Trump Accounts Launch With $1,000 Seeds and Billionaire Pledges

Children born in recent years now have access to government-seeded investment accounts that grow tax-advantaged until age 18, with private donors committing billions more on the day of the July 4 rollout. The accounts, authorized by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, give every eligible child a one-time $1,000 federal contribution while allowing parents to add up to $5,000 annually and employers up to $2,500. Money defaults into an S&P 500 ETF, and withdrawals are restricted until the child reaches 18.

The White House marked the start of contributions by having President Trump ring the opening bells of both the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq from the Oval Office. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Sen. Ted Cruz, NYSE President Lynn Martin, and executives from Nasdaq attended alongside several major donors. Michael and Susan Dell pledged $6.25 billion, delivering $250 to each of the first 25 million qualifying children in ZIP codes with median incomes of $150,000 or less and who were born before January 1, 2025.

Ray and Barbara Dalio committed to funding roughly 300,000 children under 10 in Connecticut under the same income criteria. Brad Gerstner, credited by multiple participants with originating the program concept, is covering all children under 5 in Indiana at $250 each. Harold Hamm is adopting Oklahoma, though exact amounts remain undisclosed. Gwynne Shotwell and her husband announced a donation of SpaceX shares to more than two million children, with emphasis on lower-income areas near their Texas home. Nicki Minaj indicated she would direct contributions toward her fans, with reported estimates ranging from $150,000 to $300,000.

Additional firms including Goldman Sachs, BlackRock, JPMorgan Chase, and Robinhood stated they would match the federal seed for children of their employees. Trump noted that the combined public and private inflows would inject roughly $800 million into equity markets for children in the first week. Dell's stock rose more than 7 percent after Trump publicly encouraged attendees to purchase the company's computers.

Eligibility rules limit the federal seed to children who will not turn 18 by the end of the calendar year, while the Dell pledge targets those born before 2025. Enrollment is available at TrumpAccounts.gov at no cost to families. Several donors have structured gifts around state adoption or income thresholds, creating variation in which children receive supplemental funds beyond the baseline government contribution.