Money Management

Costco has many great gifts for women, including rose water, watches, and an adorable raincoat. Check out seven great gift options here. 

Shopping for a gift can be tricky — especially if you’re buying for the woman in your life.

Whether you’re buying for a friend, a romantic partner, a parent, a daughter, or another woman who has touched you in some way, you’ll want to make sure the gift is a good fit for her and comes at a great price that doesn’t drain your checking account.

The good news is, Costco has a wide selection of great gift items that won’t give your credit cards too much of a workout. In fact, here are seven of the best women’s gifts you can buy there.

1. A stylish watch

Today, just about everyone has a phone that has the time on it. But, that doesn’t mean women don’t still enjoy wearing a good watch.

Having a watch on means you don’t have to dig your phone out of your purse to check the time — and you don’t have to be tethered to it always, so if you want to go for a nice girl’s lunch without being reachable, you can still know how long you’ve been gone. A watch can also be a fashion statement that completes a great outfit.

Fortunately, Costco has tons of stylish watches for women, including this bargain-priced Anne Klein New York Pavé Crystal Dial Ladies Quartz Watch. For just $89.99, you can give a stunning piece of statement jewelry that’s less than half the price of similar offerings at stores like Walmart.

2. Organics Bulgarian Rose Water

If the woman you’re buying for loves to pamper herself, the Alteya Organics Bulgarian Rose Water 8.0 fl oz, 2-pack could be a perfect gift for an at-home spa day. Rose water helps soften and smooth skin and can be used as both a body and face product. It’s not just the gift of a cosmetic product, but also provides an opportunity for relaxation and self-care that many women desperately need.

3. Comfy sheets

A good night’s sleep can change a woman’s entire outlook on life — and with summer coming and the weather getting warmer, some crisp, cool cotton sheets could be a perfect out-of-the-box gift that makes the nights cozier.

Costco’s Kirkland Signature 680 Thread Count Sheet Set fits the bill perfectly. The sheets got 4.6 stars in almost 20,000 reviews, and they come at an affordable price of $74.99 per set. The set includes a flat and fitted sheet as well as pillowcases.

4. A stylish summer sun hat

Summer days in the sun are coming, and it’s a good idea to protect skin from the sun’s punishing rays. That’s why a Solar Escape Sun Hat from Costco should be on your gift list at this time of the year.

For $17.99, you can splurge on a great-looking hat perfect for both casual and formal occasions. And, best of all, it provides UPF 50+ sun protection. It even comes with sunglasses loops and a moisture-wicking sweatband, so you know the designer was thinking of the busy woman on the go.

5. A water-and-wind resistant raincoat

Spring showers may be great for the flowers, but they aren’t so pleasant for the women out there getting wet. A water-and-wind resistant jacket from Costco could help make being outdoors on damp days easier, though.

This attractive pink or white vintage rain slicker will run you just $21.99 and it’s currently part of a promotion where if you mix or match multiple clothing items, you save more. You could even opt to get multiple clothing gifts to get the best deal.

6. A Jack Georges leather handbag

Jack Georges fine leather goods are attractive, durable, and a fine example of old-world craftsmanship. They’re also expensive. But, Costco members receive exclusive discounts on them, so buying one for a special woman may just be within your budget.

Prices vary by bag, but offerings include briefcase, handbags, travel totes, and wallets. Visit the Costco Next page to be connected through to Jack Georges and qualify for your discounted leather goods, so you can find the perfect gift.

7. A fruit and nut gift baskets

Buying more stuff for the woman who has everything may not be a good use of your money. But, purchasing consumables can allow you to still show your love with a present without leaving her with more items to store on overcrowded shelves.

Costco offers attractive and tasty fruit and nut gift baskets, including a Vacaville Fruit Company 56 oz Dried Fruit & Nut Wooden Gift Tray for just $39.99. Favorites like dried peaches, mangoes, and dates make this gift too delicious to pass up.

Check out these seven items to see if one fits the bill as an ideal Costco gift for a woman you love. Just be sure to stay within your budget and consider including a meaningful card, as your words of love can be worth more than even the best present.

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We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Christy Bieber has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale and Walmart. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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Inflation is making it hard for many people to manage their bills. Read on to see if your brokerage account should come to your rescue. 

Inflation is still a problem for a lot of people these days. Granted, inflation levels have receded since peaking in mid-2022. But all told, living costs are still higher than usual, and a lot of people, at this point, no longer have money in a savings account to tap to cope with larger bills.

It’s therefore not so shocking to learn that a lot of people are resorting to drastic measures to deal with inflation, according to a recent Quicken survey. A good 18%, for example, have been selling possessions, while 16% have dipped into their 401(k) plans. And 15% of Americans are liquidating investments to cope with current economic conditions.

If you have investments in a brokerage account, you may be thinking of selling some of them to drum up cash if money has gotten tight. But before you do that, make sure you understand the financial and tax consequences involved.

Here’s what happens when you sell investments

The good thing about investing in a regular brokerage account, as opposed to an IRA or 401(k) plan, is that you can access your money at any time without penalty. With an IRA or 401(k), removing funds before age 59 1/2 generally means facing a 10% early withdrawal penalty.

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t financial implications to consider when liquidating brokerage account investments. First of all, if you sell stocks at a time when their value is down, you’ll permanently lock in a loss.

Now, you can use that sort of loss to your financial benefit. It can offset gains in your brokerage account, if you have any. And if you don’t, you can use an investment loss to offset a limited amount of ordinary income (up to $3,000 per year).

But still, let’s say you bought 10 shares of a given company for $100 apiece, only now those shares are only worth $50 each. If you were to sell today, you’d take a $500 loss, whereas if you were to wait a few years, the value of your shares might climb back up to $1,000 — or even beyond.

Now, let’s say you’re not looking at selling investments at a loss. Even if you’re looking at a nice gain, you should know that you’ll have to pay taxes on that gain, the extent of which will hinge on how long you’ve owned your stocks or assets before selling them.

If you’re selling assets you’ve held for at least a year and day, you’ll be bumped into the long-term capital gains category, which means you’ll pay a lower rate of tax on your gains than you would with a short-term gain. But still, that’s some money you’re parting with.

That said, if you’re a lower earner, you might be able to avoid paying taxes on long-term capital gains. This will hold true if you’re single earning less than $44,625 or married earning less than $89,250.

But if you’re selling a stock you’ve held for a year or less, you’ll be subject to a short-term capital gains tax rate that matches your ordinary income tax rate. If you’re a moderate earner, that could easily mean being taxed at a rate of 12%, 22%, or 24%, depending on your income.

Be careful when cashing out investments

Liquidating investments might seem like a good way to cope with inflation. And in some cases, it could be a reasonable move when your bills keep mounting and your paycheck can’t keep up.

But if you’re going to sell off investments, make sure you understand what that will mean for you financially. You may even want to consult with an accountant before moving forward to make sure you’re covering your bases.

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We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
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A writer shares some of the things she’s learned about the cost of raising kids. Read on to get her insights. 

Once you become a parent, it’s really important that you get into the habit of budgeting. If you don’t, your savings account balance might very quickly get whittled down, all because of your kids.

A few years back, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated the cost of raising a child through age 17 at $233,610. And frankly, that number seems low to me.

Now, I knew before having kids that doing so would be an expensive prospect. But through the years, I’ve found myself increasingly getting caught off-guard at how costly it is to raise kids. Here are some of the more harsh financial lessons I’ve picked up more recently.

1. You won’t necessarily spend less money on childcare as your kids get older

Back when my kids were babies, the cost of daycare was a huge expense I had to bear. I assumed I’d get a ton of relief once my kids got older and were eligible to attend school.

But here’s a little truth bomb. Unless you’re a teacher or have a job that somehow does not require you to work during the summer, you need to find a way to keep your kids occupied during that 10-week stretch when school is not in session. That’s what summer camp is for. But the cost there can be downright astronomical, especially if you want your children to have some sort of decent program that includes a variety of activities and access to a pool.

I took a look at my summer camp bills recently and am convinced that I’m now spending more money on childcare than I did when my kids were infants. The silver lining is that my kids’ camp allows you to charge tuition on a credit card for no extra fee. So at least I’m racking up my share of reward points.

2. The cost of snacks could be enough to bust your budget

It’s certainly not a shock to me that kids need to eat. What is shocking is the sheer number of snacks these little beings are capable of putting into their bellies, only to then still want dinner an hour or two later.

Not only are my kids constantly asking for snacks, but they want different snacks. Sweet snacks. Salty snacks. Snacks they can share with friends.

Some weeks, I’ll buy two cases of chips and popcorn from Costco only to not even have that supply last from Monday morning through Friday afternoon. And that’s pretty astounding considering that my kids are in school for much of that window.

3. The fun really begins when your kids start to need glasses and orthodontics

When my kids were younger, I was constantly forking over money for pediatrician copays to deal with things like ear infections. These days, we still frequent the pediatrician’s office. Only on top of those healthcare bills, I’ve reached the point where my kids are starting to break just a little.

My daughter recently got glasses and needs a back-up pair. That’s a multi-hundred-dollar expense. My son is in the midst of orthodontic treatment, and somehow, I’ve already shelled out thousands of dollars before braces have even gotten onto his teeth.

Make sure you have savings before having kids

Kids are expensive, no matter where you live and what sort of lifestyle you try to maintain. So my advice to anyone thinking of having kids is to build up a nice amount of savings first.

Once you have kids, they’re going to take all of your money. There’s really no getting around that. But if you go in with a solid cushion, you’ll alleviate some financial stress so you can focus on other things, like breaking up fights between siblings, panic-buying birthday party gifts at the last minute, and shuttling children to overlapping activities on a regular daily basis.

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We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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Americans are growing increasingly suspicious about the banking industry. Read on to see why, based on a new study. 

Americans are losing trust in the U.S. banking institution, according to a recent poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs.

When asked how much confidence they had in U.S. banks, only 10% of a sampling of 1,081 adults gave banks their full stamp of confidence. Another 57% said they had “some confidence,” while 31% said they had “hardly any.”

A 10% vote of full confidence is down from the 22% who believed in the strength of U.S. banks in 2020. Moreover, the poll was conducted between March 16 and 20, so there’s no telling how many still retain full confidence after the recent collapse of First Republic Bank.

Why are Americans losing confidence in banks?

According to the poll, around 56% of U.S. adults surveyed said the government wasn’t doing enough to regulate banks, while 27% said it was doing just enough and 15% said it was regulating too much.

More regulation, in this case, might mean increased supervision on how banks use depositors’ cash — limiting, for example, how much can be invested in uninsured deposits. Or it could mean stress testing banks with fewer than $250 billion assets, which could reveal cracks in midsize and small banks before higher interest rates find them first.

It’s unclear, however, if increased regulation would restore depositors’ confidence in U.S. banks, especially since the lack of faith appears to derive from something less concrete: political opinions.

Indeed, although a majority of Republicans and Democrats believe banks are under regulated (51% versus 63%), Republicans were more pessimistic about the future of the economy. Roughly 7% of Republicans would describe the economy as “good,” versus 43% of Democrats. Likewise, around 75% of Republicans thought the economy would only get worse from here, whereas only a third of Democrats agreed with that statement.

But before we get too pessimistic, let’s take a step back and look at the data from a different angle.

Even though only 10% of adults surveyed answered with full confidence, a majority of Americans still trust the banking system: around 67% answered that they had confidence, regardless of its level.

Secondly, although trust has eroded, this trend isn’t new, as AP itself pointed out. Americans have become increasingly more suspicious about institutions in general since the 1970s, when Watergate left Americans distrustful of the federal government. Since then, fewer Americans have placed their trust in institutions, from governments to banks to churches to Santa Claus.

Can you trust your bank?

A healthy amount of suspicion is OK. After all, you don’t want to deposit money in a bank that doesn’t have the capital to absorb losses or cash on hand to meet certain debt and depositor obligations.

That said, most Americans can trust their banks. As long as your institution is backed by the FDIC (or NCUA for credit unions), your deposits are insured up to $250,000 per bank ($500,000 for joint accounts). That means, if your bank or credit union fails, the FDIC or NCUA will pay out your deposit up to that maximum amount.

Plus, if bank fears are stopping you from depositing cash in savings accounts or certificates of deposit (CD), you could be forfeiting generous earnings on today’s high APYs. CD rates are currently averaging 4.25% and 5%, which is their highest in almost two decades. As long as the CD issuer is backed by the FDIC or NCUA — and most major CD providers are — you could lock in a fairly high rate before APYs start to go down.

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We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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