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I know we mean to be festive, but when we holiday gift to our clients, we mostly end up giving them the gift of bad health. Can we forget about wine, chocolates, and cookies and give more meaningful, sustainable, and wellness-supportive gifts? Here are 7 healthy holiday gift ideas for financial advisors, enchanting and non-standard gifts to give your clients, employees, colleagues, COI partners, etc.
For those of you who are new to my blog/podcast, my name is Sara. I am a CFA® charterholder and I used to be a financial advisor. I have a weekly newsletter in which I talk about financial advisor lead generation topics which is best described as “fun and irreverent.” So please subscribe!
I’ve become healthier due to a cat
I used to be super healthy before I had kids (in fact, I was even a personal trainer way back at one point), but having four kids under 8 years old, it’s easy to fall victim to the ice cream truck.
And then something happened to change all that.
If you follow my podcast, you know that last summer I was ambushed by a stray Tuxedo cat on my way to the grocery store, and the next thing I know, I’m a cat mom.
Here’s my Moonshine.
Isn’t he cutie wootie?
Except for one leeeetle issue…Moonie had a few fleas. I didn’t want them to get onto my couch like Dr. Google said they would, so in a panic I rushed off to the pet store and returned home with a spray can of chemicals. After reading the label it was obvious I’d be putting my life at risk by spraying it in my apartment.
So I returned to the internet, this time consulting Dr. YouTube, where I found Veterinary Secrets, a fabulous holistic veterinarian channel. He spoke of a non-toxic flea repellent called diatomaceous earth (which sounds like a made up phrase, I know), which I tried.
The whole experience got me thinking, what other crap am I putting into my and my kids’ bodies? I started substituting chemical-heavy soaps, cleaners, and personal products with natural ones, reducing artificially flavored foods, etc.
Being more natural feels fabulous! I have even (unintentionally) lost some weight. It’s nice to teach my kids to have higher awareness of what they put into their bodies. It’s been great to return to the natural elements and next I plan to cancel my electricity and live in a log cabin in New Hampshire. Just kidding about the last part.
It’s cool to give healthy gifts!
Giving your client a sustainable or wellness gift this holiday season isn’t like you’re passing a moral judgement or telling them they have to change their lifestyle. It’s simple to inspire thought of living better and that is a very purposeful message to bring.
Some financial advisors are scared to give these types of gifts because they feel it’s too personal. It’s not like you are giving them deodorant or jewelry. People give wine all the time, and I don’t know anything more personal than handing over a bottle of alcohol!
Yah?
Here are some sustainable and wellness gift ideas for the holidays. Some of these I’ve tried, and others I haven’t. Some of these gifts are kinda weird, but don’t let that deter you. Slightly unusual is intriguing. Just don’t go too far and tip the scales or you’ll freak people out.
Before we get into it, I also wanted to be clear that nothing in this blog or podcast may be construed as medical advice. For medical advice, please consult a medical practitioner. There is nothing to guarantee that the experience with any of the following products will be the same as the one I have had. And lastly, there is no financial affiliation between me and any of the companies mentioned in this blog and podcast.
#1 Essential oils
I started using essential oils at bedtime to soothe my kids to sleep and it has made bedtime somewhat easier (it’ll never really be easy with four kids under 8.)
I like the artnaturals six pack. However I did find some great black-owned brands who sell essential oils on Etsy. As I’ve discussed in my podcast about financial services diversity, it is a great idea to maintain the Rooney Rule and include at least one candidate from a diverse group whenever you are hiring someone or purchasing anything for your practice.
Update: I recently ordered the P&J Trading Floral set of oils, and it is heavenly. My favorite so far is Rose. If you or anyone you know is into floral scents, these oils are good to consider. I make a scented oil by mixing Castor oil with a few drops of these to use when my hands get dry from doing the dishes and I keep it right by my sink. Castor oil smell putrid but I love the thick, buttery consistency, and luckily the flower scent masks the bad smell. The whole thing works for me!
#2 Sunflower seeds
Anytime you give food, you would want to make sure you know if the recipient has any particular allergies. I started eating sunflower seeds (first salted, then I went the unsalted route) and found myself pleasantly surprised at how filling they can be.
I know, it’s a kind of weird gift. But that’s exactly why these slightly unusual holiday gift ideas for financial advisors are worth considering…that makes it the kind of thing they wouldn’t think of themselves and if they wind up liking it, they’ll think you’re da coolest for introducing them to it.
Heh heh heh
#3 Dr. Bronners Sugar Soap
Dr. Bronner’s Sugar Soap is to die for. I use the lavender kind but it also comes in almond, peppermint, etc. I’m not talking about the Bronners liquid Castille soap; this Bronner’s sugar soap is a different item.
The way I would describe this is it’s almost like maple syrup. It has a nice lather, but not too much, like you know how sometimes you just want enough lather to get clean, but not to have to be rinsing and rinsing? It’s kind of like the former case.
The scent doesn’t stay on the skin too long. We pour it into the bath to clean our kids, and it makes the whole bathroom smell like a lavender garden, but not overwhelmingly so. It doesn’t really smell that much like soap, it just smells…well…natural. I find it delightful. And it comes in a biodegradable bottle (which I intend to reuse).
I have also been eyeing Mrs. Meyers soap at the grocery store and may pick up a bottle sometime.
Update: I tried Mrs. Meyers soap in peony. It’s okay but in my opinion it like the syrup-like consistency of the Bronners sugar soap better. The Mrs. Meyers soap kind of feels like soap to me whereas the Bronners somehow to me feels more….well…I don’t even know what it feels like. I just like it better.
What I like about both these soaps though is they aren’t heavily lathering. I think that is cool because sometimes lather can be very drying and also can be a pain because you have to use more water to rinse it off which stinks for the environment.
#4 Fidget spinners
As some of you may know by now, I have an autistic child and one of the only things that can calm him down when he’s overstimulated is fidget spinners. If you are really in love with the idea, consider putting your company logo on it.
Consider sending these to your CPA friends during tax season with a fun note.
#5 Olive oil
My relatives are from the Mediterranean, what can I say. I love olive oil.
There’s something in a bottle of fine olive oil that says, “I’m classy and sophisticated in a healthy sort of way.” This liquid gold, as they say, is rich with antioxidants and can be used broadly with many types of food.
#6 Herbal tea
What I love about herbal tea is how many different flavors it comes in. Most people usually have a favorite flavor, so consider asking first before you send them anything.
I usually drink the Celestial Seasonings Fruit Tea sampler box. I got excited when it arrived from Target because the box is really colorful, and it kinda got me in the mood to drink some fruity tea. I found these teas to be flavorful and fulfilling.
Update: I tried this other brand of tea, Mondaisa, but I’m not going to post the link here because for one thing I can’t seem to find it online. I also am not sure if the tea is caffeine-free because it doesn’t not state that on the box. Anyways, it was a kind of sampler box with cherry, strawberry, hibiscus, and a few others. I also found these teas to be quite flavorful although I don’t know about the healthiness of this tea. They label these as “natural” but like I said, the box doesn’t seem to be that descriptive about if it contains caffeine or not and if I’m going for healthy I like it clearly stated upfront if certain things are excluded.
#7 Cause socks
If you want to promote sustainability, you may want to consider giving cause socks, or socks made from recycled materials. Many of the sustainable apparel brands have socks dedicated to one particular cause, and will generate a portion of the proceeds to that cause.
One of the brands that I have heard of is Conscious Step. I’ve never tried these before but I love the idea.
Sara’s upshot on healthy holiday gift ideas for financial advisors
So here’s my concluding thought on healthy holiday gift ideas for financial advisors: this holiday season, consider giving gifts that show value and have meaning.
By the way –
You also may want to consider trying to reduce waste this holiday season, as astoundingly there are 25 million tons more waste produced between Thanksgiving and New Years. I wrote about some eco-friendly practices to uphold this holiday season on my LinkedIn, and hope you’ll check out that post as well.
How to apply it all to your brand as a financial advisor
What’d ya think? Was this helpful?
If yes…
Learn what to say to prospects on social media messenger apps without sounding like a washing machine salesperson. This e-book contains 47 financial advisor LinkedIn messages, sequences, and scripts, and they are all two sentences or less.
You could also consider my financial advisor social media membership which teaches financial advisors how to get new clients and leads from LinkedIn.
Thanks for reading. I hope you’ll at least join my weekly newsletter about financial advisor lead generation.
See you in the next one!
-Sara G
Music is Nice to You by the Vibe Tracks
Sources
Stanford University. PSSI. Stanford Recycling: Land, Buildings, & Real Estate. Frequently Asked Questions: Holiday Waste Prevention. https://lbre.stanford.edu/pssistanford-recycling/frequently-asked-questions/frequently-asked-questions-holiday-waste-prevention
