How to Show Your Child Their Investment Account

What should you show your child?

Opening an investment account for your child is one decision.

Figuring out how to explain it is another.

You don't need to explain everything at once. Start with something your child can understand, then add more as they get older.

The ages below are starting points. You know what your child is ready for.

Ages 5 to 7: start with what they own

Young kids don't need a detailed account balance.

Start with a company or investment they can connect to something in the real world. If they recognize a company, you can explain that owning stock means owning a very small piece of it.

That's enough for a first conversation. You can come back later and explain why the value changes.

Ages 8 to 10: show the balance

Around this age, the account balance can start to mean more.

Show your child what the account is worth. Then look again another time. They may notice that the number changed even though nobody added money. That gives you an easy way to explain investment growth.

You can also point out that the balance can go down. Investments don't grow in a straight line.

Ages 11 to 13: separate contributions and growth

Older kids may be ready for two numbers:

• How much has been contributed
• How much the investments have gained or lost

Suppose your family contributed $5,000 and the account is worth $6,000. You can show your child where the extra $1,000 came from.

This can help explain the difference between putting money aside and investing it. And if they ask a question you can't answer, it's fine to look it up together.

Ages 14 and up: explain the whole account

Teenagers can usually handle more context.

Show them what the account contains, how much has been contributed, and what the money is intended for. If it's a custodial account, explain when control transfers to them.

That age depends on your state's rules and how the account was established, and it's worth discussing well before the transfer happens.

If your teenager has earned income from a job, you can also explain how accounts such as a Roth IRA work, and why earned income matters.

What if the account goes down?

Let them see that too.

If an account is worth $1,000 one month and $950 later, you have an example of how investing works. You can explain that investment values move in both directions, and that a lower balance doesn't automatically mean something went wrong.

Try not to wait for a good market day before showing them the account. Seeing both increases and decreases gives them a more complete picture. There's more on what to say when the market drops if you want the words ready in advance.

What if your child asks, "Are we rich?"

You don't have to answer with your household net worth.

Answer the part of the question that's relevant to the account. You might explain that this is money being saved or invested for their future, and that an investment balance isn't the same as money available to spend today.

How much additional detail you share is up to you.

Keep the conversations short

You don't need a scheduled financial lesson. A few simple habits can help:

• Answer the question your child asked.
• Use examples they already understand.
• Stop when they lose interest.
• Let them come back with more questions later.

You'll have plenty of opportunities to add more detail as they get older.

Where MemoryBank fits

MemoryBank connects to accounts you've already opened and gives your child their own view of them. They can see their savings and investments without needing your brokerage login or the ability to trade, transfer, or withdraw money. You can see what that view looks like.

MemoryBank is not a brokerage. It cannot receive, keep or transfer securities. Your accounts stay at the financial institutions where you opened them.

What should you do next?

Pick one account and show your child one thing.

For a younger child, that might be a company they recognize. For an older child, show the balance and how much your family has contributed.

You can explain the rest over time.

Frequently asked questions

At what age should I show my child their investment account?

There's no single right age. You can start with simple ideas when they're young, such as owning a small piece of a company they recognize, then add balances, growth and contributions as they're ready for them.

Should I tell my child how much money is in their investment account?

That's up to you. Younger children often get more from understanding what they own than from a dollar figure, while older kids may be ready to understand the balance and how it has changed. You can show what the account holds without showing the total, if that's where you want to start.

Will showing my child their investments make them want to spend the money?

They may ask whether they can. Explain what the account is for and when they'll have access to it, which matters most with a custodial account, since the money legally belongs to them and transfers at an age set by your state.

How often should my child look at their account?

Whenever they're curious, which for most kids is occasionally rather than daily. The aim is for it to be ordinary and glanceable rather than an event. Children who can open it themselves tend to look more often, and with less ceremony, than children who wait for a scheduled conversation.

What if my child compares their account to a sibling's?

It comes up, and contributions explain it better than balances do. A child who started earlier has had more months of contributions and more time for those to grow, so equal monthly amounts still produce unequal totals. Showing both numbers gives a child something to understand rather than something to resent.

Can my child see their investments through MemoryBank?

Yes. MemoryBank gives your child a view of supported accounts you've connected. Their dashboard doesn't provide trading, transfer or withdrawal controls, and they don't need your brokerage login to open it.