Unique retirement gift ideas - gift registries and more



A surprise was in store when Judy Sears, 70, retired in August: a Hobie kayak. The outdoorsy Californian had been checking out used kayaks before her move to Idaho to live near her daughter.

But used kayaks were pricey, so Sears instead put her money toward moving costs. Busy packing, Sears set aside her kayak aspirations, but her kids didn't. Her daughter, 34, and son,

39, announced on a video call, “Here's your new boat,” and held up a photo of the yellow-green kayak—"Mamba snake green,” as Sears puts it. “It was a surprise, 100 percent."

The children used a crowd-funding platform, Plumfund.com, to pass the hat for their mother and raised about $1,850 of the $2,300 needed for the pedal kayak and its carrier. The kids paid the

balance. "I've been really lucky,” says Sears, who was an administrative assistant at Cabrillo College and plans to paddle on Idaho's mountain-fringed Payette Lake. Judy

Sears outside her Idaho cabin. Courtesy of Judy Sears Her experience illustrates a growing trend. Rather than head for the exits with an armload of gag gifts — like ball caps saying,

“Retired. Under New Management. See wife for details.” — retirees and their loved ones are “curating” what items older people want as they sail into retirement, and are spreading the word.

Plumfund.com, founded in 2013, has hosted about 500 web pages for retirees, says CEO and cofounder Sara Margulis, 46. Requests vary — it may be a new porch, a tiny house, a farm or cash to

help a retiree care for aging parents. Often a relative spearheads the fundraising, which may be earmarked for a party, once-in-a-lifetime trip or rainy-day fund, Margulis says. The site,

similar to GoFundMe, lets people collect money for all sorts of big events, as well as for people in need. Based in Clearwater, Florida, Plumfund.com charges a credit-card processing fee,

meaning if someone contributes $100, the recipient nets $96.90. RETIREMENT GIFT REGISTRIES Hankering for new golf clubs, margarita glasses or a shop vac? Establishing a gift registry at

retirement is an option; for retirees, they have been around for more than 20 years, news accounts show.