New survey data from Charles Schwab shows a majority of teenagers are keen to invest – and starting them young might be more important than ever.
The 2026 Schwab Teen Investing Survey, which polled teens ages 13 to 17 and their parents, found that 70% of respondents in that age group described themselves as very or extremely interested in investing. Nearly three-quarters of parents (73%) said it is very important for teens to learn about the subject.
Schwab's survey found that teens turn to their parents more than any other source for trusted investing guidance, with 56% citing them as the go-to resource. Trust in parents extended across related financial topics as well: 62% of teens said they trust their parents "a lot" on saving money, while 58% said the same about being financially responsible and earning money.
Jonathan Craig, Schwab's head of retail investing, pointed to the sheer volume of financial information now available to young people as a reason early education matters.
"When investors get started is when education matters most – especially now given the volume of information available, the range of products to evaluate, and the increasingly blurred boundary between investing and gambling," Craig said in a statement Tuesday.
The data suggests today's teenagers are encountering investing concepts significantly earlier than their parents did. Sixty-eight percent of parents in the survey said they didn't become aware of investing until they were young adults or older, while 44% of teens said they first learned about it as preteens between the ages of 10 and 12. Forty-two percent of teens said a parent or legal guardian was the first to introduce them to the concept, compared with just 30% of parents who said the same about their own upbringing.
Half of parents said they wish they had started investing earlier. The most commonly cited motivations among teens for wanting to invest included getting started as soon as possible (45%), saving for college (34%), and learning how money and financial markets work (33%).
Despite high interest levels, teens acknowledge they have a lot to learn. Only 14% said they feel they know a lot about investing, even as 95% said they are at least somewhat interested in learning more. Stocks were the investment type teens felt most familiar with, cited by 50%, followed by cryptocurrencies at 32% and mutual funds and ETFs at 25%.
The fear of losing money was the leading concern among teens considering investing, with 59% flagging it as a worry. Not knowing what to do came in second at 42%, followed by stress about investment performance at 41%.
While parents and teens largely aligned on goals – both groups preferred investments with growth potential over riskier options – they split on the question of oversight. Half of parents said they want to be heavily involved in deciding how much money goes into investments, and 52% want to be kept informed on portfolio performance. Teens, meanwhile, said they want more independence: 60% said they would prefer their parents to be only somewhat involved, and 64% said they want parents to have only a little control over their actual investment decisions.
About 46% of parents said they feel very comfortable teaching their teens about investing, though 62% acknowledged it's harder than teaching a teenager to drive. On the other side, more than half of teens (53%) said they see investing as a way to bond with their parents.
Schwab's research on investing among teens lands alongside another survey flagging potential early signs of unhealthy financial habits setting in for adolescent boys. A January report from Common Sense Media found that 36% of boys ages 11 to 17 had gambled in the prior year, with exposure to gambling-like systems in video games cited as the most common entry point. The report noted that nearly one in four boys participates in game-based activities that mimic gambling.
It's against that background that Schwab recently launched the Schwab Teen Investor account, a joint brokerage product for young people ages 13 to 17 and a parent or legal guardian. The account allows both parties to trade, monitor balances, and move money, and includes access to Schwab's mobile app and thinkorswim trading platform.
During its recent earnings call, Rick Wurster, Schwab's chief executive, said the company has seen "great interest and enthusiasm so far" in the product.
"We believe it is important for teenagers to learn the benefits of saving and investing [and] the merits of compounding [over] more gambling-oriented messaging from some competitors," Wurster said.
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