Gifting crypto this holiday season? What experts say to know first
Toys and collectibles aside, crypto could be a hot ticket this holiday season.
In the U.S., 45% of Gen Z adults ages 18 to 28 said they would be excited to receive cryptocurrency as a holiday gift this year, according to a global survey of 1,000 adults by payment technology company Visa in October.
How wise it is to gift crypto is another matter, and expert advice varies.
Given how volatile and speculative cryptocurrencies are, they can be risky and ill-advised if you want to gift an asset that will increase in value, says Flavio Landivar, a certified financial planner and senior financial advisor at Evensky and Katz/Foldes Wealth Management in Coral Gables, Florida.
Landivar says that unlike publicly traded stocks or exchange-traded funds, which represent ownership of a tangible asset like a business, cryptocurrencies have “no real, underlying intrinsic value.”
“Exactly how this will translate into the future remains to be determined, but for now it’s basically worth what someone else is willing to pay for it,” which could lead to erratic changes in value and sudden price declines with no possibility of recovery, Landivar says.
Use the gift as a teaching moment
If you decide to give crypto, “any gift should be positioned as a long-term, educational experience rather than a stable investment,” says Ashton Lawrence, CPF and principal and senior wealth advisor at Mariner Wealth Advisors in Greenville, South Carolina. If you’re looking for an investment that’s more likely to grow over time, stick with exchange-traded funds that track a wide range of stocks, he says.
Mike Casey, CFP, an early Bitcoin adopter and president of American Executive Advisors in McLean, Virginia, says gifts of around $50 during birthdays and holidays are a “great place” to start giving crypto. “We’re not talking thousands and thousands of dollars.”
Casey recommends gifting Bitcoin over other cryptocurrencies as it is the most globally adopted and has a fixed supply. says physical metal. Casey says it is also the oldest cryptocurrency, and historically whenever Bitcoin fell from a high, its value rebounded and grew even larger.
Over the past five years, Bitcoin’s price in US dollars has increased by approximately $74,000, an increase of just over 400%. The cryptocurrency was trading around $86,000 on Monday, down 32% from its all-time high of $126,000 in October.
While many gifts help build financial awareness, Casey says Bitcoin’s volatile nature makes it uniquely suited to teaching the importance of disciplined investing. He says tracking that initial gift year after year can help young investors grow comfortable with the natural ups and downs that come with investing.
“That’s what investing is all about,” Casey says. “We want to have a long-term goal. They’re learning that a little fluctuation is actually okay.”
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