As a mother of three, I’m constantly thinking about my children’s future.
One thing on my mind is a major milestone that fills every parent with immense pride: graduation.
While the only ‘graduations’ I’ll be experiencing this year are my 12-year-old completing her primary education and my kindergartener moving up to his ‘big boy school’, I wonder what it would be like when they finally mark a new chapter in life (in 10 years or so).
Many parents choose to celebrate their children’s achievements with cash, gadgets, holidays, or luxury items.
While those gifts can certainly be meaningful, they often lose value over time, consumed and eventually forgotten.
Instead, I want to introduce the idea of gifting ownership instead of consumption when my children graduate.
Why Stocks Can Be the Perfect Graduation Gift
Buying shares in strong businesses is a powerful way to teach real wealth-building and long-term thinking.
A gift of shares can appreciate in value over time, highlighting the difference between spending money and investing it.
When our children spend money, that capital is gone forever; when they invest, they purchase a piece of a business that works on their behalf.
This ownership structure naturally encourages financial literacy, motivating young graduates to learn about businesses, markets, and investing.
Best of all, they have decades ahead of them, allowing time to do the heavy lifting.
iFAST Corporation Ltd. (SGX: AIY)
A wealth management fintech operating a global digital platform, iFAST serves investors across Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, China, and the United Kingdom through its non-banking divisions and its UK-based digital bank, iFAST Global Bank.
For the first quarter of 2026 (1Q2026), the fintech delivered a strong set of results.
Revenue surged 44.5% year on year (YoY) to S$154.5 million, while net profit jumped 47.3% to S$28.0 million.
Furthermore, assets under administration (AUA) climbed 27.1% YoY to a record S$32.6 billion, supported by healthy net inflows of S$1.25 billion, up 33.2% compared to a year ago.
As of 31 March 2026, iFAST held cash and cash equivalents of S$620.0 million against total debt of S$235.7 million (excluding lease liabilities), keeping it in a healthy net cash position of S$384.4 million.
Gifting this stock teaches my children a vital lesson about the power of innovation, digital transformation, and long-term growth runways.
DBS Group Holdings Ltd. (SGX: D05)
A familiar name in Singapore, DBS is Singapore’s largest bank by assets and a premier financial services group across Asia.
The lender operates a deeply diversified franchise spanning consumer banking, wealth management, and institutional banking across multiple regional hubs.
Known for its exceptionally stable, predictable business model and its reputation for consistent cash generation, this blue chip is a stellar choice.
In 1Q2026, the bank’s structural resilience shone through as it delivered a record total income of S$5.95 billion, climbing 1% YoY despite navigating rate headwinds.
Highlighting its focus on returning value to shareholders, the board declared a 1Q2026 dividend of S$0.81 per share, comprising an ordinary dividend of S$0.66 and a Capital Return dividend of S$0.15. This is up 8% from the S$0.75 paid for 1Q2025.
This investment teaches an invaluable lesson on the true value of reliable passive income, illustrating how patience and equity ownership in an industry leader can anchor a portfolio.
The Gift of Compounding
Left completely untouched, the power of multi-decade compounding can completely transform modest initial investments.
Reinvested dividends buy more shares, which then generate even higher future distributions, creating a snowball effect over time.
This illustrates why time matters far more than the size of the initial principal – it truly is the graduation gift that keeps giving.
The bigger lesson here is to teach our children to accumulate assets rather than liabilities.
Shifting the mindset from consumption to ownership changes how they look at money forever, turning them from pure consumers into owners.
Get Smart: The Best Graduation Gift May Be Ownership
It is easy for parents to focus only on immediate rewards or get swept up chasing speculative, trendy investments over a cup of kopi.
But by focusing instead on business quality and long-term durability, we give our children a foundation for life.
In conclusion, the best graduation gift may simply be ownership.
Gifting high-quality shares is a deeply meaningful and potentially life-changing gesture that focuses on long-term durability and growth potential.
While most standard graduation gifts fade with time, ownership in great businesses can continue creating compounding value for decades to come.
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Disclosure: Calvina L. owns shares of DBS.
