Kids Accounts | Paragon Investing
investing for kids

Investment Accounts for Children & Grandchildren

Paragon Investing offers assistance setting up investment accounts for your kids and grandkids. We can explain the differences between a custodial account (UGMA), a 529 Educational Savings account, a UTMA account, a kiddie Roth, a trust account, and more options to and help you decide which one is right for you and your family.

As a Certified Financial Planner®, we can help you navigate the annual gift limits, on a per-person, and per-couple basis, as well as the one-time exemptions. Reach out to your dedicated investment advisor today to learn more.

Once established, we can help you make contributions, set-up monthly or quarterly recurring contributions, and invest the funds appropriately for your timeline.

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investing for kids
$ ,000

Average Cost of College

4-year Public In-State University

and increasing at a rate of 6.5% per year

The cost of a college education roughly triples over an 18-year period (assuming the 6.5% historical inflation rate).

That means in 18 years, kids born today will expect to pay $180,000 over a 4-year period to attend a public, in-state school.

$

Average Monthly Contribution

required to fully fund cost of college from Age 0

Get on the right path to saving for college.

Paragon Investing provides our clients with personalized recommendations based on their family's unique financial situation, considering expected cost of college and timeline, FAFSA eligibility, tax implications, inheritance and estate taxes, investment options, and more factors that impact what type of account and which investments are right for each family.

Reach out to your dedicated financial advisor today to ask for an assessment.

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Multi-generational Wealth Management

For clients who are building generational wealth


Ideal for clients who want to save for college, give their kids a head start, and/or teach them about investing.

Save for College w/ 529

Provides tax benefits while you save for your kid's college. Use funds for tuition, books, room & board, and other qualified expenses.

Advisor-managed or Self-managed

529s like Michigan's MESP can be advisor-managed or self-managed.

Tax-efficient Investing

Most plans offer state tax deductions on contributions and all earnings are fully tax-free when used for eligible educational expenses.

Maximize Annual Gifts

Let us help you to maximize your annual $17,000 gift exclusion (2023), from both couples (total $34,000 per recipient).

Start Their Roth IRA

Learn how to start contributing to your child's Roth IRA with earned income.

Custodial & UGMA

Owned by the child, but managed by the parents until they come of age (typically age 18 or 21, depending on the state).

Multi-generational Investment Advice

We'll help you set the next generation up for success.

Open accounts for your kids

  • Custodial/UGMA bank accounts (owned by them, managed by you)
  • Custodial investment accounts (owned by them, managed by you & your advisor)
  • Joint accounts (co-owned by both, managed by you)
  • Custodial Roth IRAs (owned by them, managed by you & your advisor)
  • UTMA accounts for real estate and physical assets (owned by them, managed by you)
  • 529 Education accounts (owned/managed by you, child as beneficiary)

Teach your kids about investing

  • As they get older, we can help you get your kids involved in the investment decision process, giving them a feeling over ownership and control, and teaching them financial literacy from a young age.
  • Teach them about the power of compounding and compound interest on the growth of their investments.
  • When your child has earned income, either from a family business or a part-time job as a teenager, they may qualify for a custodial Roth IRA, which will allow them to start saving for retirement.

Paragon-managed investments & accounts

Your Paragon investment advisor will help you select appropriate investments in each account, based on your timeline and risk tolerance, and the current market environment.

Rules and laws are always changing

We will help you stay up to date on the current laws and regulations concerning educational savings accounts and kiddie accounts, including the SECURE 2.0 Act, passed by Congress at the end of 2022. Starting in 2024, 529 account holders will be able to transfer up to $35,000 (over a lifetime) to a Roth IRA for a beneficiary, subject to their annual contribution limits. This avoids taxes and penalties on non-qualified withdrawals. Note that the 529 account must be open for at least 15 years prior to the Roth distribution.


All investing involves risk, including the possible loss of money you invest, and past performance does not guarantee future performance. Historical returns, expected returns, and probability projections are provided for informational and illustrative purposes, and may not reflect actual future performance. Please see our Full Disclosure for important details.