Schwab Teen Investor™ account. The skills they need. The guidance you give.
Give your teen the financial skills they need to succeed.
The Schwab Teen Investor account, a joint brokerage account that you and your teen (13–17 years old) can open together, helps set teenagers up for financial success. With your guidance and watchful eye, they can learn how to invest, manage money, and plan for the future.
No subscription fees. No account maintenance fees. No minimum initial deposit.
Designed to help young investors grow.
Opening a Schwab Teen Investor account gives your teen two critically important things: access to education on how investing works and a head start on their financial future.
Parental oversight
- Set up alerts for trading activity and money transfers in the account.
- Account features Tooltip what can be traded, including no options, futures, margin trading, and more.
Hands-on investing
- Trade individual Tooltip , Tooltip (ETFs), and more.
- Invest with as little as $5 using fractional shares.
- Teens can invest in ideas they believe in with Schwab Investing Themes®.
Curated financial education
- Get started with essential finance basics and all-things-investing education made for beginners.
- Keep learning with ongoing investing education.
Money management skills
- Teach healthy spending habits with a debit card for teens that only parents can opt in for or cancel.
- Move money in and out of the account.
Get 50 bucks for getting smart.
When teens complete the Quick Start to Stock Investing course within 45 days of opening their account, they’ll be rewarded with ownership in companies they recognize. They'll get $50 split across the top 5 stocks in the S&P 500®. Terms apply.*
Charles Schwab was recognized as Best in Class for Beginners in 2026 by Stockbrokers.com.
The "Best in Class" distinction means a top 5 finish within that category.
The tools of the trade, literally.
You and your teen will have full access to all of our trading platforms. You can each use the one that best suits you for trading and for managing the account.
Schwab Mobile app and Schwab.com
Simple and easy to use, these platforms are great for getting started with investing.
- Manage your account quickly and easily.
- Monitor your portfolio and the market.
- Research and find potential investing opportunities.
thinkorswim®
For teens who want an advanced trading experience, we have thinkorswim. They can learn to analyze, strategize, and trade like a pro.
How safe is this account? SchwabSafe®.
Using multi-layered technology, highly trained specialists, and secure processes and procedures, our system keeps your account safe and secure. And should something happen, we'll cover losses in your account due to unauthorized activity. That's our Schwab Security Guarantee.
Three easy steps to open a Schwab Teen Investor account.
Parent: Start the application.
A parent or guardian will provide all necessary information to start the process and then hand off the application to the teen.
Teen: Complete the application.
The teen will complete their portion by creating a login ID and password and then submit the application. This can be done side by side with or separately from the parent or guardian.
Both: Start investing.
Once the account is open, both the parent or guardian and teen can add money to it, research investments together, and get started investing!
Top questions about the Schwab Teen Investor account.
The Schwab Teen Investor account is a taxable joint brokerage account for teens aged 13–17 and their parent or guardian. The account provides a hands-on teen investing experience, with the oversight of and controls provided by the parent or guardian. Teens can access their account on Schwab platforms, make investments, manage funds, and use a debit card with the approval of the parent or guardian. They can also improve their financial literacy with teen-friendly financial education.
The Schwab Teen Investor account allows a teen to own a joint account with their parent or guardian. Teens can make investments and manage their money in the account, while the parent or guardian is able to supervise and support their teen.
A custodial account is set up and managed by a custodian. The custodian is responsible for investing and disbursing assets for the benefit of the minor. The minor does not have account access until it is turned over to them when the custodianship terminates, per state law.
The parent or guardian will need to provide standard personal information for both the parent or guardian and the teen as clients of Schwab, including Social Security number, contact details (email and phone number), and employment status. To verify the identity of the teen, the parent or guardian will need to upload a valid form of identification on behalf of the teen. Acceptable documents include the teen's birth certificate, driver's license, state ID, or passport. The parent or guardian does not need to upload any documents for themselves.
Primary investment products are available including most U.S. equities, Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs), mutual funds, fixed income products, fractional shares, and Schwab Investing Themes®. Schwab offers commission-free equity trading online with, with no account or trade minimums and no hidden fees. See our full pricing details here.
When the teen account owner reaches the age of 18, he or she will be eligible to open a fully featured individual brokerage account. Assets in the Schwab Teen Investor account can be transferred over to the new account by the teen. If they desire, the parent or guardian and the teen can continue to use the Schwab Teen Investor account until the teen reaches age 21. Upon reaching the age of 21, the account will be restricted from all activities, including trading, funding, and withdrawals, until the former teen completes Schwab's new account terms and conditions.
The parent or guardian must initiate and approve the opening of the account. Once the account is open, the parent or guardian will have full visibility and authority on the account as a joint account owner. This includes visibility into all transactions, statements, trade confirmations, and account activity. The parent or guardian has the authority to order or cancel a debit card on behalf of the teen and can close the account at any time.