Calculating inflation

QCan you recommend a good inflation calculator?

— C. A., Reno, Nevada

ASure. Click over to Westegg.com/inflation, enter two years, and you can see how prices changed between them — for example, something that cost $100 in 1999 would have cost $156 in 2019. To learn the average inflation rate over a period, visit Measuringworth. com/inflation. (Between 1999 and 2019, for example, it averaged 2.16% annually in the U.S.) That site also shows inflation rates for specific years. Inflation was close to 0% in 2015, but topped 13% in 1980! Since the beginning of the 20th century, inflation has averaged roughly 3% annually.

QCan I give certificates for single shares of stock as holiday gifts?

— G.R., Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

AYou can, but you may not want to. Giving a young person a stock certificate can be a fun way to introduce them to investing, but in this digital era, many companies have phased out paper certificates. You can still ask the company or your broker for a paper certificate, but it will cost you — possibly a lot.

Some websites will offer to sell you certificates for single shares of stock, but they may charge you twice as much as the share actually costs (or more!), and there’s a good chance you’ll just be getting a replica of a certificate. ( You’ll also get paperwork confirming that you do own that share.)

Alternatively, you might just transfer one or more shares of a stock you own from your brokerage account to an account belonging to the recipient. If your recipients are minors, they’ll need custodial accounts, likely with a parent or guardian as custodian. Ideally, focus on companies they admire, like Disney, Nike or Starbucks.