Nothing can be more exciting then adding a new member to the family in the form of a new born. Everybody anticipate for the day very eagerly when they could hold the little one especially the parents. Right from baby shower to decorating the baby nursery lot of creativity goes into action. As a gift-giver we want to make the event more memorable. The gift should be well thought of and customized or personalized.

Internet is a good place where you can find many options to pick from right from a baby blanket to a baby clothes, but generally the parents do most of the baby’s shopping before hand to avoid any last minutes rush. So in order to avoid duplicity it is a good idea to look for personalized gifts, moreover the baby grows out of the clothes after few months so it is not a very good gift. Instead gifts such as sign board, photo frames are perfect for the occasion.

You can find extensive range of items depending on the amount of money you are willing to spend. List is so vast that it can be difficult to make choices sometime.

Before you invest the money and pick a gift for the baby the one important factor that you need to consider is that the gift should be safe and healthy .Rough and sharp edges can hurt the baby. Personalized baby gifts are not only a unique way of showing your emotions but also a very creative gift. No matter which gift you pick always keep the baby’s safety in mind.

World wide web or internet is a good shopping place as well. Many online store give have the options to pick from there wide range of items and have it deliver to office or home or anywhere you want. Baby gift items on display can also be on discount if you are lucky enough.

The couple having the baby are very excited and want to make it a life time memory to cherish. Being a close friend you can always contribute your share and add on to their happiness. Not just a good wrap from outside but the gift should be exciting from inside also.

Couple make a list of all the necessary items way in advance and start looking for them before the baby arrives. As a gift-giver even you have to look around and pick the best gift putting all your creativity. The personalized baby gifts give you an opportunity to show your happiness towards welcoming of the baby in your own way.

The nine month is worth the wait as the results are very rewarding. Making everything look perfect and your way of contributing by gifting a personalized baby gifts makes the moment captured for lifetime. The surprising look at the couple face when receiving the gifts is worth the effort. It is an opportunity to express your feeling for the little one and way of showing your happiness in welcoming the little one. Personalizing the gift and make it look unique is a good way of showing your gesture.

Giving gifts to family and charity while you’re alive can be a boon to them – and your estate.

Estate planning isn’t just about how you want your assets distributed after you die. It’s about deciding how much you want to give away while you’re still alive. If you plan carefully – so you don’t outlive your assets – giving allows you to reduce your taxable estate and provide advance help to your beneficiaries.

There are two easy ways to give gifts without incurring the gift tax:

You may pay an unlimited amount in medical or educational expenses for another person, if you give the money directly to the institutions where the expenses were incurred. You may give up to $13,000 a year in cash or assets to as many people as you like.

Anytime you give more than $13,000 annually to any one person you must file a gift-tax return and the excess amount will be applied toward your lifetime gift-tax exclusion of $1 million.

If at any point your gifts exceed that exclusion, you will have to pay gift tax on the excess amount. There is some good news in that regard. The top tax rate on gifts is gradually declining and will fall to 35 percent by 2010.

Keep in mind, too, that gifts you give within three years of your death that exceed the lifetime gift-tax exclusion will reduce the amount of money you may leave to your heirs free of federal estate taxes, according to certified public accountant P. Jeffrey Christakos of First Union Securities in Westfield, N.J. For example, if you give away $100,000 more than your lifetime exclusion within three years of your death, your estate-tax exemption will be reduced by $100,000.

If you want to invest in a 529 college savings plan for a beneficiary, contributions are treated as gifts. You may put in as much as $65,000 in one year ($130,000 with your spouse), but that contribution will be treated as if it were being made in $13,000 installments over five years.

That means you can’t give any more money to that beneficiary tax-free during that five-year period. Should you die before the five years are up, part of the money you gave will be included in your taxable estate, specifically the $65,000 minus $13,000 for each year you were alive.

The tax consequence of making large gifts can get complicated. So if you have a large estate, consult with your financial or tax planner to see how much giving you can do without triggering a big tax bill. Charitable donations are another way to reduce your estate. By investing in charitable gift funds and community foundations, those donations can stretch beyond your death.

Charitable gift funds, which are offered by Fidelity, Vanguard and others, permit you to make a tax-deductible donation, grow your investment tax-free, and then direct a contribution – in your name – to nonprofits of your choosing whenever you like.

Community foundations are regionally based charities that take donations of as little as $5,000 in cash, stock or property. The foundations invest that money, pool the gains, and allocate grants, usually to local nonprofits. In most cases, you may either have the foundation give money to organizations you choose or ask the foundation to locate a worthy recipient for a cause you like.

You also can set up what’s known as a charitable lead trust, from which a charity receives the income and your heirs the principal; or a charitable remainder trust, in which your heirs get the income and the charity gets the principal.