Top 5 Financial Gifts for Grandkids for Long-Term Triumph
By Daniel Baumgartner & Petra Peters
When clients ask us about the top financial gifts for grandkids, they’re often looking for something that does more than light up a child’s face for a weekend. They want a gift that endures and plants a seed of financial strength, curiosity, and long-term opportunity.
And for families with international ties, selecting the right financial gift becomes even more meaningful. It becomes a way to pass down wisdom and stability across borders and generations.
If you’re looking for meaningful, globally accessible options that help your grandchildren build financial confidence for their future, we’ve compiled a list of some of the top financial gifts for grandkids that offer lasting impact.
1. Investment Accounts: A Gift That Grows With Them
Investment accounts remain one of the most versatile and effective top financial gifts for grandkids, especially for families with multinational lives. These accounts offer an accessible introduction to long-term investing strategies, and they can easily be aligned with global financial goals.
Whether you’re a U.S. citizen living abroad, a European citizen with assets in the U.S., or part of a dual-national family juggling both systems, an investment account provides structure and flexibility. Many grandparents appreciate the simplicity: you can invest in diversified, globally focused portfolios that grow alongside your grandchild.
What makes this type of gift so valuable is the early exposure it offers. Watching investments rise (and occasionally fall) helps young people understand markets, risk, patience, and the long horizon of building wealth.
Over time, an investment account becomes less of a gift and more of a financial teaching tool.
2. Ownership in Companies They Recognize
Another powerful option among the top financial gifts for grandkids is giving them shares of stock in companies they already interact with. For a child who plays Nintendo, watches Disney, or uses Apple devices, owning a portion of the company can be both thrilling and educational.
This is especially beneficial for cross-border families. Kids growing up between continents often interact with global brands, making stock ownership an easy bridge to early financial literacy regardless of which country they’re in at the moment.
Seeing how the value of their shares changes over time helps them understand global markets and introduces them to the idea of long-term ownership.
And let’s be honest, if your grandkids are going to spend countless hours streaming shows or gaming, they may as well learn something from it.
3. Global-Focused Funds for International Families
For families with dual citizenships, international residency, or assets in multiple countries, globally diversified funds can be one of the top financial gifts for grandkids.
Why? Because children who grow up with international ties gain from investments that aren’t limited to a single country’s markets or economy. These funds mirror their real-life experience.
Whether you choose a broad international index fund or a world equity portfolio, the long-term growth opportunities can help your grandkids build wealth that stays relevant no matter which side of the Atlantic life takes them.
4. Custodial Accounts: A Practical and Flexible Choice
Custodial accounts offer grandparents a simple and accessible way to gift financial assets while keeping oversight until the child becomes an adult. They also provide flexibility in how the funds can eventually be used, including for education, a first car, a move abroad, or even a down payment later in life.
For grandchildren in cross-border households, custodial accounts can help establish a U.S.-based financial foundation even if the family currently lives in Europe, or vice versa. This is ideal for families who anticipate future relocation or who want to maintain financial roots in more than one country.
Among the top financial gifts for grandkids, custodial accounts strike an excellent balance between simplicity and long-term usefulness
5. Contributions to Their First “Investment Habit”
Not every financial gift needs to be formal. Sometimes one of the top financial gifts for grandkids is simply helping them develop a consistent saving or investing habit. This can be as simple as contributing matching amounts toward any savings they choose to set aside themselves.
Small habits often have big ripple effects. A child who learns early that setting aside money leads to growth is more likely to build financial discipline as an adult. And unlike traditional gifts, this one truly compounds over a lifetime.
Ready to Explore the Top Financial Gifts for Grandkids?
If you’re considering the top financial gifts for grandkids and want guidance in selecting an option that aligns with your family’s cross-border financial life, Terra Nova Investments is here to help.
As a firm working with Americans abroad, Europeans in the U.S., and internationally blended households, our team at Terra Nova Asset Management can confirm your investments align with both your long-term goals and your global lifestyle.
Does it seem like we may be a good fit? Reach out to us directly at 212-355-1234 or ppeters@terranovausa.com for the New York office (Petra) or 855-248-6630 or baumgartner@terranovausa.com for the New Jersey office (Daniel).
You may also contact us here to schedule a meeting and we’ll get in touch with you soon!
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why are investment accounts considered one of the top financial gifts for grandkids?
Investment accounts are valuable because they introduce grandchildren to long-term investing through structure and flexibility. Many grandparents like that they are able to fund diversified, globally focused portfolios that grow alongside the child. Watching investments rise (and sometimes fall) also helps kids learn about markets, patience, risk, and the long horizon of building wealth. Over time, these accounts often become more of a financial teaching tool than just a gift.
2. How does giving grandkids ownership in familiar companies help build financial literacy?
When children own shares in global brands they already use, it makes investing feel real and exciting. For families with cross-border ties, these global brands become a natural bridge to learning about international markets. Seeing how their shares change in value over time teaches them about long-term ownership and the broader world of global investing.
3. Are formal financial accounts the only way to build good money habits for grandkids?
Not at all. One of the most impactful financial gifts can be informal: matching any savings a grandchild sets aside themselves. Learning early that saving leads to growth helps build discipline over a lifetime. Even small contributions toward a first “investment habit” can create lasting ripple effects, because positive financial routines tend to compound long after the original gift is given.
About Daniel
Daniel Baumgartner is a founding partner of Terra Nova Asset Management LLC, a partner-owned investment advisory firm that manages individual portfolios for clients. Daniel has extensive experience in marketing, development of special U.S.-investment products, as well as customer acquisition and relationship management. His ultimate goal is to make a difference in his clients’ financial lives through honest investment advice. He strives to provide high-touch, personalized service and enjoys getting to know a client’s personality as it relates to their financial circumstances before crafting the right solutions. As money is a very personal subject, Daniel takes his responsibility as an advisor very seriously, forming long-term relationships with clients based on trust.
Daniel received his degree in finance and international business from New York University. Outside of the office, he is a hobby landscape, street photographer, and has a great interest in U.S. and European history (16th-19th centuries), believing it helps him answer the question “Why is something the way it is?”
About Petra
Petra Peters is a founding partner and the Chief Executive Officer of Terra Nova Asset Management LLC, a partner-owned investment advisory firm that manages individual portfolios for clients. Petra has decades of experience in the banking industry, asset management, overseeing the administration of individual accounts, and designing and advising specialized funds tailored to the requirements of international private and institutional clients. With extensive knowledge of both Europe and the U.S., she’s able to provide advice and services beyond the typical investment advisor. Petra desires for her clients to live a financially care-free life so they can pursue their passions, and she values their trust and gratitude. Creating invaluable friendships formed over years of partnership, some clients even consider her part of their family.
Petra’s interests outside of work include classical music, history, travel, charities, motorcycling, and golf. She is also on the board of a German charity.