Could you imagine what the world might look like if kids learned how to manage money from an early age? Any number of positive developments might occur, from learning to live within your means, developing a budget you stick to, getting started early on investing as a teenager or kid and planning for a secure retirement, among many other desirable outcomes.
Thankfully, this idealistic start for making an investment in your child’s future isn’t as unreachable as it once may have been. In fact, there are several helpful resources to teach financial literacy to your kids. You might even find that your kids get exposed to a decent amount of financial knowledge from their everyday interactions with media, including video games, television, streaming services and more.
This article will focus on the best money apps for kids when you want to teach them about how to handle money.
Many of the apps are free and come with some basic offerings while others provide a free trial to test out the app before committing to an on-going subscription.
After we talk about our picks for some of the best apps for kids and their parents to manage money together for devices like iPhone, iPad and Android smartphones, we jump into talking about a few related topics. Namely, how kids can learn about handling money in the real world and making spending decisions of their own. In today’s cashless economy, that means starting with banking and debit cards.
Best Money Apps for Kids—Top Picks by Category
|
Premium Prepaid Card for Kids
|
Debit Card for Kids + Teens
|
|
|
|
|
Core: $4.99/mo. Max: $9.98/mo. Infinity: $14.98/mo. (Each account supports up to 5 children.)
|
30 days free. Copper $4.95/mo., Copper + Invest: $7.95/mo.
|
Best Debit Cards for Kids
When you look for debit cards and banking solutions for your kids, you will want to be mindful of the available features that come with the bank account and debit cards.
Of particular importance, parents should look for features like no or low fees for funding and maintaining the jointly-managed account, easily accessible and customizable online account monitoring, convenient, and preferably free, ATM access, as well as the ability to set spending limits within your agreed upon terms.
We cover all the major considerations you should make in this complete article about the best debit cards for kids.
Below, we review a handful of apps which allow you to use some or all of these features.
1. Greenlight Card (Investment Account with Debit Card)
- Available: Sign up here
- Price: Free 1-month trial, $4.99/month after
Greenlight provides parents control over where their kids can spend money by limiting the stores where their cards work. Parents can get alerts when money is spent on the Greenlight debit card and for how much.
Further, parents can open a custodial brokerage account to get their kids investing in stocks and index funds for the first time.
Greenlight works like a prepaid debit card, allowing you to transfer money onto the card for your child to pay for expenses at approved locations.
You can choose how much money to load onto the card and your child will be cleared to make approved purchases so long as a money balance backs up the card.
Greenlight charges $4.99 per month for up to five kids. Replacement cards cost $3.50 each but are free the first time. If you need to replace your card quickly, you can get express delivery for $24.99. It also offers a personalized card, with your own photo or design, for $9.99.
Greenlight doesn’t offer interest but you may set up “parent-paid interest” between you and your child where you foot the bill and pay interest on accounts for up to five kids.
If your child asks for extra money to get added to the card, you can have them take a photo of the purchase they want to make and receive your approval. This gives you control and allows kids to discuss why a purchase either is a good or bad idea.
If your child has a job, they can add their own funds to the card as well.
The Greenlight debit card is a good choice for parents looking to teach their kids the importance of saving money and making prudent financial decisions.
This financial product can be an effective learning tool for helping kids to understand why saving should be a priority as well as to help parents simplify paying an allowance or tracking chores.
It’s also a rapidly growing app many parents have come to use for raising financially-smart kids.
The Greenlight Mastercard Debit Card offers the best combination of features among all cards we reviewed, including its simple mobile app. Who says kids can’t have their own debit card? Nowadays, there are plenty of options for parents and our top choice is Greenlight.
Read more in our Greenlight Card review.
- Greenlight offers flexible parental controls for each child and real-time notifications of each transaction.
- Greenlight is the only debit card letting you choose the exact stores where kids can spend on the card.
- Parents can use this app to teach them how to invest with a brokerage account through Greenlight Max and Greenlight Infinity plans.
- Unlike many apps that simply provide features and controls, Greenlight is also designed to spark discussions with children about spending, investing, and more, fostering more education.
- Best-in-class parental controls (can prohibit specific stores)
- Can add brokerage account to invest in stocks
- Intuitive Parent + Kid apps
- Competitive cash back & interest rates
- Parent-Paid Interest
- High price points
- No cash reload options
- No parent / child lending
Related: Best Greenlight Alternatives
2. Copper Card (Best for Kid Independence)
- Available: Sign up here
- Price: 30 days free. Copper $4.95/mo., Copper + Invest: $7.95/mo.
Copper Banking was founded on the belief that kids and teens should have equal access to financial education and should be empowered to learn by doing. Now, the company is on a mission to help children gain real-world experience by giving them access to their money in a way that traditional banks can’t.
The Copper app and debit card teaches your child how to make smart financial decisions by creating a platform where parents and their kids can connect. With the Copper app, you get easy snapshots of your accounts. And with the Copper Debit Card, it’s easy to shop in-store or online, including with Apple Pay or Google Pay.
Plus, users get exclusive access to engaging advice curated by a team of financial literacy experts who provide tips on how to take control of their financial future.
Copper Banking Features:
- Send/Request: Kids and parents can easily send and receive money all at the touch of a button.
- Spend: Spend using Apple or Google Pay, or using the Copper Debit Card.
- Withdraw: Access your money from more than 55,000 fee-free ATMs.
- Monitor: Get a snapshot of all your child’s spending in an easy-to-read dashboard.
- Save: Gain quick snapshots of your kid’s savings and helpful tips on how to save even more. Set up savings buckets and save for the things that you want.
- Learn: With the help of Copper’s team of financial literacy experts, gain bite-sized tips on how you can maximize your money and prepare yourself for your financial future.
The basic Copper account includes the above banking features. With Copper + Invest, your child also gets access to automatically curated smart portfolios built with their preferences in mind. Your child is given a questionnaire that helps Copper determine a portfolio based on their age, income, net worth, investment objective(s) and investment horizon. Copper then recommends one of three ETF portfolios—Moderately Aggressive, Aggressive, and Extra Aggressive—made up of thousands of stocks. Parents can review the portfolio to ensure it matches with not just your child’s preferences, but your family’s. (Portfolios can be changed later on by accessing the Support chat.)
Your child can begin investing for as little as $1, then add more contributions down the road. Copper will automatically rebalance the portfolio as needed to make sure it always keeps up with your child’s investment preferences.
Copper is available to kids 6 years and older.
Read more in our Copper Banking review.
- Copper is the digital bank and debit card for teens built with the mission of creating a financially successful generation.
- Send/Request: Teens and parents can easily send and receive money all at the touch of a button.
- Spend: Pay with a digital wallet via Apple Pay or Google Pay or use the physical Copper Debit Card.
- Monitor: Get a snapshot of all your spending in an easy-to-read dashboard.
- Save: Gain quick snapshots of your savings and helpful tips on how you can save even more. Set up savings bucks and save for the things that you want.
- Learn: With the help of Copper's team of financial literacy experts, learn more about how to maximize your money and prepare yourself for your financial future.
- Allowance administration
- Financial education resources
- Network of 55,000-plus fee-free ATMs
- No chores tracking or assignment
- No parental controls beyond notifications
Related: Best Teen Credit Cards for Building Credit
3. Chase First Banking (Best Free Debit Card for Kids)
- Available: Sign up here
- Price: Free (no monthly fees)
Ready to teach your little ones about money, but not quite sure if you have the time, patience and expertise?
Chase First BankingSM offers simple banking for both of you in one location: the Chase Mobile® App—for free. Manage all accounts with this mobile app and encounter no fees as well as find yourself able to withdraw money on 16,000 Chase ATMs around the country. The account is designed with kids 6-12 in mind, and available for ages 6-17.
At the heart of Chase First BankingSM sits one of the best free debit cards for kids and teens that works anywhere Visa is accepted.
Need insight and oversight into your child’s spending and saving? You can set spend alerts and limits as well as specific locations all in your Chase Mobile® app.
Teach your kids to spend, save and earn — all from the Chase Mobile® app. Chase First BankingSM helps parents teach teens and kids about money by giving parents the control they want and kids the freedom they need to learn.
To get started, you’ll first need to be a Chase customer with a qualifying Chase checking account.
Consider opening a Chase Total Checking SM or Chase Secure BankingSM account to qualify.
- Chase Total CheckingSM also grants access to 16,000 Chase ATMs and more than 4,700 branches as well as a $200 sign up bonus when you set up direct deposit within 90 days of coupon enrollment. You can pay $0 in monthly fees, subject to meeting certain conditions*.
- Chase Secure BankingSM offers the same Chase ATMs and branch locations as well as a $100 sign up bonus when you make stated qualifying activities and meet certain conditions.
Once you open a qualifying Chase Checking account, you may apply for a Chase First BankingSM account for your child.
Read more in our Chase First Banking review.
- Chase First Banking offers simple banking for both of you in one location: the Chase Mobile® App—for free.
- The account is designed with kids 6-12 in mind, and available for ages 6-17.
- You can set spend alerts and limits as well as specific locations all in your Chase Mobile® app.
- Teach your kids to spend, save and earn with Chase First Banking. The account helps parents teach teens and kids about money by giving parents the control they want and kids the freedom they need to learn.
- No monthly maintenance fees
- Chore and allowance functionality
- Parental controls on types of expenses
- No paired investment account
- No interest
Related: Best Teen Debit Cards
4. GoHenry (Best Premium Prepaid Card for Single Kids)
- Available: Sign up here
- Price: 1 month free. Individual: $4.99/child/mo. Family: $9.98/mo. for up to four children
GoHenry is a banking app for minors that comes paired with a debit card. You have an online account which comes linked to individual accounts for each of your children.
You can manage all of the money held in each account through the company’s app and online account portal.
Each child will receive their own GoHenry debit card which comes paired with parental controls you can set for your children.
What’s nice about GoHenry is the ability to spend only the money available on the card, meaning you don’t need to worry about costly overdraft fees or accrue debt.
You open a GoHenry account, receive your children’s debit cards in the mail 7-8 business days later, set up an automatic weekly allowance transfer into your children’s accounts and can set up one-off or weekly spending limits.
This will keep your children’s spending in check and you can block/unblock the card as needed as well as choose the stores where your kids can shop.
With time, the controls provided by the app and the guidance you offer can help your kids to earn, save, spend and give with good money habits.
GoHenry is one of the best debit cards for kids for customer service. They offer 24/7 phone availability, email access and social media engagement, ensuring users can solve their problems quickly and with little hassle.
- A financial app and debit card designed to give young people ages 6-18 a bright financial future.
- Kids can earn allowance, complete chores, set savings goals, give to charity, and bank with GoHenry.
- Use the app to build a solid financial education.
- Among the best customer service in kids' debit cards, offering everyday phone availability, email access, and social media engagement.
- Parental controls at store category level
- Can implement chore and allowance system
- Financial literacy resources
- Customized card for $4.99
- High price point for multiple children
- No paired investment account
Related: GoHenry vs. Greenlight
5. Revolut <18 (Best for Parent-Paid Bonuses)
- Available: Sign up here
- Price: No monthly fees
Revolut <18 is a prepaid debit card for kids designed to teach them money skills for life. Aimed at building healthy money habits from an early age, the unique, customizable card empowers parents to have full insight into their kids’ card activity through providing instant spending alerts and parental controls.
You can choose to freeze the card, set controls on how they use the cards online and with contactless payments through your Revolut app. Further, you can set spending limits on how much your child can use with the prepaid card.
Parents use the card and accompanying app to teach kids about earning, budgeting, saving and even investing money (depending on the plan chosen). You can also use the card to manage chores and allowance, set savings goals as a family and help your children manage their money.
And if your child did something deserving of a reward? You can send parent-paid bonuses when they complete specific tasks. Simply add money to their digitized piggy bank through the app. You can send and receive money in seconds through Revolut’s Payments feature, which allows instant transfers between account holders and also global transfers at transparent rates.
Of note: You must have a personal Revolut account before you can open a Revolut <18 account for your children. You can add up to five Revolut <18 accounts per parent account.
To learn more about Revolut <18, consider visiting their site and opening an account for yourself and your child.
- Revolut <18 is a prepaid debit card for kids.
- Designed to assist parents teach kids ages 13-17 about money, families can handle chores and allowance, create budgets, set parental controls and more.
- Revolut <18 comes with unique, customizable cards parents can use to set up tasks and goals to work on together as a family.
- Prepaid debit card for teens
- Parental controls
- Chore and allowance management
- Customizable designs
- Premium features require paid account
- Children can't load funds, only parents can
- Parents need to have a personal Revolut account
Related: Best Bar Mitzvah Gift Ideas [Financial Gift Ideas That Last]
6. FamZoo (Best for Financial Education)
- Available: Sign up here
- Price: Free trial, then $5.99/mo
FamZoo is another prepaid debit card service parents can use to manage their children’s spending. It works by having parents release money into their child’s account and then having the card work with a loaded balance. Money can be loaded onto the cards at any time.
FamZoo acts like a regular checking account with a linked debit card except FamZoo makes sure the account can’t be charged overdraft fees, saving you money.
Adults are able to monitor the transactions being made. After a free trial, this app costs $5.99 per month, but the price goes down if prepaid in advance.
- FamZoo is the prepaid debit card used by families to teach children good financial habits from an early age.
- The app features a robust educational library.
- Even the app's functions have financial literacy in mind, like payment checklists that tie chores and odd jobs to rewards and penalties.
- Parental controls include transaction monitoring, real-time alerts, and card lock/unlock.
- Prepaid card without overdraft fees
- Strong financial education resource library
- High monthly fee at primary rate.
- No paired investment account
Related: Greenlight vs. FamZoo
7. Acorns (Best for Long-Term Growth Through a Robo-Advisor)
- Available: Sign up here
- Price: Acorns Personal: $3/mo. Acorns Personal Plus: $5/mo. Acorns Premium: $9/mo.
Acorns has become one of the most popular investing apps for minors and young adults but also offers a robust money management platform extending beyond just investing.
The full suite of offerings includes the ability to establish custodial accounts for minors to invest, regular and retirement investment accounts for adults and a bank account with linked debit card.
If you sign up for the Acorns Spend product, it creates a bank account that carries FDIC Insurance protection for up to $250,000.
Further, it uses the Acorns “Round-Ups” feature which rounds up purchases to the nearest dollar, investing the difference between the transaction amount and the whole dollar. The service claims to help users invest an average of $30 per month using this feature.
While not a free stock trading app, Acorns does give you the following subscription options:
- Acorns Personal ($3 per month): Includes an Acorns Invest investment account, as well as Acorns Later for tax-advantaged investment options such as Roth IRAs. Also includes Acorns Checking, a bank account that has no account fees, lets you withdraw fee-free from more than 55,000 ATMs nationwide, and Smart Deposit, which allows you to automatically invest a bit of each paycheck into your Acorns accounts.
- Acorns Personal Plus ($5 per month): Everything in Acorns Personal (Acorns Invest, Later, and Checking), plus Premium Education, which are live onboarding sessions covering account setup, Round-Ups, setting up recurring investments, and more; Emergency Fund; and a 25% bonus on Acorns Earn rewards (up to $200 per month).
- Acorns Premium ($9 per month): Everything in Acorns Personal Plus, plus Acorns Early, which allows you to open a custodial investment account for your child so you can begin investing for them while they’re a minor; custom portfolios that allow you to hold individual stocks; live Q&As with financial experts; a 50% match on Acorns Earn rewards (up to $200 per month); $10,000 in life insurance; even the ability to set up a will for free.
For a limited time, the service also offers a $20 sign-up bonus in money toward free stocks. Learn how to start investing money, learn more about Acorns in our Acorns review, or sign up for Acorns here.
- In under 5 minutes, Acorns allows you to get investment accounts for you and your family, plus retirement, checking, ways to earn more money, and grow your knowledge.
- Famous for investing spare change automatically through Round-ups, this all-in-one financial app helps younger generations start investing earlier.
- Invest in expert-built portfolios made up of diversified ETFs.
- New Premium tier includes perks such as live Q&As with financial experts, a 50% match on Acorns Earn rewards (up to $200/mo.), $10,000 in life insurance, and the ability to pick individual stocks for their portfolios.
- Special offer: Get $20 to start*.
- Robo-advisor with affordable fees (on larger portfolios)
- Fixed fee model
- Round-ups
- FDIC/SIPC insurance
- High fixed fees for small balances
- Limited investment selections
- Must subscribe to Premium for any self-directed investing options
Related: Best Acorns Alternatives: Micro-Investing Apps to Use
8. Stash (Best for Approaching Finances for the First Time)
- Available: Sign up here
- Price: Growth: $3/mo. Stash+: $9/mo.
Stash is a leading all-in-one financial platform that offers a mobile-friendly banking account1. With no hidden banking fees, no monthly balance fees, and fee-free ATM access2, Stash is a compelling choice for consumers who prefer to do their banking and investing all through the same platform.
Plus, you’ll earn Stock-Back Rewards® at places like Walmart, Amazon, Starbucks and more when you make qualified purchases with your Stock-Back® card3.
If you are a young adult, you may want to use Stash to invest money with regular automatic transfers.
Stash also offers financial education resources that can help you improve your financial literacy. It covers numerous topics including investing, managing, and planning money.
The specifics on the Stash banking account:
- Minimum Deposit and Balance Requirements: There’s no minimum daily balance requirement, but you do need to open a Stash Invest account to use your Stash Online Banking account1.
- Yield: None, but you’ll earn Stock-Back® rewards on every eligible purchase made with the Stock-Back® card3.
- Rewards and Incentives: Earn Stock-Back® rewards on every eligible debit card purchase. Earn 0.125% Stock-Back® rewards on everyday purchases and up to 25% Stock-Back® rewards upon making a Qualifying Purchase at one of the following merchants – Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, or Spotify3. Plus, you can get paid up to two days early when you Direct Deposit your pay into your Stash banking account4, and you’ll enjoy access to thousands of fee-free ATMs2.
- Possible Fees: Fees for use of out-of-network ATMs2.
- Stash is a personal finance app that simplifies investing, making it easy and affordable for everyday Americans to build wealth and achieve their financial goals.
- Invest in stocks, ETFs, and cryptocurrency.
- Earn Stock-Back® rewards on every eligible debit card purchase.
- Special offer: If you sign up and make a $5 deposit, Stash will also provide a $5 sign-up bonus.
- Robo-advisor with self-directed investing capability
- Fractional shares
- Offers values-based investment options
- Get paid up to two days early when you direct deposit pay into your Stash account
- FDIC/SIPC insurance
- Charges monthly fee
- Smart Portfolios don't offer tax-loss harvesting
For additional details and disclosures, please see the fine print at the bottom of this article.
Related:
- How Old Do You Have to Be to Have a Debit Card?
- How Old Do You Have to Be to Open a Bank Account?
- Opening a Child Bank Account with Debit Card
Best Investment Apps for Kids (and Teens)
Kids need to begin first by understanding the value of money and how it can be used to save for important spending decisions or spent on everyday necessities. For kids to get the full value for their money, they will also need to manage it and invest. Doing so properly will help kids to develop financial literacy skills, have less fear of financial topics and set them on a better financial path.
The following are some of the best investing and money management apps for kids and teenagers. All of these apps require a parent or guardian to open if the owner is a minor, but will transition to the account owner’s name after turning the age of majority (18 or 21 in some states for financial items).
Related: Best Money Apps for Teens
9. Fidelity Youth™ Account ($50 bonus for teens, $100 bonus for parents)
- Available: Sign up here
- Price: No account fees, no account minimum, no trading commissions*
- Platforms: Web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)
- Promotion: Teens get $501 on Fidelity® when they download the Fidelity Youth™ app and activate their Youth Account; parents get $100 when they fund a new account
Is your teen interested in jumpstarting their financial future? Do you want them to build smart money habits along the way?
Of course you do! Learning early about saving, spending and investing can pay off big when you start on the right foot. And one tool that can help your teen get that jump is the Fidelity Youth™ Account—an account owned by teens 13 to 17 that’s designed to help them start their money journey. They can start investing by buying most U.S. stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and Fidelity mutual funds for as little as $1!⁴
Your teen will also get a free debit card with no subscription fees, no account fees³, no minimum balances, and no domestic ATM fees⁵. And they can use this free debit card for teens to manage their cash and spend it whenever they need.
And as for building smart money habits? You and your teen can access your account through the Fidelity Youth™ app, which has a dedicated Learn tab packed with materials developed specifically to help teens develop good financial habits. Not only will Fidelity’s interactive lessons, videos, articles, tools, and calculators accelerate their learning—but for every level they complete, reward dollars will be deposited into their account to use however they want.
Controls parents want and need
A parent or guardian must have or open a brokerage account with Fidelity® to open a Fidelity Youth™ Account. For new Fidelity® customers, opening an account is easy, and there are no minimums and no account fees.
Parents and guardians have plenty of tools they can use to monitor their teen’s activity: They have online account access, can follow monthly statements and trade confirmations, and can view debit card transactions made in the account.
To make it even easier, you can set up alerts to notify you of trades, transactions, and cash management activity, keeping you firmly in the loop on actions your teen takes across the Fidelity Youth™ Account’s suite of products.
If your teen has an interest in learning about investing and taking their first steps toward building their financial journey, you should consider downloading the Fidelity Youth™ app and opening a Fidelity Youth™ Account. The account comes custom-built for their needs, which will help them become financially independent and start investing for their future.
Read more in our Fidelity Youth™ Account review.
- Your teen will get a $50 reward once they download the Fidelity Youth app and activate their Youth Account.
- The app is free²—plus, no monthly fees or account minimums to open.³
- They can invest in stocks for as little as $1 with fractional shares.⁴
- Your teen can learn to save and spend smarter with their own debit card with no domestic ATM fees.⁵
- Teens can link their account to mobile payment apps like Venmo and PayPal.⁶
- Parents can set up alerts and monitor their teen's account activity online, and through statements, trade confirmations and debit card transactions.
- The Fidelity Youth app will have a dedicated Youth Learn tab to help jumpstart your teen's financial learning and build better money habits.
- No monthly account fees
- Signup offer available to new users
- Comprehensive financial suite for teens
- Parent must be a Fidelity account holder
- Account balance doesn't accumulate interest
- No chore or allowance system
Related: Smart Ways for Teens to Make Money
10. Greenlight
- Available: Sign up here
- Price: Free 1-month trial, then $9.98/mo. for Greenlight Max
Greenlight Max is an investment account for kids that comes paired with a debit card and bank account.
It’s easy to use and can double as a savings account and banking apps for teens. The investing app will teach the basics of investing, how to invest in stocks and ETFs, and more.
It works best if parents and/or grandparents are involved in the process because it requires linked accounts from the adults’ banks or brokerages. Plus, parents and guardians will need to approve trades made in the investment account.
The all-in-one plan teaches them important financial skills like money management and investing fundamentals—with real money, real stocks and real-life lessons.
You can use the investing feature to:
- Start investing with as little as $1 in your account
- Buy fractional shares of companies you admire (say, kid-friendly stocks)
- No trading commissions beyond the monthly subscription fee
- Teens can only invest in U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs that have either a market capitalization over $1 billion or a three-month average daily dollar volume of more than $500,000
- Parents must approve every trade directly in the app.
Consider opening a Greenlight Card + Max account to start investing in a joint investment account as a teenager today. Each account supports up to five kids.
Greenlight currently offers a free one-month trial so you can see whether it really is one of the best investments for kids and, more importantly, meets all of your needs.
Learn more in our Greenlight review.
- Greenlight offers flexible parental controls for each child and real-time notifications of each transaction.
- Greenlight is the only debit card letting you choose the exact stores where kids can spend on the card.
- Parents can use this app to teach them how to invest with a brokerage account through Greenlight Max and Greenlight Infinity plans
- Best-in-class parental controls (can prohibit specific stores)
- Can add brokerage account to invest in stocks
- Intuitive Parent and Kid apps
- Competitive cash back and interest rates
- High price points
- No cash reload options
- No parent / child lending
Related: Best Fractional Share Brokerages to Buy Partial Stocks & ETFs
11. Acorns ($10 Bonus)
- Available: Sign up here
- Price: Acorns Personal: $3/month and Acorns Family: $5/month
Holy Doubletake, Batman! Is that an app making this list again? You’re right.
Acorns also again makes a second appearance on this list of best money apps for kids. This time, it shows up under the kids investing app section because it also acts as an all-in-one financial wellness app.
You can open a custodial account which will transfer into your child’s name once reaching the age of majority in your state. You can invest together and make contributions to work toward financial goals over time.
Consider signing up for this platform for your kids to manage money and grow with the investing product.
- In under 5 minutes, Acorns allows you to get investment accounts for you and your family, plus retirement, checking, ways to earn more money, and grow your knowledge.
- Famous for investing spare change automatically through Round-ups, this all-in-one financial app helps younger generations start investing earlier.
- Invest in expert-built portfolios made up of diversified ETFs.
- New Premium tier includes perks such as live Q&As with financial experts, a 50% match on Acorns Earn rewards (up to $200/mo.), $10,000 in life insurance, and the ability to pick individual stocks for their portfolios.
- Special offer: Get $20 to start*.
- Robo-advisor with affordable fees (on larger portfolios)
- Fixed fee model
- Round-ups
- FDIC/SIPC insurance
- High fixed fees for small balances
- Limited investment selections
- Must subscribe to Premium for any self-directed investing options
12. UNest
- Available: Sign up here
- Price: $4.99/mo.
UNest is a custodial account that allows parents to invest money for their kids for needs beyond just education but events like a new car, a wedding, vacation or anything else a minor might want some day.
UNest offers the UNest Investment Account for Kids through an app that makes it easy for families of all income levels and backgrounds to set up and manage savings and investment plans for their kids. UNest also has a gifting feature that allows friends and relatives to contribute to your kid’s account with just a few clicks. These gifts can be automated, too, so they never miss a birthday or holiday!
The app offers up to nine investment options for account owners:
- A conservative option investing in fixed income and bond ETFs
- Three age-based options with varying degrees of risk reflected in the investment mix (conservative, moderate, aggressive); these transition from more aggressive investments to conservative as the child gets owner and gains access to the funds
- Socially responsible age-based options also with varying degrees of risk (conservative, moderate, aggressive), likewise on the investment mix transition strategy from aggressive to conservative over time
- An aggressive option that invests 100% of the funds in Vanguard equity index ETFs, and a shortlist of popular cryptocurrencies.
Account holders can receive bonuses for their children’s UNest accounts via partner offers from companies such as Disney, AT&T, Uber, DoorDash, Levi’s, etc., through the UNest partner program.
- UNest is a tax-advantaged custodial investment account for kids. It allows them to save for an education, first car, house, wedding, or even for their financial security as an adult.
- Friends and relatives can gift to your child's account with just a few clicks, or even automate their gifts.
- UNest's investment options are portfolios of various low-cost ETFs that can achieve a variety of goals. They include a conservative portfolio made up of just fixed income and bond ETFs; three age-based options that hold bonds and stocks in conservative, moderate, or aggressive allocations; three similar options that are centered around socially responsible investments; and an aggressive portfolio made up of only stock ETFs.
- Accounts enjoy up to $2,500 in tax advantages: $1,250 is tax-free, and the other $1,250 is taxed at the child's tax rate.
- Special offer: New users get $30 free when they use promo code YOUNG30 and make their first deposit.
13. Stash ($5 Bonus)
- Available: Sign up here
- Price: Starts at $3/mo.
Wait, Stash again? That’s right. Stash makes another appearance on this list as an all-in-one personal finance management platform.
As mentioned above, Stash includes a mobile-friendly investing app and comes paired with a banking account and Stock-Back® Card1.
Consider investing and managing your money through this powerful one-stop-shop service by creating an account today.
They even offer a sign-up bonus for getting started.
- Stash is a personal finance app that simplifies investing, making it easy and affordable for everyday Americans to build wealth and achieve their financial goals.
- Invest in stocks, ETFs, and cryptocurrency.
- Earn Stock-Back® rewards on every eligible debit card purchase.
- Special offer: If you sign up and make a $5 deposit, Stash will also provide a $5 sign-up bonus.
- Robo-advisor with self-directed investing capability
- Fractional shares
- Offers values-based investment options
- Get paid up to two days early when you direct deposit pay into your Stash account
- FDIC/SIPC insurance
- Charges monthly fee
- Smart Portfolios don't offer tax-loss harvesting
Related: How to Get Free Stocks for Signing Up: 16 Apps w/Free Shares
14. EarlyBird ($15 Bonus)
- Available: Sign up here
- Price: $2.95/mo. for one child, $4.95/mo. for families with 2+ children
EarlyBird is a mobile app that allows parents and guardians to set up a UGMA account, where they can quickly start investing for their children.
This app provides a convenient and inexpensive way to gift money to a child, with funds available to go toward any expenses that benefit the child.
Want to start saving before your baby is even born? You can open a Baby Fund for free. Then, you can create a unique gifting link for friends and family to use for the baby shower, birthday gifts, and beyond. Once your child is born, a traditional EarlyBird investment account costs $2.95 per month for one child, or $4.95 per month for multiple children.
When opening an account to invest for your children, EarlyBird allows you to choose from five strategic ETF-only portfolios, with investing goals ranging from conservative to aggressive, based on your stated risk tolerance and overall investor profile. This removes the complexity of conducting your own research or selecting specific investments.
Do family and friends want to provide a gift, but think money is too impersonal? With EarlyBird, they can record a video to go along with their financial contribution, personalizing these moments which last a lifetime. And if you’d like to give but the recipient doesn’t have an EarlyBird account, you can text them a link from the app to the recipient’s phone number.
EarlyBird also has a “Moments” feature that allows parents to begin to save and share special milestones and memories alongside their investments. Parents can add a “Moment” to their child’s timeline at any time by uploading photos or videos with notes to capture magical moments as their child grows—no contributions necessary (but naturally encouraged). You can choose to automatically share Moments with anyone else who has invested in your child on EarlyBird, but each Moment also has its own unique link that you can share with people outside of the app.
When parents or guardians set up a new custodial investment account through EarlyBird, they must start with a $15/month recurring contribution minimum. However, you can change that recurring contribution amount higher or lower as your budget allows or necessitates.
Consider opening an EarlyBird account today and receive $15 to get you started after opening your account. Also, EarlyBird currently is in the “early access” stages of a cryptocurrency offering. Through a partnership with Gemini, one of the world’s largest and most secure crypto exchanges, EarlyBird also offers a crypto wallet that can hold Ethereum and Bitcoin when you sign up for an investment account. You will receive $25 when you open your wallet to invest in Ethereum or Bitcoin, and you can also earn a $50 referral bonus, which you can invest in the same token of choice, when you refer three other families.
- EarlyBird empowers parents, family and friends to invest in the next generation through custodial accounts.
- Send and receive financial gifts to invest in children.
- Offers managed and auto-rebalanced portfolios of ETF-based investments based on the child's age, investment goals, time horizon, risk tolerance, and other factors.
- Receive $15 to invest by opening an account today.
Best Allowance Apps for Kids
Establishing a link between working and money is a good habit to develop at an an early age. This can motivate kids to work hard and set savings goals for themselves.
They can also be rewarded for their patient saving by making a purchase they really want as an achievement.
The following best allowance and chore apps for kids enable parents and their children to manage allowance payments and work toward important financial goals.
15. Savings Spree
- Available: Only available on iOS
- Price: $5.99
This gamified app emphasizes the concept of how small purchases add up in the long run. It demonstrates the opposite effect as well by letting you see how small, consistent savings can accumulate to be a significant amount over time.
The app works like a game show hosted by a talking pig. Users assume the role of the game show’s contestants and see how daily lifestyle changes can affect your long-term savings potential.
It also shows the impact of unexpected expenses which crop up and could potentially derail your savings plans. The proposed solution is none other than having a well-funded emergency fund.
While this app might be more appropriate for younger teens than older teens and young adults, the lessons taught are worth understanding at any age.
16. PiggyBot
- Available: Only available on iOS
- Price: Free
This app acts as an allowance app which allows kids to spend, share and save smart. PiggyBot allows users to track allowance spending and saving, including staying on top of IOUs and missed allowance payments.
This app doesn’t use cash, but instead tracks a virtual balance held with you. You can think of this as a virtual IOU tracking app with each child having a separate Spend-It, Share-It and Save-It accounts.
You can set mutual goals to work toward satisfying your wants and needs, and learning the difference between them. This app would pair well with Greenlight’s debit card and bank account when you’re ready to transition to spending money in certain, pre-approved stores.
17. iAllowance
- Available: Only available on iOS
- Price: $2.99
iAllowance boasts over 30 million chores completed with 20 million allowances paid using the app. You can use virtual piggy banks to manage your children’s finances and teach them about saving and spending money.
You can set up weekly allowance payments that automatically transfer at regular intervals to your teen’s bank account, like one from Stash, Greenlight or Acorns.
It’s a win-win where you don’t have to be pulling out cash constantly and your child always gets their money on time.
If your teen is responsible for chores, you can track them through iAllowance and even send push reminders for ones that still need to get done.
Making Spending Decisions on Your Own
As a father to a 1-year old, it’s been an adventure seeing my son allow his mother and I make all of his decisions for him while he sat back and (mostly) enjoyed the ride.
But since he developed some independence by learning to crawl, then cruise and now walk, he’s learning to make decisions on his own about what he wants to do and say.
Inevitably, this will lead to other choices he will need to make. While we made these decisions for him, we want to encourage him to evaluate his options and decide what’s best for himself.
One such topic will relate to money. Specifically, what to do with it.
When my wife and I were kids, we saved pocket money in piggy banks. Our household shopping happened in person, not online. We would often see our parents handling cash, as debit cards and credit cards weren’t always the go to payment method.
Now, as we spend more time online, money has become far less tangible. As a result, how can we expect our kids to learn about it and truly appreciate its value? The answer to this question comes from the numerous apps listed in this article.
We expect our son to start learning about money by seeing his mother and I spend money at places like the grocery store, a restaurant, online or any other place of business.
Even though he won’t see physical money change hands in many of these transactions, we want him to tie the cause and effect of this together. We would like for him to understand how we manage our money.
In particular, how we choose to weigh our wants and needs, and how we decide what is the most important. We also want him to understand how he can identify these by himself and make his own choices.
Once he has his right on these topics, we’ll need to begin discussing how to make the purchases.
Increasingly, that means understanding how spending on cards works. Debit cards to start, and eventually credit cards when he’s much older. The best debit cards for kids teach them how to manage their money and not be wasteful.
Though, because most kids won’t qualify for a teen checking account by themselves, you’ll need to pursue other debit card and banking options available to minors. Let’s talk about debit cards for kids.
Can I Get a Debit Card for My Child?
The best place to start thinking about getting a debit card for your child would be your own bank. Some institutions don’t allow minors to have debit cards under their own name before the age of 16, while others offer them to kids who are 13 or younger.
But just having a debit card in the hands of your child might not exactly be what you’re looking for. You might want more insight and control over their spending so you can introduce good habits.
Such options include having a joint prepaid debit card with a child, allowing you both to manage the money jointly and agree on what the card can be used for.
These cards give children the control they seek over their own cash but also allow parents to monitor the spending and offer useful guidance when needed. Above, we looked at some of the best prepaid debit card programs available to kids and how you can sign up.
The Best Money Apps for Kids
Money apps can help kids to pick up financial skills quickly, often by gamifying the topics but also by including adults in the conversation. This can lead to better guidance and life outcomes.
Thankfully, teaching kids about money doesn’t have to be a boring experience. The best money apps for kids will make money management your kids’ favorite subjects for discussion.
Consider signing up for some of the apps above and see how they work together to build a better financial future for your kids.
Terms and Conditions for Fidelity Youth™ Account
The Fidelity Youth™ Account can only be opened by a parent/guardian. Account eligibility limited to teens aged 13-17.
* $0.00 commission applies to online U.S. equity trades and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in a Fidelity retail account only for Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC retail clients. Sell orders are subject to an activity assessment fee (from $0.01 to $0.03 per $1,000 of principal). Other exclusions and conditions may apply. See Fidelity.com/commissions for details. Employee equity compensation transactions and accounts managed by advisors or intermediaries through Fidelity Institutional® are subject to different commission schedules.
¹ Limited Time Offer. Terms Apply. Before opening a Fidelity Youth™ Account, you should carefully read the account agreement and ensure that you fully understand your responsibilities to monitor and supervise your teen’s activity in the account.
² The Fidelity Youth™ app is free to download. Fees associated with your account positions or transacting in your account apply.
³ Zero account minimums and zero account fees apply to retail brokerage accounts only. Expenses charged by investments (e.g., funds, managed accounts, and certain HSAs) and commissions, interest charges, or other expenses for transactions may still apply. See Fidelity.com/commissions for further details.
⁴ Fractional share quantities can be entered out to 3 decimal places (.001) as long as the value of the order is at least $0.01. Dollar-based trades can be entered out to 2 decimal places (e.g. $250.00).
⁵ Your Youth Account will automatically be reimbursed for all ATM fees charged by other institutions while using the Fidelity® Debit Card at any ATM displaying the Visa®, Plus®, or Star® logos. The reimbursement will be credited to the account the same day the ATM fee is debited. Please note, for foreign transactions, there may be a 1% fee included in the amount charged to your account. The Fidelity® Debit Card is issued by PNC Bank, N.A., and the debit card program is administered by BNY Mellon Investment Servicing Trust Company. These entities are not affiliated with each other, and Fidelity is not affiliated with PNC Bank or BNY Mellon. Visa is a registered trademark of Visa International Service Association, and is used by PNC Bank pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc.
⁶ Venmo is a service of PayPal, Inc. Fidelity Investments and PayPal are independent entities and are not legally affiliated. Use a Venmo or PayPal account may be subject to their terms and conditions, including age requirements.
Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC, Member NYSE, SIPC, 900 Salem Street, Smithfield, RI 02917
Terms and Conditions for Stash
