A Thanksgiving Trio

For my Thanksgiving offering, you get three columns in one -- a bit of advice on shopping, talking and spending as you prepare for your holiday gift giving.

Holiday Gifts that Say 'Money'

You're likely headed out to shop this weekend, so here are a few gifts that might make sense no matter what the age of the recipient.

For younger children, there's a new take on an old favorite: the piggy bank. One of my favorite gifts is a translucent plastic piggy bank that's divided into four chambers for saving, spending, investing and charity. It's a great way to teach younger children to set up priorities and drop coins in each slot to reach different goals.

This year there are additional teaching banks from the same company, called Money Savvy Generation, in the shape of a cow and a football. These can be ordered online at the company's Web site for $15.95 plus shipping and handling.

One of my perennial favorite gifts for young teens is the VisaBuxx card -- a reloadable debit card that allows teens and parents to track spending instantaneously online. It's easy to reload an allowance, and the card can be used at any Visa location for shopping or to withdraw cash. These can be bought at VisaBuxx.com.

For market watchers, the 2007 edition of The Stock Trader's Almanac is a terrific gift, filled with historical facts and trends. And new this year you can also get The Commodity Trader's Almanac at the same price. It's filled with seasonal trends, historic statistics and contract specifications for everything from soybeans to sugar to crude oil -- a perfect gift for futures traders.

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