Do yourself a favor.

Don’t do a Google search for “worst Valentine’s Day cards ever.”

It’s really not worth it.

Sure, you might find some funny ones in there such as a quote from The Office‘s Dwight saying:

“All you need is love: False. The four basic human necessities are air, water, food, and shelter.”

And the UUEFKTN Ted Lasso one that reads, “You make me feel like I fell out of the lucky tree and hit every branch on the way down” is mildly amusing too.

But overall, I’d call them bewildering.

They make me wonder what in the world the creators were thinking.

One of the “better” – if I can even use that word here – examples is the WOWcard with a banana on it that says, “In banana years, you are bread.” It’s listed on Amazon as:

“Banana pun card, funny puns anniversary card, funny birthday card, I love you card, Thank you card, Valentine
day card, card for husband wife boyfriend girlfriend, cute greeting card.”

Judging by the rest of the description, it seems clear that English is not the maker’s first language.

So who knows… maybe in his or her culture, such a bold crack about someone’s age generates warm fuzzy feelings galore.

But if I tried giving that to MY wife?

Let’s just say I’d be sleeping on the couch for a month.

Or more.

Fortunately for all of our relationships this Valentine’s Day, there are much more appropriate gifts to get.

Valentine’s Day Gift Guide: Financial Edition

Look guys (and gals too – even though you tend to be much more savvy when it comes to gift-giving), sometimes the answer is simple.

Chocolates, flowers, and/or jewelry, topped with a sweet, sincere card. It really doesn’t need to be more difficult than that.

Of course, there’s the matter of personality to consider. What is her (or his) exact taste?

If your valentine is a no-muss, no-fuss type, then the stereotypical dozen red roses and “I love you so much” card might be all she really wants. Or if she’s into the finer things, you should probably add a trip to the jewelry store.

Is she a stereotypical, pink-loving, self-proclaimed “girly girl?” She might melt at a pair of sparkling, dangly earrings.

Is she obsessed with fitness? Cut out the chocolates and replace it with a romantic dinner at a tasty, trendy, health-conscious restaurant.

Is she the mother of your still-in-the-house children? In that case, a spa day might be in order.

But one way or the other, just try combining common sense with who your significant other is.

Oh. And your budget too. No offense to the high-maintenance guys and gals out there, but Valentine’s Day is not a good reason to go into debt.

There are actually very few reasons to “go” there, including if you’re:

• Starting or running a business – in an intelligent fashion
• Buying a home
• Advancing your education (again, in an intelligent manner).

How about using leverage to buy stocks?

That’s a whole different discussion for a whole ‘nother day. This day is about real love and how to express it.

Which is why I’d like to point you to several sweet REITs that are hard to beat.

“Oh Baby, I Can’t Think of Anyone Else I’d Rather Be Bored With”

Nothing says “I love you” quite like financial stability.

And nothing says “financial stability” quite like safe, steady, growing real estate investment trusts.

I know they seem boring, especially in this market where stocks like Nvidia Corporation (NVDA) can climb 19% in a single day.

But I will point out Yahoo Finance’s post from Friday (February 9), which highlighted how Nvidia “has rallied so much this year… it’s now threatening to overtake Amazon.com” as “the fourth-most valuable U.S. company.”

Call me a coward if you’d like. But I’m just not comfortable putting the same value on a tech company that reported total revenue of $26.97 billion in the year ending January 31, 2023, as one that reported over $500 billion in that same basic timespan.

And there are similar discrepancies in gross profits and year-over-year gains.

To me, that’s the same as trying to equate puppy love with married-for-25-years-or-more love. The first might end up becoming the second, but treating them equally right from the get-go is risky.

As the Yahoo Finance article adds:

“The shares are up more than 40% so far in 2024 amid signs that demand for its chips used in artificial intelligence
computing remains strong. But the stock has run so far, so fast that it’s reigniting concerns about whether the
gains are sustainable, ahead of Nvidia’s earnings due later this month.”

This might make me old, but I think being able to continue providing a roof over my family’s heads in beds we can sleep well in with no fears about our financial future…

That’s better than all the sparkly, shiny things in the world.

Except on Valentine’s Day, of course. Because you’d better believe I’m using common sense to get my wife something nice along with the following lovely REITs.