Ask Paul: Where can we start investing for our newborn?

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We have recently had a baby boy and would like to set up some form of investment or account where we will deposit money on a regular basis.

Our intention is that he will access it later in life.

What do you suggest would be a suitable course of action that has limited risk but will tick over until the time comes? - Rob

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A. What a great idea, Rob!

My parents did this for me from birth with not a lot of money each year and in my mid to late 20s it made a huge difference to buying a home and starting my business.

We did the same with our three kids and are about to do it again with our new grandchild.

I suggest an exchange traded fund (ETF) where you can make regular contributions.

The huge and very low-cost managers such as Vanguard and BlackRock are an easy way to get a global or balanced-type fund.

Dollar cost averaging and compound returns will do the heavy lifting for you.

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Paul Clitheroe AM is the founder of Money and serves as the publication's editorial adviser. One of Australia's most trusted personal finance experts, Paul has spent decades helping Australians build wealth, manage debt and make smarter money decisions. He is widely known for host­ing the Money TV program and authoring best-selling personal finance books. Since launching Money in 1999, he has played a leading role in delivering practical, independent financial guidance to Australians. Paul is chair of InvestSMART Financial Services. He was the founding chair of Ecstra Foundation, a national not-for-profit focused on improving financial wellbeing, from 2018 to 2026, and led the Australian Government's Financial Literacy Board and Financial Literacy Australia from 2004 to 2019. In academia, Paul is chair in financial literacy at Macquarie University, where he is also a Professor in the School of Business and Economics. Ask Paul your money question. Due to volume, Paul cannot respond to questions posted in the comments section.