Investing for Kids
As a parent, you’ll want the best for your child or children. Setting them up for financial success isn’t easy, and many parents have asked MoneyHub “how can I invest in my child or grandchild’s future?” This guide outlines and highlights some ideas and investing opportunities.
Updated 31 March 2021
Disclaimer: Our investing for kids guide is journalistic and nature and does not constitute financial advice. Any company, platform or service listed in this website is included as an example only. Never invest more than you can afford to lose. Investing for kids is generally a long-term strategy and process, with regular contributions. If you’re unsure about anything, either seek financial advice, and/or don’t invest. An investment you don’t understand is (generally) not a good investment.
Our guide covers:
Know this: You can never invest for children too early. The benefits of compound interest means whatever you invest will directly grow your child’s wealth today, and the interest they earn on their investment will earn its own interest after that. Compound interest is effectively a snowball of savings - the balance will grow the fastest when you make regular contributions.
Our guide covers:
- Investing for kids – how much is enough, what should the focus be, and when should I start?
- Five Popular Investing Products for Kids
- Three Must-Know Facts and Considerations when it comes to Investing for Kids
Know this: You can never invest for children too early. The benefits of compound interest means whatever you invest will directly grow your child’s wealth today, and the interest they earn on their investment will earn its own interest after that. Compound interest is effectively a snowball of savings - the balance will grow the fastest when you make regular contributions.
Why do most parents want to invest on behalf of their kids?
As kids are expensive although more so at different life stages. Parents who decide to invest for their children do so for three main reasons:
Debt can be expensive, and while the student loan scheme and first-home interest rates are low, things can change, and money is always hard to accumulate when your children are young as their working opportunities are limited and lowly paid.
Important: Ensure you are financially secure before investing for your children. This means clearing all consumer debt (like credit cards), contributing to a retirement savings plan (i.e. KiwiSaver) and having a cash safety buffer of at least three months income. It’s unwise to start investing for a child at the expense of your own financial security. If you do, you are at risk of having to rely on your child or children to help you through retirement, which is not a situation you want to be in.
- To help pay for university or other tertiary education, and/or
- To contribute towards a first home deposit, and/or
- To finance extra circular activities, a student exchange, a car and/or other big-ticket items
Debt can be expensive, and while the student loan scheme and first-home interest rates are low, things can change, and money is always hard to accumulate when your children are young as their working opportunities are limited and lowly paid.
Important: Ensure you are financially secure before investing for your children. This means clearing all consumer debt (like credit cards), contributing to a retirement savings plan (i.e. KiwiSaver) and having a cash safety buffer of at least three months income. It’s unwise to start investing for a child at the expense of your own financial security. If you do, you are at risk of having to rely on your child or children to help you through retirement, which is not a situation you want to be in.
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Your free guide to Investing for Kids, thanks to Hatch.
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Investing for kids – how much is enough, what should the focus be, and when should I start?
Everything is relative to the needs of your child. Investing $10 a week can accumulate $10,000 by the time a newborn turns 18 years of age, but for most parents, time is already ticking (and hindsight is a luxury). With household bills and living costs at record highs, it may be hard to find $10 or $20 a week to put aside for your children. However, committing to a regular contribution makes a significant difference in their lives later on.
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Investing for your child’s education expensesWith a 0% interest student loan scheme and free first-year fees, education is more affordable than it has been in the last twenty years. However, the situation today is no guarantee of the future, and successive governments may increase fees, change loan schemes or do both. We estimate the average tertiary study and living costs total around $40,000 for a three-year course if your child lives away from home. It’s a lot of money that can be funded through an existing investment and/or using the student loan scheme.
Our view: We believe the student loan system, in addition to a part-time job, is sufficient to finance tertiary study for most students. A student loan and/or allowance probably won’t be enough to finance living costs (unless your child lives at home), so having a cash buffer will avoid the reliance on interest-free overdrafts. |
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Investing for your child’s first home depositIn almost every corner of New Zealand, homes are expensive (relative to average income levels). A $900,000 home for two people in their late 20s earning a household income of $120,000 is still prohibitively expensive. Growing an investment to finance a home deposit will be of enormous benefit to any child when the time comes. The larger the deposit, the lower the interest rate (because the loan is less risky) and the lower the ongoing interest and repayment costs.
Our view: Parents are increasingly helping their children, known as the ‘bank of mum and dad’. Rather than risking your home as security, a one-off cash contribution for a deposit is low-risk and has long-term benefits. Coupled with the KiwiSaver first-home withdrawal and HomeStart grant, as well as your child’s savings, homeownership can be much more affordable. While MoneyHub isn’t obsessed about home ownership (as some other financial resources are), the right homes continue to be a long-term investment for life. MoneyHub user Josh says: “My wife and I gave both of our children $50,000 in cash each. My son bought a house for around $600,000 in Wellington, meaning this helped a lot with his deposit. He financed the repayments by getting two flatmates. I think without our money he would have had to settle for a home that wasn’t as attractive to renters, and this would have affected his repayments”. |
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Investing for your child’s retirement (using KiwiSaver)With KiwiSaver available for under 18s (and many schemes offering free-fees), growing their retirement fund with voluntary contributions is very easy. Our KiwiSaver for Kids guide explains everything significant to consider about signing up. The benefits include that after the age of 18, all employers must contribute to their fund, further accelerating their retirement nest egg.
Our view: We don’t believe New Zealanders are saving enough via KiwiSaver, so the earlier a child starts, the higher the chance they’ll enjoy a healthier retirement. Best of all, the only way they can access their KiwiSaver balance is when they retire, for a home deposit or in extreme financial hardship. Potentially suitable or relevant investment product(s): KiwiSaver is the most popular retirement scheme in New Zealand, and our favourite KiwiSaver funds can help you focus on what your child’s investing strategy is. |
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Investing for your child’s future assets, expenses and experiencesChildren go through a lot of important (and expensive) events, milestones and experiences in their late teens and 20s. This can range from the purchase of a car to saving for a post-university trip to helping out with setting up a flat. Whenever they need a big-ticket item, having an investment fund to draw from will help cover a portion of the costs. It avoids the need to borrow or arrange financing, cementing the view that saving is better than borrowing for most purchases.
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Five Popular Investing Products for Kids
Know this first: Currently, there are three main investing platforms aimed specifically at kids. These are:
The list below is ordered by asset class. Please note each asset class has specific risks, and the following information is not a recommendation or financial advice.
- Hatch Kids Investment Accounts, which charge 50 cents per trade and a 0.50% FX fee. Hatch offers US-listed shares and ETFs.
- InvestNow Children's Accounts, which have no fees. InvestNow offers managed funds and ETFs.
- Sharesies Kids Accounts, which have no subscription fees. Transaction, management, and exchange fees still apply. Sharesies offers NZ and US-listed shares, ETFs and managed funds. Our dedicated Sharesies Kids Accounts Review covers everything.
The list below is ordered by asset class. Please note each asset class has specific risks, and the following information is not a recommendation or financial advice.
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Bank Accounts, Savings Accounts and Term Deposits (with high-interest rates)
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KiwiSaver
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Exchange-Traded Funds
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Individual Shares
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Managed Funds
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Three Must-Know Facts and Considerations when it comes to Investing for Kids
1. Explain the purpose of the money you’re contributing
2. Explain the value of hard work and financial responsibility
3. Read the MoneyHub student-focused guides to money
- There is no point giving your child access to a nest egg if you don’t explain what the reason is behind the sacrifices you’ve made contributions to it.
- It doesn’t matter if it’s $5,000 or $50,000, everything you invest on their behalf needs to have expectations set.
- We believe that what’s most important to children is what you teach them, not what you give (or leave) to them.
- If you transfer $10,000 to an 18-year-old without any explanation or expectation, you may be setting them up for a downfall similar to those faced by many first division lottery winners.
2. Explain the value of hard work and financial responsibility
- The more children understand the importance of being financially responsible, the better their relationship with money. There’s no ‘right’ way to handle money, but there are a lot of good habits kids can learn at a young age.
- If you position yourself as an on-demand ATM, your children won’t understand how money comes into existence. On the other hand, if you teach kids about compound interest and other must-knows, they learn the importance of saving and resisting temptation, which can avoid incurring bad debts later.
3. Read the MoneyHub student-focused guides to money
- Our research team has published several popular resources – we suggested looking at Money In A Nutshell For Teenagers, Smart Money Tips For Kids and Student Money Tips to learn about saving, investing and understanding money in general.
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Your free guide to Investing for Kids, thanks to Hatch.
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Related Guides
Specific Accounts:
Further Resources - Workshops, Apps and School Activities
If you need further reading about investing and money management for children, we have shortlisted two options provided in primary schools around New Zealand. By including them in the list below, MoneyHub is not endorsing them in any way.
- KiwiSaver for Kids
- Sharesies Kids Accounts Review
- Kids Bank Accounts
- Term Deposits
- Savings Accounts
- Money In a Nutshell for Teenagers
- Smart Money Tips For Kids
Specific Accounts:
Further Resources - Workshops, Apps and School Activities
If you need further reading about investing and money management for children, we have shortlisted two options provided in primary schools around New Zealand. By including them in the list below, MoneyHub is not endorsing them in any way.
- MoneyTime - MoneyTime is an online financial literacy program for children ages 10 to 14. The platform is free in 500+ schools, with paid use-at-home licences available. We suggest reading their dedicated guide for parents to learn more about this innovative platform.
- Sorted in Schools – This government-led program is being rolled out to schools all over New Zealand - the website outlines what's on offer.
