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Vanguard Age Requirement: How Old Do You Have to Be to Open an Account?
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Vanguard Age Requirement: Highlights
• Vanguard generally requires you to be at least 18 to open an investment account by yourself.
• Minors still have several ways to invest with help from an adult.
• Vanguard has account-opening requirements beyond just age.
Minimum Age to Open a Vanguard Account
To open a securities account at Vanguard, you generally must be 18 years old. In addition to this age requirement, Vanguard asks for a U.S. mailing address, a Social Security Number, bank account and routing numbers, and employer information. Vanguard requires account applicants to be U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents with a U.S. mailing address.
Ways for Minors to Invest at Vanguard
Although Vanguard’s age rule applies to regular accounts opened by individuals, three account types may be used for minors:
- 529 plan
- Custodial account
- Minor IRA
These accounts can be opened for minors, and a 529 plan may also have a beneficiary of any age. A custodial account and a 529 plan can be opened for a very young child. The IRA, however, requires the minor to have earned income for the year.
Even though these accounts can help minors invest or save, they must be opened or managed by an adult. In a UGMA/UTMA custodial account, the assets belong to the minor. In a Minor IRA, the minor owns the IRA, but an adult custodian manages it until the minor reaches the required age. A 529 plan has both an account owner and a beneficiary.
Opening a Vanguard Account for a Minor
Opening an account at Vanguard is a fairly simple process. Visit Vanguard’s website and look for the “Open an Account” link in the upper-right corner. On the following page, choose how you want to fund the new account, such as by deposit, rollover, or transfer, and continue through the prompts while entering the required information.
For the investment goal, select education or investing for a child or minor. Then indicate that the account is for a child or minor. After that, the three account choices mentioned above should appear. For any of these accounts, you will need to provide information for both the adult and the minor, including tax ID numbers.
Charles Schwab as a Substitute
Like Vanguard, Charles Schwab generally requires you to be 18 to open an account on your own and offers similar account types for minors. Schwab also has a large nationwide branch network for clients who want in-person service.
For self-directed clients, Schwab offers some of the best software in the industry. For example, Schwab provides a powerful desktop platform called thinkorswim. By comparison, Vanguard does not offer a similar desktop trading program, and its mobile app is more basic. Schwab, by contrast, has advanced trading platforms.
On Schwab’s main app, customers can open a custodial account. Go to the More page, which is accessed through the More icon, and find the account-opening link. You should see a tile for custodial accounts; tap it and follow the steps. A custodial account can be opened with or without logging in to the app.
On Schwab’s website, you can open a 529 account, a Minor IRA, which Schwab calls a Custodial IRA, and a custodial account. Click the orange-brown button at the top and follow the prompts, entering the requested details for both the minor and the custodian.
Free Charles Schwab Account For a Child
Visit Schwab Website
Updated on 9/9/2026.
Chad Morris has been analyzing investment firms for Brokerage-Review.com since 2015. Backed by FINRA Series 65, 66, and SIE credentials, his work reflects a deep knowledge of the retail brokerage industry and digital trading tools.
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