An Investing App for Kids That Isn't a Debit Card

Can your child track investments without a debit card?

Yes.

Your child doesn't need a debit card to learn about investing.

If you've already opened a UTMA, 529, custodial Roth IRA, or another investment account, you may just want your child to see it. That's a different job from giving them money to spend.

What are you trying to teach?

Kids' money apps generally serve two different purposes.

Some help kids manage money they can spend. Others help them understand money that's being saved or invested for later.

Neither approach has to replace the other. Your child might use a card to learn how to manage $20 while also watching an investment account grow over several years.

What if you've already opened investment accounts?

You may already have the accounts you want your child to learn from. That could include:

• A UTMA custodial account
• A 529 education savings plan
• A custodial Roth IRA
• A savings account

Those accounts already have their own financial institutions. You don't need to move the money somewhere else just to make it visible to your child.

Instead, you can use a view-only dashboard that connects to the accounts where they already live.

Why use a view-only account?

Giving your child visibility doesn't have to mean giving them control.

A view-only experience can let them follow their balance and investments without giving them the ability to:

• Trade investments
• Transfer money
• Make withdrawals
• Spend with a card

That can be useful when your goal is teaching your child what they own and how it changes over time. Your child can see what happens to $100 invested for several years without needing the ability to do anything with that $100.

What should you look for in an investing app for kids?

Start with what your child can do from their screen. If you're looking for a view-only product, check whether the child can trade, transfer, withdraw, or spend money.

Then check how account access works. Ask:

• Does your child need your brokerage password?
• Can you remove their access?
• What happens if their device is lost?
• Does connecting an account give the app permission to move money?

You can also check which account types and financial institutions are supported before signing up. Our comparison of kids' investing apps covers how the main options differ.

Do you need a spending app too?

Maybe.

A debit card can teach your child about spending, saving for purchases, and making choices with limited money. Watching an investment account teaches a different lesson.

Your child can see that some money is meant to stay invested for years rather than be available for the next purchase.

You can use either approach or both, depending on what you're trying to teach. If you already have a card product and want the investing side as well, the alternatives worth pairing it with are a good place to start.

Where MemoryBank fits

MemoryBank connects to accounts you've already opened and gives your child a dashboard built around their money. Kids don't need a brokerage login, and their view doesn't include trading, transfers, or withdrawals. It works on iPhone, Android, and in a web browser. You can see what the kids' view looks like.

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

What should you do next?

Start with the accounts your child already has.

If you want them to manage spending money, look for features built around spending and budgeting. If you want them to understand investments you've already opened, look for a view-only product that can connect those accounts.

And if you want to teach both, you don't have to choose one approach.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an investing app for kids without a debit card?

Yes. Some products focus on showing kids investments instead of giving them money to spend. Check whether the product is view-only, and whether it connects to accounts you already have rather than asking you to move the money.

Can my child see their investments without being able to trade?

Yes. A view-only dashboard can display investment information without providing trading, transfer, or withdrawal controls. That separation is the point: visibility and control are different things, and a child can learn plenty from the first without the second.

Does my child need a brokerage login to see their investments?

Not necessarily. Some services connect through the parent and give the child a separate experience, so you don't have to share your brokerage credentials. A brokerage login carries full control of the account, which is why handing one to a child isn't practical.

What's the difference between a kids' debit card app and an investing app?

A debit card app usually focuses on spending, allowance, and budgeting, with the money held inside the service. An investment dashboard focuses on long-term accounts held elsewhere and how their values change over time. They teach different things and many families end up using both.

Is a kids' investing app safe if there's no card?

The absence of a card and of trading is itself the safety design, because a child's device then holds no credential capable of moving money. It's worth checking any product for the same properties: what a child can do from their screen, and how quickly a parent can revoke access if a device is lost.

My child is only six. Is that too young?

For a card, most families wait. For watching, six is a reasonable starting point, though what you show matters more than the balance. A young child engages with a company they recognize far more than with a dollar figure.