Well, Christmas is here again, and with it comes the John Lewis advert, garish street decorations, overcrowded shops, J2O’s glitter-berry drink and the Gregg’s festive bake. Exchanging gifts is one of the best known Christmas traditions but it can also be one of the most arduous. From those who say ‘don’t get me anything’, to the people that have everything and those who are hard to please. Well, we at Vertem are always trying to do our part, and we thought we’d compile the perfect gift guide for the inner Warren Buffet, leaving you with one less festive drama to worry about…….

For younger members of the family a great idea is the latest game in the Grand Theft Auto franchise. At first, yes the infamous 18+ rated game seems unsuitable but bear with us. The game teaches players how to (amongst other things) pay rent, drive, hold a full time job and now it even requires them to manage their own stock portfolio. Yes, there may be some elements of this the FCA would probably raise an eyebrow to but overall it’s a winner, teaching valuable investment and organised crime skills all at once.

Christmas gift staples are of course books and DVDs. With regard to the former, anything by bestselling author Michael Lewis is a safe bet. He has a lot of titles out there so to avoid duplication try Lewis’ latest book; ‘the Undoing Project’. If you’re buying for a TV & Film fan, this year’s ‘Big Short’ is an obvious choice (adapted from a Michael Lewis novel). We wrote a piece on some of the best films related to Wall Street which can provide more inspiration in that department. We realise as the gift buyer you also may be subject to sit through the film, which if you’re not an investment fan may be a lacklustre couple of hours, which if you wanted to have you’d just watch the new Top Gear. So blag it and buy a film with a very loose visit to Wall Street, these include the ‘Dark Knight Rises’, ‘Hitch’ or even ‘What Happens in Vegas’ (if you’re desperate). Yes, we are literally thinking of everything here.

 

Moving on we have gadgets, a quick fire way into the good books if done correctly. Our recommendation….? Simple, easy and free*, yes it is of course the Apple stocks app. Genius huh? Ok, people cheered the ability to delete it after ios10 but it is essential for a budding Buffet, a truly understated App if very there was one. Those of you who have read the small print will have course realised, if you don’t have some Apple kit then this may not exactly be ‘free’ but you get the gist, no longer will you have to decide whether you want to play Pokemon Go, check the markets or Whatsapp your pal asking he wants a beer, you can do it all at once. Other fun gift ideas include perhaps a yearly subscription to the Investors Chronicle or FT (ideal for kids). Stocking Filler? Bag some wet look gel to recreate the Wall Street slick back look. And finally a gift for the active investor; head down to your local pro shop and get your loved one some golf clubs. The lucky recipient might wonder whether you love or loathe them, depending on their understanding of what can only be described as the most frustrating game in the world. However, the look on their faces when they leave the course incredibly frustrated? Priceless! At times the sport makes investing seem simple.

From all of us at Vertem, have a great Christmas and Happy New Year!

 

 

 

*you will of course need an iPhone (£599), iPad (£549) or Mac (£1,749)

 

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