Set your 2026 graduate up for financial success: 3 practical tips

Graduation season is upon us, which means copies of Oh, the Places You’ll Go! are flying off bookstore shelves—since whimsical Seussian life advice has been the go-to gift for new graduates since 1990.

But handing over a picture book seems especially unhelpful for the class of 2026. While every generation of young graduates seems to face a unique set of woes in their early adulthood, this year’s new grads are coming up against some particularly turbulent times.

AI is gobbling up the entry-level jobs that new graduates need to get their foot in the door. Adding insult to injury, commencement speakers are encouraging grads to embrace their new AI overlords.

But wait, there’s more!

Inflation is up 3.8% (the highest it’s been in three years), and the unemployment rate for college graduates ages 22 to 27 was 5.6% as of December 2025, outstripping the national average. What’s more disheartening is that of those employed twentysomething college grads, 40% were working in jobs that didn’t require a college degree.

Honestly, it’s understandable why parents might reach for Dr. Seuss to help counsel a newly minted graduate in times like these. (And possibly grabbing a fresh copy of Goodnight Moon to ease their own parental insomnia.)

No matter how worrisome the economic news may be, however, there are practical gifts you can offer to your new grad that will help launch both their career and their personal financial success. Consider giving these gifts to the graduate in your life.

Teach them soft skills

When I was 14 years old, a new classmate introduced herself with a handshake, and immediately critiqued the “limp fish” grip I offered in return.

My new friend was the daughter of a minister, which meant she shook hands with dozens of parishioners every Sunday and knew a thing or two about greeting people that had never once occurred to me. It’s been more than 30 years, and I still use her advice on handshakes, introductions, and humor on a daily basis.

Like my teenage self, the graduate in your life probably doesn’t know all the soft skills that are considered base-level knowledge in the business world. These might include things like:

• Networking: Learning how to network can be a difficult skill to master, especially if no one tells you that it’s often considered rude to ask a contact for a job directly.
• Email etiquette: You can save the grad in your life a great deal of heartache by teaching them to wait to type the recipient’s email address in the “To” line until after composing the email to their satisfaction.
• Interviewing: Practice interviews can help your graduate build up muscle memory for this nerve-wracking experience so they can feel more comfortable when they’re in a real interview situation.
• Sussing out workplace culture: Every workplace has a different kind of culture. You can help your graduate figure out a workplace’s culture during the interview process. For example, in every academic office I have ever known, the atmosphere among the support staff (especially among the office’s administrative assistants) is the best barometer for understanding the culture of the organization as a whole.

Imparting this kind of wisdom to your new graduate can help them stand out among other job candidates and will help them fit in better when they land their first job.

An easy budgeting program

For many new graduates, walking across the stage marks the transition from childhood to adulthood—at least in the financial realm. Instead of being part of their parents’ budget, a new graduate is likely to be 100% responsible for their own financial decisions. (Well, until they get a flat tire and need to make an emergency withdrawal from the Bank of Mom and Dad).

Depending on the young adult, this can be a difficult adjustment. You can help make the shift a little easier by setting your graduate up with a budgeting program of their choice.

There are a number of apps and online programs available that are designed to help make money management simpler and more intuitive. If you already use one, consider walking your graduate through the program you prefer. If not, take an afternoon with your grad to look at several options to find one that works for them.

While many budgeting apps are free, some charge a monthly or annual fee. If your graduate is interested in one of the paid apps, you might offer to pay for it as long as they continue to use it. It will be an investment that saves both of you money in the long run.

Open a Roth IRA account

Setting money aside for a retirement 40-plus years in the future is probably the last thing on your graduate’s mind, but that’s partly what makes this is such an impactful gift. The earlier you contribute money to a Roth IRA, the more time you give it to let compounding interest do its incredible magic.

A brand-new adult is also in an excellent position for a Roth IRA for another reason: Roth accounts are funded with after-tax dollars.

Instead of deducting contributions to these accounts from your income, you contribute money you’ve already paid taxes on into your Roth accounts. The money grows tax-free, and you can withdraw it tax-free in retirement.

Here’s why this is so great for young’uns: A new graduate’s tax burden is probably the lowest one they will ever have. Making Roth IRA contributions now, while the new graduate is at a low tax bracket, means paying very little in taxes on the invested money.

As of 2026, a young adult can contribute up to $7,500 annually into a Roth IRA, provided they have earned at least that much. (Also, these yearly contribution limits encompass all IRAs you may own. If your graduate has a traditional IRA and a Roth IRA, they can’t send $7,500 to each one.)

Helping your child open a Roth IRA account and setting up some contributions, even if they’re not able to maximize them, will give them a gift that keeps on giving decades down the line.

Launching your graduate

New graduates and their families may be understandably alarmed about their financial and career prospects, considering the nonstop coverage of everything good going up in smoke just as they finish their education. This is the same story financial media has been peddling during graduation season for decades—although that doesn’t erase the potential turbulence facing this year’s crop of graduates.

However, offering newly graduated students some practical gifts can help prepare them for a tough launch. These gifts include teaching your graduate the soft skills they need to know to navigate the workplace, setting them up with a budgeting app, and helping them open and fund a Roth IRA.

Each of these actions will do so much more to encourage, support, and guide your graduate than any tangible gift, even a picture book by a beloved author.

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