Can My 17-Year-Old Grandson Invest in a Roth IRA?

Pricey J.,

In principle, it is a nice concept. The large benefit of a Roth IRA is that you just pay upfront taxes on the cash you put money into alternate for limitless tax-free development. Since your grandson is 17, I’m guessing he doesn’t have an enormous tax invoice. If he has the self-discipline to not contact that cash for 4 or 5 a long time, even a small quantity invested now may have an enormous payoff at retirement time.

However that half bears repeating: Your grandson must be prepared to not spend this cash for a number of a long time. That’s an enormous ask for a 17-year-old.

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Earlier than I’m going any additional, let me clarify the foundations: Anybody can fund a Roth IRA so long as they’ve earned earnings for the tax 12 months, i.e., cash earned from working. Age isn’t an element. The basic instance right here is that even the Gerber Child may open a Roth IRA.

Your grandson may contribute as much as $6,000 or the total quantity of his earnings (whichever is much less) for 2022. In 2023, the restrict will increase to $6,500.

As a result of your grandson is a minor, he’d want a custodial Roth IRA. He’d personal the cash, however an grownup would want to make the funding choices. As soon as he reaches the age of majority — between 18 and 21, relying on the state — he’d have full management over the cash.

Remember the fact that simply because the cash is invested in a Roth IRA doesn’t imply your grandson received’t be tempted to spend it. He’d be capable to withdraw the contributions (however not the earnings) at any time. With the earnings, he’d pay a ten% early withdrawal penalty, plus earnings taxes on withdrawals earlier than age 59 ½. However taxes and penalties is probably not an enormous deterrent when it appears like retirement is a lifetime away.

For those who’re going to encourage your grandson to fund a Roth IRA, be sure you comply with up with some steerage. A great place to begin is by speaking about short-, medium-, and long-term monetary objectives.

Shopping for a automobile or saving up spending cash for school are examples of short-term objectives. A medium-term purpose may be to purchase a home after faculty or pay for graduate faculty. However the cash he invests in a Roth IRA is for a long-term purpose, which is his eventual retirement.

It’s doable to make use of a Roth IRA for shorter-term objectives, which is a ceaselessly cited good thing about this account. For instance, you possibly can withdraw as much as $10,000 price of earnings for a first-time dwelling buy with out owing taxes or penalties. You can too use the earnings for greater training and keep away from the standard 10% early withdrawal penalty, however not the taxes. That flexibility is sweet, however once you use the cash on shorter-term objectives, you don’t lock within the true energy of the Roth IRA, which is limitless tax-free development.

Plus, you earn money with a Roth IRA by investing within the inventory market. You usually don’t need cash invested in shares if you happen to’ll want it within the subsequent few years as a result of the inventory market might be unstable within the quick run.

A great purpose on your grandson could also be to proceed saving half of his paycheck and splitting it between his financial savings account and Roth IRA. Even when he solely invested $100 a month for the following 12 months, the payoff could possibly be substantial. Assuming 8% annual returns, that cash would develop to greater than $56,000 by the point he reaches his full retirement age of 67.

However simply as importantly, saving even only a small quantity for retirement is a superb behavior to begin at 17. In case your grandson can get used to investing 10% to fifteen% of his paycheck whereas he’s nonetheless an adolescent and proceed doing so all through his profession, he’ll be in nice form for retirement.

Finally, although, that is your grandson’s cash, so it’s his name. But when he’s already saving half his paycheck at 17, I feel you possibly can belief him to make smart monetary choices.

Robin Hartill is an authorized monetary planner and a senior author at The HE. Ship your difficult cash inquiries to [email protected].