How to save for a child’s future home

1052. Thinking about helping your kids buy a home decades from now? Host Laura Adams answers a listener’s question about the best ways to grow savings. You’ll learn how inflation impacts long-term savings and which growth-oriented accounts offer the best return for long-term goals.Key Takeaways:For long-term goals, low-yield options like CDs carry risk due to inflation. Broad-market index funds (like an S&P 500 fund) offer higher returns that can keep pace with inflation.Opening a standard brokerage account in the parent's name allows money to grow in low-cost index funds without contribution caps or early withdrawal penalties. Parents are in complete control of when, how, or if the money is gifted.UGMA or UTMA accounts allow parents to invest on a child’s behalf, and ownership legally transfers to the child when they reach adulthood.Families with children under 18 can utilize Trump Accounts, which allow up to $5,000 in annual tax-deferred contributions. Plus, those born from 2025 to 2028 are eligible for a $1,000 federal deposit. After age 18, a child’s Trump Account converts to a traditional IRA. It can be converted into a Roth IRA by paying taxes on account earnings, which then allows more options for penalty-free withdrawals.Once a child has earned income, parents can match their earnings in a Roth IRA up to the annual limit ($7,500 in 2026). Contributions can be withdrawn anytime tax- and penalty-free for any use. After five years of account ownership, a Roth IRA allows up to $10,000 of earnings to be used penalty-free (but not tax-free) for a qualified first-time home purchase.Discover more from Money Girl!FacebookNewsletterTranscripts available at QuickandDirtyTips.com.Email: Laura@LauraDAdams.com or leave a voicemail: (302) 364-0308. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.