"Our Kids' Favorite Stocks Are Samjeon and Tesla"

As the number of minor stock investors continues to steadily increase, KB Securities reported that the number of minor customers reached 170,000 last year. This represents approximately a 15-fold increase compared to 2019.

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On the 5th, KB Securities announced that during the past year, the number of minor customers (ages 0 to 18) who held stocks at least once reached 175,260. This is about 15 times more than the 11,632 customers in 2019. The proportion of minor customers relative to the total KB Securities customer base also rose by 4.43 percentage points, from 1.50% to 5.93%.

As of the end of last year, the top 5 domestic stocks held by minor customers of KB Securities were Samsung Electronics, EcoEye, Samsung Electronics Preferred, POSCO Holdings, and LG Energy Solution, while the top 5 overseas stocks were Tesla, Apple, Nvidia, Alphabet A, and INVESCO QQQ TRUST UN. Most of these were large-cap stocks suitable for long-term investment.

Additionally, with the availability of fractional trading for domestic and overseas stocks, interest in small-scale investments using pocket money such as New Year's money has increased. About 9.6% of minor stock-holding customers last year also held fractional shares through small investments. There is also a regular purchase service that allows customers to conveniently accumulate stocks like a savings plan by setting desired stocks, frequency, and amounts.

Furthermore, minor children have shown strong interest in public offering subscriptions, which have been gaining popularity recently. Last year, 55,373 minor customers participated in public offering subscriptions through KB Securities, with an average participation rate of 2.7 times per person during this period.

Moreover, minor customers primarily use the Mobile Trading System (MTS) for stock trading. For domestic stocks, 73.1% of minor customers use KB Securities’ MTS platforms KB M-able (M-able) or M-able mini (M-able Mini), and for overseas stocks, the usage rate is 91.2%.

If a minor child does not yet have a stock account, it is possible to open an account remotely without visiting a branch by using KB Securities’ MTS platforms KB M-able or M-able mini.

To open a minor child’s account remotely, one must obtain a ▲Family Relation Certificate and ▲Basic Certificate from the Government24 website. Once the authenticity of the issuance numbers of these documents is verified remotely, the account opening is completed.

For minor children, tax-free gifts of up to 20 million KRW every 10 years, totaling up to 40 million KRW, are allowed until the age of 19. However, since the gift amounts from the past 10 years are aggregated from the date of the gift, gifting at a younger age is more advantageous for tax savings.

Kim Young-il, head of KB Securities’ M-able Land Tribe, said, "I recommend diversifying portfolios using stock accounts not only for simple deposits and savings but also through regular stock purchases or public offering subscriptions for your children." He added, "If your child likes chicken, consider stocks of chicken companies; if they have a favorite idol, stocks of their agency; or stocks of their favorite sneaker brand. By trading small amounts, children can learn about stock price fluctuations based on issues and market conditions from an early age and develop sound financial awareness."

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