Some call Valentine’s Day an excuse to spend money, and with over 15 billion dollars spent each year for the last five years, it’s not very hard to see why.
According to the National Retail Federation, the top five gifts that were planned last year were: candy, greeting cards, an evening out, flowers, and jewelry. While jewelry ranks last on that list of five in percentage of givers (19%), it ranks #1 in terms of dollars spent ($4.4 billion). Click here to see more details from their survey.
What might the affluent or very wealthy be buying? We can’t know for sure, but here’s something in each of the categories that might fit the bill:
Candy: High-priced chocolate. At www.toakchocolate.com, one might be able to have a chocolate experience like no other since they trace the lineage of their cocoa trees back 5300 years to the first that were ever domesticated. Starting at $270 for a 50 gram bar.
Greeting Cards: Sending a card could be sending a piece of art: At www.GildedAgeGreetings.com, you can do just that and order a artisan’s hand-crafted Valentines day card for your loved one. The cards have limited editions, and start at $395.
An Evening out: Elton John announced last month that he’s retiring after his final 2018-19 tour. Unfortunately none of the venues are in NJ, but one could take a sweetheart to hear Sir Elton sing “can you feel the love tonight” at Madison Square Garden in October. Ticket price at this writing was starting at $343 per ticket.
Flowers: How about real roses that will last from one Valentine’s Day to the next? Called the “Eternity DE Venus™ – Square”, these real roses will last a whole year without watering or maintenance. A small square starts at $299, has 16 roses, and can be purchased online here: https://www.venusetfleur.com
Jewelry: Though not a Valentine’s Day gift, Edward McLean and his bride Evalyn bought “The Star of the East” as a wedding present. It is a 94.8-carat diamond, which cost $11.9 million.
Speaking of huge diamonds, last month the fifth largest diamond in the world was discovered in Lesotho. Analysts’ project it could be worth over $40 million.
Not surprisingly, finding a huge diamond isn’t the most common source of sudden or new wealth. Lump sum distribution of retirement benefits, insurance settlements, inheritance, or the sale of a business or investment real estate can create large sums of money for talented people who may not have experience with wealth management.
We can provide that experience and explain whether a trust could be useful.