How to use stocks certificate as a gift to a teenager?
Yes, depending on what you're trying to achieve. If its just a symbolic gift - you can use a service like this. There are several companies providing this service, look them up, but the prices are fairly the same. You'll end up getting a real stock certificate, but it will cost a lot of overhead (around $40 to get the certificate, and then another $40 to deposit it into a brokerage account if you want to sell it on a stock exchange). So although the certificate is real and the person whose name on it is a full-blown shareholder, it doesn't actually have much value (unless you buy a Google or Apple stock, where the price is much much higher than the fees). Take into account that it takes around 2 months for the certificate to be issued and mailed to you, so time accordingly. Otherwise, you can open a custodial brokerage account, and use it to buy stocks for the minor. Both ways are secure and legal, each for its own purpose and with its own fees.
If this is a practical, rather than hypothetical, question, the best advice that we could give would be to see a lawyer.  If you think your teenager has done something illegal, get a lawyer.  The lawyer will then take care of notifying the relevant parties and manage the accusations.   In most cases, it would be sufficient to notify the police directly.  They understand the concept of scams, and many of them have teenagers of their own.  Most of the time, they will try to work with you rather than against you.  But if you are really worried about it, this is what lawyers do.  A lawyer can separate the teenager and the police, so the teenager makes no admissions.  But the lawyer can get the necessary information to the police so that neither the teenager nor you is subject to an obstruction of justice charge.   We can help you by pointing to resources or suggesting ways to document what has happened or is happening.  Or just point out that something is a scam.  But if you are worrying about prosecution, we can't really help you.  You can't confide the relevant details to us.  There is no asker/answerer confidentiality.  Everything is published on the internet with archives.  Without those relevant details, how good will our advice be?   Talk to a lawyer.  The lawyer can tell you what you can and cannot do.  And what you tell the lawyer is privileged.  So even if you admit criminality, the lawyer can't then tell anyone.  And if you're worried that the lawyer might be restricted by what you've said, you can fire the lawyer and hire another.   The first thing to do when you find yourself in a hole is stop digging.  Trying to fix things for your teenager is digging.  Go to a lawyer and share your concerns.  Maybe some of them are groundless.  From what you've shared, you could go to the police.  But perhaps there is more that we don't know.  If so and you are reluctant to share publicly on the internet, that's sensible.  Go to a lawyer and share in private.   If you are indigent and can't afford an attorney, look into Legal Aid.  They may be in the phone book.  If not, call the local bar association and ask for a referral for free legal advice for someone low income.  Try to have a generic description of the problem, e.g. you're worried that someone scammed your teenager into doing something illegal.   And just to say this one more time.  As you've described things, it seems like you should be able to just go to the police and the bank and describe the scam.  I don't hear anything that they would prosecute.  If you've left something out that changes things, then a lawyer is the way to go.  Then you can disclose everything to get advice. Theres a reason there making minimum wage to begin with. The job requires no skill and is for teenagers with MINIMUM skill. There is a reason the job is made for teenagers and not adults trying to support a family. Also raising minimum wage is gonna hurt there employees as they will higher less and have to raise prices on there products just to pay there genius stockboys and genius checkout workers who are solving world hunger. First, you need to understand that not  every investor's goals are the same. Some investors are investing for income. They want to invest in a profitable company and use the profit from the company as income. If that investor invests only in stocks that do not pay a dividend, the only way he can realize income is to sell his investment. But he can invest in companies that pay a regular dividend and use that income while keeping his investment intact.  Imagine this: Let's say I own a profitable company, and I offer to sell you part ownership in that company. However, I tell you this upfront: no matter how much profit our company makes, you will never get a penny from me. You will be getting a stock certificate - a piece of paper - and that's it. You can watch the company grow, and you can tell yourself you own it, but the only way you will personally benefit from your investment would be to sell your piece to someone else, who would also never see a penny in profit. Does that sound like a good investment? The fact of the matter is, stocks in companies that do not distribute dividends do have value, but this value is largely based on the potential of profits/dividends at some point in the future. If a company vows never ever to pay dividends, why would anyone invest?  An investment would be more of a donation (like Kickstarter) at that point.  A company that pays dividends is possibly past their growth stage. That doesn't necessarily mean that they have stopped growing altogether, but remember that an expansion project for any company does not automatically yield a good result. If a company does not have a good opportunity currently for a growth project, I as an investor would rather get a dividend than have the company blow all the profit on a ill-fated gamble. "It's not a ponzi scheme, and it does create value. I think you are confusing ""creating value"" and ""producing something"". The stock market does create value, but not in the same way as Toyota creates value by making a car. The stock market does not produce anything. The main way money enters the stock market is through investors investing and taking money out.   The only other cash flow is in through dividends and out when businesses go public.  &  The stock market goes up only when more people invest in it. Although the stock market keeps tabs on Businesses, the profits of Businesses do not actually flow into the Stock Market. Earnings are the in-flow that you are missing here. Business profits DO flow back into the stock market through earnings and dividends. Think about a private company: if it has $100,000 in profits for the year then the company keeps $100,000, but if that same company is publicly traded with  100,000 shares outstanding then, all else being equal, each of those shares went up by $1. When you buy stock, it is claimed that you own a small portion of the company. This statement has no backing, as you cannot exchange your stock for the company's assets. You can't go to an Apple store and try to pay with a stock certificate, but that doesn't mean the certificate doesn't have value. Using your agriculture example, you wouldn't be able to pay with a basket of tomatoes either. You wouldn't even be able to pay with a lump of gold! We used to do that. It was called the barter system.  Companies also do buy shares back from the market using company cash. Although they usually do it through clearing-houses that are capable of moving blocks of 1,000 shares at a time." It is the first time I encounter redemption programme and I would like to know what are my options here You can hold on to the shares and automatically receive 2.25 SEK per share some time after 31-May; depending on how fast the company and its bank process the payouts. Alternatively you can trade in the said window for whatever the market is offering. how is this different from paying the dividend? I don't know much about Sweden laws. Structuring this way may be tax beneficial. The other benefit in in company's books the shareholders capital is reduced. can I trade these redemption shares during these 2 weeks in May? What is the point of trading them if they have fixed price? Yes you can. If you need money sooner ... generally the price will be discounted by few cents to cover the interest for the balance days. I have an ESPP with E*Trade; you can transfer stock like that via a physical (paper) asset-transfer form. Look for one of those, and if you can't find it, call your brokerage (or email / whatever). You own the shares, so you can generally do what you want with them. Just be very careful about recording all the purchase and transfer information so that you can deal properly with the taxes. A revocable trust? Else the title would be his...vs recieving a gift that large. Make it a business investment like a holding company. And use the trust as agreement to shares. "Roth is currently not an option, unless you can manage to document income. At 6, this would be difficult but not impossible. My daughter was babysitting at 10, that's when we started her Roth.  The 529 is the only option listed that offers the protection of not permitting an 18 year old to ""blow the money."" But only if you maintain ownership with the child as beneficiary. The downside of the 529 is the limited investment options, extra layer of fees, and the potential to pay tax if the money is withdrawn without child going to college. As you noted, since it's his money already, you should not be the owner of the account. That would be stealing.  The regular account, a UGMA, is his money, but you have to act as custodian. A minor can't trade his own stock account. In that account, you can easily manage it to take advantage of the kiddie tax structure. The first $1000 of realized gains go untaxed, the next $1000 is at his rate, 10%. Above this, is taxed at your rate, with the chance for long tern capital gains at a 15% rate.  When he actually has income, you can deposit the lesser of up to the full income or $5500 into a Roth. This was how we shifted this kind of gift money to my daughter's Roth IRA. $2000 income from sitting permitted her to deposit $2000 in funds to the Roth. The income must be documented, but the dollars don't actually need to be the exact dollars earned. This money grows tax free and the deposits may be withdrawn without penalty. The gains are tax free if taken after age 59-1/2.  Please comment if you'd like me to expand on any piece of this answer."