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The Global Insight

How old do you have to be for a custodial stock account?

Author

Michael Gray

Updated on March 14, 2026

The term custodial account generally refers to a savings account at a financial institution, mutual fund company, or brokerage firm that an adult controls for a minor (a person under the age of 18 or 21 years, depending on the laws of the state of residence).

Can a child have two custodial accounts?

In most cases, it’s a brokerage account or savings account that an adult controls for a child under the age of 18. Once the child is of age, he or she assumes ownership and can control the account how he or she wishes. Two other custodial accounts are UTMA and UGMA accounts.

Can the kid makes stock trades in a custodial account?

Once the custodial account is open and funded, the real fun begins: Investing the money. Within their brokerage account, your kids will be able to invest in individual stocks, as well as mutual funds, index funds and exchange-traded funds.

Can I open a custodial account for a 19 year old?

A custodial account allows you to open an account in a child’s name and manage it, typically until the child reaches age 18 or 21 and takes full control of the account (or can be up to age 25, depending on state laws).

Can a 16 year old invest in stocks?

To begin investing in the stock market, a custodial account must be opened by a parent or guardian. In most cases, you can open a custodial account with as little as $100. Sixteen year olds are prohibited from making their own trades.

Which custodial account is best?

The Best Custodial Accounts for 2021

  • Best Overall: Charles Schwab.
  • Best for Mutual Funds: Vanguard.
  • Best Investing App: Stockpile.
  • Best Robo Advisor: Acorns.
  • Best Educational Resources: Loved.
  • Best Custodial Bank Account: Ally Bank.

Are custodial accounts worth it?

A custodial account can be an excellent way to make a financial gift to a child—whether your own, a relative’s, or a friend’s. This type of account, established under the Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (UGMA) or the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA), is set up by an adult for the benefit of a minor.

How old do you have to be to be a custodian of an account?

As a donor, you can designate yourself or another adult to be the custodian of the account. At what age does a child take control of the assets in the account? In some states a custodian can specify the age—18, 21, or even older—when the child will take control of the account (also called the “age of majority”).

What can a custodian do for a minor?

Custodians are also appointed to manage a minor child’s assets, but our conversation today will focus on custodial banks. As mentioned above, custodian banks don’t offer the traditional services that most banks offer, such as mortgage lending, personal loans, branch banking, personal checking accounts, or ATMs.

Can a custodian account be used as a brokerage account?

While we mentioned that most offer both CDP-linked brokerage account and custodian account, there are six brokerages that offer only custodian accounts to their investors. This means investors using these six brokerage accounts do not have the option of storing their investments in their CDP account.

Can a minor take money out of a custodial account?

No. Money and assets deposited into a custodial account immediately and irrevocably become the property of the child. In other words, you can’t take the assets back or give the assets to someone else. What are the custodian’s responsibilities? The custodian has sole responsibility to manage the assets for the minor until the custodianship ends.