Gift cards are great except when....

The stores are closing!

There have been lots of warnings rolling around the interwebs concerning gift cards this year. Seems as more and more stores are closing, there is real potential that your gift cards may be unusable.

The following companies have all started to shutter some of their stores, some have even filed for bankruptcy and will be "gone forever" very soon: Ann Taylor, Eddie Bauer, Cache, Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug, Catherines, Talbots, J. Jill, Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, foot locker, Wickies, Bombay Company, Zales, Piercing Pagoda, Disney Store, Home Depot, CompUSA, Macy's, Movie Gallery, Pacific Sunwear, Pep Boys, Sprint/Nextel, JCPenney, Lowes, Office Depot, Ethan Allen, Wilsons, Sharper Image, KB Toys, Dillards, Linens and Things.

Now there are a lot of companies here....not all of them are going completely away. Some are just shutting down a few stores. Some ARE going completely away. And the list is most likely not 100% complete.

So a few suggestions for gift giving. If you are set on giving a gift card, consider a Visa, Mastercard or American Express card. Also, remember to read the fine print concerning the fees associated with the cards, and know when the funds expire.

In the spirit of "Change"....consider something totally different for your gift giving. Do you make something your friends really dig? For example, our friend Claire makes some awesome home made salad dressing. We're looking forward to a big bottle at Christmas. Talk with your investment rep (let me know if you need a referral) about an investment you can make on behalf of someone. Maybe this is the year to give to charity. One year, each member of my family contributed 20 bucks, and we adopted a family. That was pretty rewarding. As our society continues to change, I challenge you to take a look at yourself and ask how you can change in a way that will help both yourself and those around us.

Happy Holidays! ;)