Accounts, Cards and Saving
Almost every account a teenager can have is really an adult’s account with the teenager attached to it, and the differences between the arrangements matter more than the marketing does. Who legally owns the money, who can take it out, and what happens on their eighteenth birthday are the three questions worth asking before you sign anything.
One item on this page is pure upside and takes about twenty minutes: freezing your child’s credit is free by federal law, and it is the kind of thing nobody ever gets told about.
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How to Open a Bank Account for a Minor
Joint, custodial and teen-branded accounts differ on who legally owns the money. What banks ask for, what to ask them, and what changes at 18.
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What Age Should a Teen Get a Debit Card?
There is no right age, only readiness. The three signs a teen is ready, how bank debit cards differ from teen card apps, and what controls really block.
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Custodial Roth IRA for Teens: How It Actually Works
A teen needs earned income to contribute, capped at what they earned or $7,500 for 2026. A parent can fund it, and at majority the account is theirs.
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Can a Teenager Invest in Stocks?
Not in their own name. A custodial brokerage or custodial Roth is the route, both legally owned by the child and handed over at an age your state sets.
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Building Credit Before 18
A teen cannot hold a card alone. Authorized user status only helps if the issuer reports minors to the bureaus, so call and ask before counting on it.
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Freeze Your Child's Credit: Free, Fast, and Easy to Miss
Freezing a minor credit file is free under federal law. What to gather, how to do it at all three bureaus, and what to do if a file already exists.