Survey: half of Australian parents worry about their kids’ financial futureSurvey: half of Australian parents worry about their kids’ financial future

Sharesies commissioned YouGov to survey more than 1,000 Australian adults, and found that 50% of parents who responded are anxious about their kid’s ability to buy a home one day. Around 44% worry about further study, and 41% about accessing the kinds of activities—sport, music, after-school programmes—that many of us grew up with.

In fact, 49% of survey respondents reported that concerns about their kid’s financial future contributed to their decision to limit their family size—or not have kids at all. 

To help parents give their kids a head-start on long-term investing, we’ve released Kids Accounts in Australia. Kids Accounts give parents—and other well-meaning adults—the opportunity to build an investment portfolio on a kid’s behalf.

The gap between wanting to invest, and actually doing it

Most parents want to do something about financially preparing their kid for the future. 87% of respondents said they’d start investing for their kids if they had a platform that made it easy. And on average, they’d be willing to put in $376 a month.

But one in five parents currently have nothing set aside for their kids—no savings, no investments. And 29% of those who are investing say they’re putting in less than they planned to 12 months ago. Rising costs are real, and they’re squeezing the gap between good intentions and action.

Why starting early matters

Kids have one financial advantage that adults can’t buy back: time. The earlier an investment is made, the longer it has to grow—and that compounding effect can be significant over decades.

“Kids have an incredible financial advantage—the gift of time. By providing the tools to build portfolios for both adults and the next generation under one roof, we're helping families access that advantage early.”

Brooke Roberts, Sharesies Co-founder and Co-CEO

It’s also a chance to build something more than a portfolio. Talking about money with kids, showing them how investing works, and letting them see their balance change over time—these are the actions that can support a healthier relationship with money across generations.

Introducing Kids Accounts

That’s why we’ve built Kids Accounts. Any adult can set one up on behalf of a kid in their life—whether you’re a parent, grandparent, or anyone else who wants to give a kid a head start.

There’s no minimum investment, and you get access to over 10,000 companies and ETFs across Australian, US, and NZ share markets—all in the same app you use to manage your own investments.

Kids Accounts are part of a broader wealth ecosystem we're building at Sharesies, with more tools to connect investing, spending, and saving coming over the year ahead.

If you’ve been looking for a way to get started, this is it.

Research methodology 

Our research survey was conducted online by YouGov between 30 April–5 May 2026, comprising a nationally representative sample of 1,014 Australians aged 18+ and a separate survey of 1,010 Australian parents with children under 18. Data was weighted by age, gender, and region to reflect the latest ABS population estimates.