First Savings Account for Kids

For several years, our daughter had been saving money she had received as birthday, Christmas gifts, etc. She kept it all in a bulky wallet, since she thought having 50 singles was cooler and somehow more money than a $50 bill. We decided to open a savings account for her so it would be safe from misplacement or curious little visitors going through her stuff.

We live in South Florida and we looked online to see what was available in our area. We were surprised that there are not a lot of options when it comes to savings accounts for minors. Several banks offer different options and these are the ones we found:

• Bank of America (UTMA) Custodial Savings Account for Children. With this account parents can save money for their children, but can only distribute the money to the child once he/she turns 18 or 21, depending on state laws. There is a minimum of $25 to open the account and the APY is 0.01%.
• TD Bank Young Savers Account. It is for minors under 18, offers an APY of 0.05% and there is no minimum to open the account. There is no monthly maintenance fee. You can check out the Young Savers Account Guide here.
• Chase High School Checking Account. This account is for kids between 13-17  and Chase requires the account to be linked to a qualifying parent Chase checking account.
• Wells Fargo Kids Savings Account for minors under 18. It has a $25 opening minimum and has several set up options like joint ownership (with a parent), sole ownership among others.

We decided to go with the Young Savers Account from TD bank. At the time, there was a Summer Reading Program in which kids could earn $10 by filling out a form with a list of 10 books they had read during the summer. That was a neat bonus. It seems like they have this program every summer, so make sure your kid fills out the form if you decide to go with TD Bank.

TD bank is pretty kid-friendly, there are plenty of pens, free lollipops and a coin machine where kids can count all of their change. Before the machine starts counting, it will let them guess how much money they brough. If their estimate is within $2, the’ll win a small prize (a piggy bank).

Our daughter enjoys receiving her bank statements in the mail and checking her balance online. She loves going to TD Bank to use the ATM and deposit money, even if it is $1.67. She also collects coins constantly to go to the change machine and guess the amount. She’s withdrawn and deposited money several times and after a couple of years of having her first savings account, it has been a good experience.