Finding a Retirement Gift

For that Special Someone

Finding a proper retirement gift for that special retiree can be a daunting task.

Over the next 18 years, it is estimated that 76 million individuals will reach the age of 62, the current norm for establishing retirement age. What this means is that on the average between 400 and 500 persons will retire every hour for the next 18 years. Even though we may have already retired, the odds are pretty good that there will be someone we know retiring in the near future.

For many of us, finding that right gift for that special occasion becomes either a shopping chore (trying to fit the gift to the person) or a quick run to the store or the internet to find that good old standby gift, the pen and pencil set.

On this page we will be providing some tips for finding that meaningful gift. How do we find that unique gift that will serve as memento of the dedicated service provided by the retiree but also one that fits the uniqueness of the individual?

Let's look at a gift giving check list:

• What vocation or career did the retiree have?
• Is this a gift from and individual or from a group or co-workers?
• How much can be spent for a gift?
• Are there items representing the vocation that are suitable gifts for that memorable occasion?
• Outside of work, what other passions does the retiree have?
• Will the retiree be retiring to some other city or state? How about a gift that memorializes the uniqueness of both the contributions made in the workplace and identifies with the state in which the service was performed.

It is our intent to expand on at least 3 categories of gift giving in the following pages:

• Corporate gift giving
• Co-worker or colleague gift giving
• Friends and family gift giving