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Guides for families investing for teens ages 13-17: priority stack, account map, Roth IRA, 529 planning, scam awareness, and annual review.
Investing for Teens (Ages 13-17)
Guides for families and teens navigating investment decisions for ages 13-17. The teen years bring earned income eligibility for the Roth IRA, 529 drawdown planning as college approaches, scam awareness, and the first money conversations between parents and teens.
- First priority: what comes before investing for teens
- Account map: UGMA/UTMA, custodial Roth IRA, 529 and HSA
- Time horizons: separating short-, medium- and long-term money
- Risk capacity: retirement assets vs. near-term 529
- Automation: auto-contributions, 529 glide paths and limits
- Fees: expense ratios, commissions and 529 administrative costs
- Scams: social media gurus, crypto pump-and-dump and fake apps
- Family conversations: what to share and what to keep private
- Life events: first earned income, first job, college acceptance
- Annual review: checklist for teen accounts