
UTMA accounts may be subject to taxes if the minor earns investment income or sells assets for a gain. Tax rules on custodial accounts like UTMAs are sometimes difficult to understand. However, it can hold all the same financial assets as UGMA, plus physical assets like precious metals and real estate. The UTMA was created 30 years after the UGMA and has not been adopted in every state. You can open a UGMA account in any state and use it to hold financial assets, like cash, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and insurance policies for the children in your life. Both UTMAs and UGMAs serve the same purpose, but there are some rule differences. UTMAs have a counterpart called Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (UGMA) accounts. UTMAs may also help meet a child’s financial goals, like buying their first home, paying for college, or starting their own business.

Thanks to compounding, this can put them ahead of the game when they become adults.

