This Christmas lots of parents and grandparents might decide to forgo the usual presents for the young people in their life and instead decide to give them money. But the days of tucking a £5 note into a Christmas card are largely gone now money is digital and people want to give financial gifts that last longer (and can’t be splurged on sweets or magazines). So, what are the pros and cons of financial presents to give this Christmas (or at any time of the year)?

CASH

Pros – If you choose to put money in a cash account the child’s parents will need to open the account. You should hunt around for the best rate possible, so you are maximising the return. The top rate at the time of writing was 3.75% from HSBC.

Just make a note to check back on the rate in a year or two, as banks have a nasty habit of slashing the interest on offer and relying on people not moving their money.

Cons – Cash rates have risen recently, but they are still miles away from inflation. This means any money you gift and leave in cash will lose value in real terms over the years. If you want a short-term option and know your grandchild will access that money in a few years that might be ok, but for longer-term savings it can really eat into your spending power.

For example, £100 saved 18 years ago would only be worth £61 today after factoring in inflation. There are tax implications if a child earns more than £100 in interest in a year and the money has been gifted by their parents, but this isn’t an issue if the money has come from grandparents.

PREMIUM BONDS

Pros – Premium Bonds are a perennial favourite, and now the minimum amount is just £25 it’s much easier to gift them. They are Government-backed, so couldn’t be safer, and you have the bonus that they might make your grandchild a millionaire.

Cons – While the expected prize fund has improved recently, and is now the equivalent of 2.2%, they will still earn less than a cash savings account.

This ‘expected rate’ is also based on the average winnings, and the bonds you buy could win nothing. With inflation high that means the spending power of your gift will be eroded year on year, particularly if your grandchild doesn’t cash the money in for a long time.

JUNIOR STOCKS AND SHARES ISA

Pros – Investing is the ideal long-term place for money, making it a good option for people who are gifting money to younger children, where it will go untouched for years. Generally, you should invest for five years or more, so it’s ideal for younger children who have 10, 15 or even 18 years until they will access the money.

Someone who invested £25 a month for their grandchild from birth to the age of 18 would generate a pot worth £8,000, assuming growth of 4% a year. The parents of the child will need to set up the Junior ISA, and afterwards anyone can contribute. You can pay in up to £9,000 a year per child.

Cons – The downside of a Junior ISA is that the money can’t be accessed until they are 18, which means if the child wanted it sooner, they wouldn’t be able to get their hands on it.

Similarly, when they reach the age of 18, they take control of the money, which means they could cash it in and go on a spending spree – despite your protests. Investing is also riskier than leaving it in cash, as the value could drop too.

Junior SIPP

Pros – Even non-taxpayers can pay into a pension and get tax relief, so you can put up to £2,880 into a pension each year for your child or grandchild and it will be topped up by the Government to £3,600.

If you paid in the maximum each year until they reached 18, you’d have a pot worth £96,000, assuming a 4% annual return. If you then didn’t make any further contributions and left that money to grow, they would have a pension worth almost £410,000 by the age of 55. The fact the pension is locked up for so long means you can be sure they aren’t going to raid the money and spend it on something frivolous.

Cons – This is a very long-term investment, and your grandchild won’t be able to benefit until they are retirement age. Currently that’s 55 but the minimum age level is expected to rise and so it’s impossible to predict what it would be for someone who is currently a child.

The tax perk of gifting money

Gifting money is a great way to move the assets out of your estate for inheritance tax purposes. Everyone can pass on an estate worth up to £325,000 free of inheritance tax (and some people are eligible for a bigger limit if they are passing on their main home). But after that the estate will have to pay 40% tax.

If you know you’re going to hit this threshold and can afford to part with money now, moving funds out of the estate while you’re alive can save tax in the future.

Anyone can gift up to £3,000 a year, as well as extra amounts when certain people in the family get married, without it being considered for inheritance tax purposes. Any gifts over that amount will be subject to the seven-year rule, which means that if you were to die inheritance tax is due on a sliding scale until seven years have passed.

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