What age can you start investing, and is it ever too late?
In the US you need to be 18 to open your own brokerage account, but a parent can open a custodial account for a child at any age. And no, 50 or 60 is not too late.
You have to be 18 (21 in a couple of states) to open a brokerage account in your own name. Under that age, a parent or guardian can open a custodial account, usually called a UTMA or UGMA, and invest on the child’s behalf. The money legally belongs to the child and transfers to them when they come of age.
Teenagers with a part-time job have an even better option: a custodial Roth IRA. Contributions are limited to what they earned, but the decades of tax-free growth ahead of a 16-year-old are the most valuable thing in investing, and almost nobody uses them.
On the other end, people in their fifties and sixties ask whether it is too late. It is not. A 55-year-old will likely live another thirty years, and money invested at 55 has a long time to grow. The mix should be more cautious, with more in bonds and cash, but skipping stocks entirely is usually the bigger mistake.
The only true "too late" is money you need within a couple of years. That belongs in savings, at any age.
Informational only, not financial advice. Updated September 4, 2026.
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