Every dollar you set aside for a kid sits inside an account, and the account sets the rules: who owns the money, who controls it, what it can be spent on, and what happens the day your child is legally an adult.
A UTMA or UGMA hands control to your kid at the age of majority — sooner than most parents expect. A 529 keeps its tax advantage if the money goes toward education. A custodial Roth IRA needs earned income, then grows untaxed for decades. The new federal Trump Accounts add rules of their own.
These guides take each account on its own terms: how it's opened, who legally owns it, how it's taxed, and what it looks like fifteen years from now. No account fits every family, so we cover the mechanics and leave the choosing to you.
Best Savings Accounts for Kids in 2026: Custodial, Joint and Online Banks Compared
Custodial, joint or parent-owned? How the setup changes who owns the money, and how big banks and online banks compare.
Savings Bonds for Kids and Grandkids: How EE and I Bonds Work in 2026
Paper bonds are gone. How parents buy EE and I bonds for a child, how grandparents gift them, and the college tax-break catch.
How to Gift Stock to a Child
You can't send shares straight to a child. Here are the three ways that work, and what you need before you start.
529 Tax Benefits by State
How your state taxes a 529, and when a custodial account becomes your child's. Both in one lookup.
Roth IRA for Grandchildren: How a Grandparent Can Fund One
Funding a grandchild's Roth may be the most powerful gift there is — if they have a job. Who can be custodian, how much you can put in, and whether it's a taxable gift.
ABLE Accounts Explained: Saving for a Child With a Disability
Ordinary saving can cost a child with a disability their benefits. An ABLE account is the fix — tax-free growth that doesn't count against SSI or Medicaid limits.
UTMA & UGMA Age of Majority by State: Full 50-State Table (2026)
The full state-by-state table — UGMA age of majority and UTMA trust-termination age — plus the states that let you extend to 25.
How to Open a Savings Account for a Grandchild (and When to Pick a Better Account)
Yes, you can — what you'll need, the steps, and when an investment account beats the savings rate.
How to Open a Custodial Roth IRA for Your Kid (Step by Step)
Six steps from "my kid earned money this year" to a funded, invested custodial Roth IRA.
Custodial Roth IRA Rules and Contribution Limits (2026)
The earned-income rule, the 2026 limits, the deadline, and the withdrawal rules — one page.
Best Custodial Accounts for Kids in 2026: An Honest Comparison
Fidelity vs. Schwab vs. Vanguard vs. teen apps — compared honestly, by a product that isn't a brokerage.
Brokerage Accounts for Kids: Custodial vs. Regular (and How to Choose)
A brokerage account holds the investments — the real question is which kind for a kid. Custodial vs. Roth vs. regular, costs, and how to open one.
How to Open an Investment Account for a Grandchild
The practical how-to: what you need, the SSN wrinkle, who should be custodian, and the five steps to open and fund an account for a grandchild.
UTMA vs. UGMA: What's the Difference?
UTMA and UGMA accounts work similarly, but there's one important difference in what they can hold.
What Can UTMA Money Actually Be Used For? The Withdrawal Rules, Explained
The 'benefit of the child' rule, what clearly qualifies, the traps to avoid, and what changes at the age of majority.
How to Open a Custodial Account for Your Kid: A Step-by-Step Guide
No account yet? The on-ramp: what a custodial account is, what to have ready, how to open one at Schwab, and how to fund it.
529 Plans Explained: A Parent's Guide to Tax-Free College Savings
Tax-free growth for education, state deductions, the financial-aid edge, and the new 529-to-Roth rollover.
Trump Accounts: How to Claim Your Child's $1,000 (2026 Update)
$1,000 federal seed for kids born 2025-2028. Updated for the fall 2026 auto-enrollment: how to claim, the contribution window, and what happens at 18.
Custodial Roth IRA for Kids: A Complete Guide for Parents
The earned-income rule, what counts as income, how to document it, and how to think about contributions year by year.
UTMA Accounts Explained: A Parent's Guide to Custodial Investing
What a UTMA is, when control passes to your kid, and how it stacks up against a 529.
Other topics
The rest of the library, grouped the same way.
Strategy
29How to choose between accounts and make the most of what you open.
Taxes
7The tax rules that quietly shape every custodial dollar.
Basics
16Investing fundamentals in plain English — simple enough to learn and teach at the same time.
Parenting
14Turning the numbers into lessons your kids actually absorb.
Milestones
9What to do at the moments that matter — birth, first job, turning 18.