SP
3.9

1234 reviews

Stockpile Review

Best for Stock Gifts

The family investing app that lets you gift stock to kids and teens—teach financial literacy with real investments and supervised trading.

$4.95-$9.95
Monthly Fee
$5
Minimum Investment
Yes
Custodial Accounts
Yes
Stock Gift Cards

Pros

  • Stock gift cards make investing a giftable experience
  • Custodial accounts for kids under 18 with parental oversight
  • Teens request trades, parents approve—supervised learning
  • Fractional shares on 3,000+ stocks and ETFs (min $5)
  • No trading commissions on stocks and ETFs
  • 4.00% APY on savings (as of August 2025)
  • Tuition rewards program through Family Plus plan
  • SEC, FINRA member, SIPC insured

Cons

  • Monthly subscription fee ($4.95+) adds up
  • $5 quarterly inactivity fee for accounts under $20
  • Trades execute at market close, not real-time
  • Very limited research tools
  • No IRAs or retirement accounts
  • Email-only customer support (no phone)
  • 3% surcharge on credit/debit card stock purchases

Stock Gift Cards

Stockpile's unique feature is stock gift cards—physical or digital cards that recipients redeem for shares of stock. Available in amounts from $1 to $2,000.

Purchase gift cards online or at retailers like Safeway. Give the gift of ownership in companies kids actually know—Apple, Disney, Nike, Tesla.

It's a more meaningful gift than cash or toys, teaching children that they can own pieces of real companies. Note: Not available in Connecticut.

Custodial Accounts for Kids

Stockpile offers supervised custodial accounts for minors. Kids own the stocks, but parents control the account until the child reaches the age of majority (18-21 depending on state).

The supervised approach means teens can pick stocks they want to invest in and set up trades. An email is sent to parents who approve or deny the request.

Teens have their own login credentials but cannot execute trades without parental approval. It's real investing with training wheels.

  • Kids own the investments
  • Parents control until age of majority
  • Teen trade requests require approval
  • Separate teen login credentials
  • Real investing experience with guardrails

Pricing Plans

Basic ($4.95/month): 1 adult + up to 5 kids, commission-free trading, fractional shares, 4% APY savings.

Family Plus ($9.95/month or ~$83.40/year): Everything in Basic plus debit cards, savings vaults, tuition rewards program.

Note: There's a $5 quarterly inactivity fee if your account is worth $20 or less with no activity.

Trading Limitations

Trades are bundled and execute at market close, not in real-time. This isn't ideal for active trading but works fine for long-term investing and learning.

Fractional shares require a $5 minimum investment. Over 3,000 stocks and ETFs are available for fractional trading.

If you purchase stocks using a credit or debit card, there's a 3% surcharge. Use bank transfers to avoid this fee.

Savings & Banking

Stockpile offers 4.00% APY on savings balances (as of August 2025)—competitive with high-yield savings accounts.

Family Plus includes debit cards for kids with parental controls and savings vaults for goal-based saving.

Banking features are issued through Green Dot Bank with FDIC insurance.

Limitations

Research tools are very basic—Stockpile is for learning, not sophisticated analysis.

No IRAs or retirement accounts available. It's focused on taxable custodial and individual accounts.

Customer support is email-only with no phone number, which can be frustrating for urgent issues.

Fees & Costs

Transparent breakdown of all fees you might encounter.

Fee TypeCost
Basic Plan$4.95/month
Family Plus Plan$9.95/month
Trading Commissions$0
Minimum Investment$5
Gift Card Amounts$1-$2,000
Inactivity Fee$5/quarter (if <$20 balance)
Credit/Debit Card Surcharge3%
ATM Withdrawals1 free/month, then $3
Savings APY4.00%

Who Stockpile Is Best For

Parents Teaching Kids Investing

Supervised custodial accounts let kids learn with real money under parental guidance.

Gift Givers

Stock gift cards are a unique, educational present for birthdays and holidays.

Families Starting Together

One subscription covers the whole family—learn about investing as a group activity.

The Bottom Line

Stockpile fills a unique niche as a family investing platform with stock gift cards and supervised teen trading. It's excellent for teaching children about investing with real money and parental oversight. However, the monthly fees, delayed trade execution, and limited features make it less suitable for serious investors. If your goal is financial education for kids, Stockpile delivers. For adult investing, you're better off with free brokerages like Fidelity that also offer custodial accounts.

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