From specialized piggy banks for younger children to establishing custodial brokerage accounts or Minor Roth IRAs for teenagers, there are a variety of ways you can give your kids a head start on understanding the importance of saving, investing and appreciating money this holiday season. And don’t forget the most important gift of all—a college education, which you can make more affordable by establishing a 529 College Savings Plan for each child. Earnings are never taxed and can be withdrawn tax free if they’re used to pay for qualified educational expenses. Each parent can contribute up to $15,000 per year per child with no gift tax implications and each grandparent can make one-time, gift-tax free contributions of up to $75,000.
For further research:
Moneysavvy.com: Give younger children a hands-on lesson in personal finance by purchasing a piggy bank with four chambers representing saving, investing, donating and spending.
Fitzsimonscu.com: A credit union offering a wealth of finance-related educational resources for younger children.
Iallowance.com: Use this app to manage your child’s finances, set up chores lists and pay them when they’ve completed them.
Acorns.com: This banking and investment app lets your kids automatically “round up” credit card purchases and invest the “change” into a retirement account.
Stockpile.com: Open a stock investment account for a child for as little as $5 and buy gift cards that let them purchase fractional shares of companies they like.
Savingforcollege.com: Learn more about 529 College Savings Plans and compare different state options.
Kiplinger.com: Give your teenager or college student a digital subscription to this highly respected source of information and guidance on saving, investing and personal finance.
Venmo: This app makes it easy to electronically send money to your kids.
