At What Age Can You Open a Brokerage Account?
18 for your own account — but a kid of any age can own investments through the right account type.
To open a brokerage account in your own name, you must be a legal adult — 18 in most states, 21 in a few. A brokerage account is a contract, and minors can’t sign contracts; most trading apps require 18+ for the same reason. But that answer hides the more useful one: a kid of any age can own investments today — the account just takes a different shape until adulthood.
The age-by-age breakdown
| Age | What’s possible | Who controls it |
|---|---|---|
| Birth+ | Custodial (UTMA) brokerage account in the child’s name | An adult custodian, until the age of majority |
| Birth+, with earned income | Custodial Roth IRA — any age, but contributions require real earnings | An adult custodian, until the age of majority |
| ~13–17 | Teen accounts at a few brokerages — owned and traded by the teen | The teen, with parental oversight and monitoring |
| 18 (or 21) | Any regular brokerage account, plus custodial accounts transfer to them | Fully theirs |
Under 18: the custodial route
From the day a child is born, a parent, grandparent, or any adult can open a custodial brokerage account in the child’s name. The adult manages it as custodian, but the money is legally the child’s from day one — and it transfers to them at the age of majority, which varies by state. Opening one takes about 15 minutes; the walkthrough is in How to Open a Custodial Account.
If the child has earned income — a job, babysitting, work in a family business — a custodial Roth IRA is possible at any age, even for a baby with modeling income. No earnings, no contributions; the details are in the custodial Roth rules.
The teen middle step
A few brokerages offer accounts for teenagers (typically 13–17) that the teen owns and trades in, with parents able to monitor activity. It’s a genuine middle step between watching a custodial account and running their own money — useful for hands-on practice with small amounts during exactly the years the habit forms.
What changes at 18 (or 21)
At the age of majority, everything converges: your kid can open any brokerage account they like, and every custodial account you’ve managed becomes fully theirs. Whether that day goes well has little to do with account types — kids who spent years watching their money compound treat the handoff completely differently from kids who discover the account on their birthday. The watching is the preparation.
Frequently asked questions
At what age can you open a brokerage account?
18 in most states, 21 in a few — a brokerage account is a contract, and minors can't sign contracts. Below that age, a child can still own investments through a custodial (UTMA) account managed by an adult, a custodial Roth IRA if they have earned income, or a teen account at the handful of brokerages that offer them.
Can a minor open a brokerage account?
Not in their own name alone. A minor's investments live in a custodial account an adult opens and manages for them, or — for teens around 13–17 — in a teen account the minor owns with parental oversight at the few brokerages that offer them.
Can a 16- or 17-year-old open a brokerage account?
Not a regular one — that requires legal adulthood. A 16- or 17-year-old can trade in a teen account where offered, hold a custodial account managed by a parent, and contribute to a custodial Roth IRA if they have job income.
Can kids buy stocks?
Yes — through a custodial account, kids of any age can own stocks, ETFs, and funds. The custodian places the trades until the child reaches the age of majority, and many families let the kid help choose a company they recognize as part of the learning.
What age do trading apps require?
Most trading apps require users to be 18 or older, the same contract-age rule as traditional brokerages. App-first products marketed for kids and teens are typically custodial (UTMA) accounts or monitored teen accounts underneath, not regular trading accounts.
The bottom line
Eighteen is the age for your own brokerage account — but it’s the wrong question for a family. A kid can own investments from birth through a custodial account, add a Roth with their first real earnings, practice in a teen account, and arrive at 18 already knowing what they own. Age was never the barrier; the account type was the answer.
Written by Josh Ackerman
Founder of MemoryBank. A computer scientist and M.B.A. with 20+ years of investing and technology experience, Josh built the first MemoryBank in his basement so his three kids could watch their own accounts grow. More about Josh →
See it in one place
MemoryBank shows your kid's UTMA, 529, Roth IRA, brokerage, and savings in one place — across every institution — and explains their accounts and how investing works in age-appropriate terms they actually understand.
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MemoryBank is a display and education tool, not a financial advisor. Nothing here is investment, tax, or legal advice. Verify program details with the IRS, your tax advisor, or a licensed financial professional before making decisions.