Gal]

One of my patients died when I was working at the hospital-based clinic years ago. He had major heart disease and malformed intestines at birth. Our local pediatric surgeon had taken care of him with me, his heart surgeons and specialists were at the nearby medical school and tertiary care center.

He was one of only a handful of patients upon which I did a house call. He lived in the projects and the place was overrun by roaches, including his crib. I wrote a scathing letter to the Housing Authority and they moved him and his mother and brother within a week.

He died about a year later from his complex heart disease. His mother was very young and had no money, so the surgeon and I quietly split his funeral and burial costs.


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[jollystomper]

DW and I have this scale for nieces, nephews, and other relatives that we are close to:

High School graduation - $250
College graduation - $500
First significant graduate degree - $500
Wedding - $1000 (the first one )

There are also friends of our children, or children of our friends, that we have grown close to and in certain situations will also be placed on that scale, or sometimes more. For example, a young man who has been a close friend one one of our sons since kindergarten, has been through a lot but never complains, and was very supportive of our son when our son was going through a difficult time. This young man and his wife are so selfless that they are always wanting to do free stuff for us.

 

[old woman]

cI don't have children or husband so gifting nieces, nephew and great nephews.
Mom and dad gave us cash gifts for no reason so I started doing that a few years ago. My nephew has a sick wife so I gave him 5K once and 4K once. His sister divorced a man who will not pay what was owed, I gave her 7K once then now 16K to get a condo. Her son has gotten 10K and 6K to help with college and his cousin 1K for starting life and his mother 7K for a house down payment. I will help the one in college twice more since his parents aren't helping at all.
I don't give big gifts for weddings and graduations or holidays and birthdays, usually $100.
Mom and dad have died and left me about 170K that I didn't need and I over saved for retirement. I have more than twice what I need so figure a little now beats a lot later for the 18-45 year olds. I don't give any gifts to children.