• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary says if he were 25 today, he'd chase these two booming opportunities in the world of AI

2

The stock market is about to suffer a 'snapback' and will lose much of this year's gains as 'speculation is hitting extreme levels,' BofA warns

3

Even as Elon Musk calls philanthropy ‘very hard,’ everyday Americans gave a record $617 billion—despite feeling the squeeze over the cost of living

1

Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary says if he were 25 today, he'd chase these two booming opportunities in the world of AI

2

The stock market is about to suffer a 'snapback' and will lose much of this year's gains as 'speculation is hitting extreme levels,' BofA warns

3

Even as Elon Musk calls philanthropy ‘very hard,’ everyday Americans gave a record $617 billion—despite feeling the squeeze over the cost of living
CommentaryParenting

Babylist CEO: The Trump Accounts gold rush is overlooking moms

By
Natalie Gordon
Natalie Gordon
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Natalie Gordon
Natalie Gordon
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 6, 2026, 3:00 PM ET
t
US President Donald Trump rings the opening bell for the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Nasdaq in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, July 6, 2026. Trump rang the opening bell for the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq from the Oval Office on Monday, a celebratory event to mark the launch of Trump Accounts, a new investment vehicle for children. Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

From the moment Trump Accounts were announced, fintech companies, banks, and investment platforms moved quickly to position themselves at the heart of a federal program that would draw national attention. In this rush to build products and partnerships, there’s someone missing from the conversation–the people who will make this program actually work. It’s the ones who account for the majority of family spending and lead the way on education savings decisions. It’s the most influential voice for American families.  It’s the moms. 

Recommended Video

At Babylist, nearly 40% of first-time parents use our platform, which gives us a unique vantage point into how modern families actually prepare, spend, and make decisions during one of the most disorienting financial moments of their lives. We see firsthand that becoming a parent is often the moment when families first begin thinking seriously about long-term financial planning. And while the industry is focused on products, distribution, and customer acquisition, parents are focused on a much simpler question: How do I give my child a better future?

The story of college, education, and the future of work is changing at a breakneck speed and the savings playbook families inherited was built for a world that no longer exists. The future of the economy feels deeply in question, so it’s no surprise that there’s a generation who is putting pause on starting a family. But that won’t work for America.

The evidence is clear: young people are stressed. What has long been a worry about whether you can be a “good parent” has become something even bigger: am I financially equipped to become a parent at all?

When Babylist surveyed over 1,300 new parents, just 29% felt confident that they would be able to reach their savings goals for their kid’s education. And the looming stress of college is one of the biggest financial worries in their lives, tied only with childcare, which hits especially hard in the first few years of a kid’s life: the time when parents are also expected to start saving.

We see this every day as expecting moms spend painstaking hours building a registry that will support their first months, trying to envision what is just around the corner while calculating how much diapers are going to cost in the first year. We also know that these same moms are the ones likely to research educational savings accounts like the new 530A Trump Accounts, understand what they mean for their families, explain them to grandparents and relatives, and ultimately decide what to prioritize asking for.

That instinct to provide does not stop when the nursery is set up. I am a mom of two boys myself, and know firsthand that the moment you hold your newborn, the future stops being abstract. These moms want to teach their kids about resiliency, about kindness, and about what it means to be an American. They’re also playing out the realities of childcare, healthcare, and the unexpected. Let alone what the world will look like when this tiny baby turns 18. Every mom wants to set their kid up to feel like the world opens up to them when they become an adult, and a huge part of that is having financial safety to figure out where they want to go.

Having a baby is one of the most financially consequential moments in a family’s life. And we know that for many families, the need for support does not end when the baby arrives. This is the moment when both your community and your country should be able to show up for you.

Financial services have historically directed the investing conversation at men, even as moms are often the ones taking on the bulk of the research, planning, emotional labor and logistics of family life.

The challenge is that most parents still don’t know what a 530A account is, and that’s because much of the emerging Trump Accounts ecosystem has not been built or marketed in a way that parents can easily understand. The name alone is enough to make some parents walk away from $1000 that belongs to their kid and will compound over years. For years, we have talked to parents about these savings plans, but for many, opening a 529 account sinks to the bottom of a to-do list. It’s the thing you want to do and know that you need to do, but it just doesn’t rise above the daily grind of diapers, childcare, or the surprisingly short lifespan of an adorable outfit.

The details are buried under language like ‘contribution pilot program,’ IRS form numbers, and are built for compliance rather than someone holding a newborn. The industry is treating this like a financial product launch, packaging it in the language of markets, growth, and political proximity. The conversation about Trump Accounts is out of step with the real consumer need.

Moms need clear information, simple steps to take with their extremely limited free time, and confidence that their country supports them as they raise the next generation. For Trump Accounts to be a success, they need to be embraced and championed by everyday moms who believe that this is a story of opportunity, that it feels like true support.

This is what will truly determine the long-term success of Trump Accounts: not how many financial institutions offer them, but whether the millions of eligible moms decide they are worth opening, understand how they work, and encourage friends and family to invest in their child’s future from day one.

Trump Accounts have the potential to change how parents think about long-term savings, including college savings, by turning a “someday” decision into a “now” conversation. It’s the start of what should be a much larger story of access and support for moms and parents in this country. Growing families have long felt that this country is not set up to help them succeed, and while these accounts will not solve the cost of raising a child, they do offer a sliver of help and hope that how we support parents could become a mainstream conversation.

In 2043, the first kids eligible for Trump Accounts will be headed to college. Right now, those same kids are learning their first words and taking their first steps. And those moms see both the baby in their arms and the young adult stepping out of their house, hopefully, into a world of opportunity they were able to set up from day one.

The opinions expressed in Fortune.com commentary pieces are solely the views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of Fortune.

About the Author
By Natalie Gordon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Commentary

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Natalie Gordon is the Founder and CEO of Babylist, the leading platform for growing families. Each year, more than 10 million people shop through Babylist, making it the go-to destination for seamless purchasing, trusted guidance, and expert product recommendations for new parents and the people who love them. Natalie founded Babylist in 2011 while pregnant with her first child, driven by a vision to create a better baby registry experience. Under her leadership, this bootstrapped start-up has grown into a profitable, multi-channel business. Today, Babylist stands as a generational brand driving $750M in revenue in 2025, recently celebrating 100 million gifts given through its platform. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Waterloo. Natalie is known for her founder-first approach, visionary leadership, and deep commitment to supporting new families. She lives in Berkeley, CA with her two sons.


Latest in Commentary

t
CommentaryParenting
Babylist CEO: The Trump Accounts gold rush is overlooking moms
By Natalie GordonJuly 6, 2026
1 hour ago
e
CommentaryCorporate Governance
SpaceX’s supervoting shares put a decades-old governance debate back in play
By Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven TianJuly 6, 2026
3 hours ago
katie
CommentaryData centers
Katie McGinty: The energy economy’s biggest waste problem is already inside the system
By Kathleen “Katie” McGintyJuly 6, 2026
10 hours ago
cc
CommentaryEducation
Former Trump official: Washington finally let Pell Grants pay for welding school, then buried the idea in 85 pages of red tape
By Caroline CasagrandeJuly 6, 2026
11 hours ago
k
CommentaryBox office
How Hollywood’s youngest filmmakers are exposing Gen Z’s real problem with AI
By Reid LitmanJuly 5, 2026
1 day ago
k
Commentary250 Years of Innovation
Media leadership unity in defying Trump’s assault on free speech: standing tall against historic comparisons
By Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Jeff Bewkes, Kay Koplovitz, Tom Glocer and Marvin KalbJuly 4, 2026
2 days ago

Most Popular

Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary says if he were 25 today, he'd chase these two booming opportunities in the world of AI
AI
Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary says if he were 25 today, he'd chase these two booming opportunities in the world of AI
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 5, 2026
1 day ago
The stock market is about to suffer a 'snapback' and will lose much of this year's gains as 'speculation is hitting extreme levels,' BofA warns
Investing
The stock market is about to suffer a 'snapback' and will lose much of this year's gains as 'speculation is hitting extreme levels,' BofA warns
By Jason MaJuly 5, 2026
1 day ago
Even as Elon Musk calls philanthropy ‘very hard,’ everyday Americans gave a record $617 billion—despite feeling the squeeze over the cost of living
Success
Even as Elon Musk calls philanthropy ‘very hard,’ everyday Americans gave a record $617 billion—despite feeling the squeeze over the cost of living
By Preston ForeJuly 4, 2026
3 days ago
Egg companies made $1.22 billion in profit off a $6 carton — now they’re buying their way out of a price-fixing case with 53 million donated eggs
Law
Egg companies made $1.22 billion in profit off a $6 carton — now they’re buying their way out of a price-fixing case with 53 million donated eggs
By Wyatte Grantham-Philips and The Associated PressJuly 2, 2026
4 days ago
Gen Z was 'jaded about employment before we ever entered the workforce'—now psychologists say the stare has hardened into something worse
Economy
Gen Z was 'jaded about employment before we ever entered the workforce'—now psychologists say the stare has hardened into something worse
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 6, 2026
13 hours ago
Meet the Zillennials: The luckiest micro-generation in the workforce, born between 1993 and 1998
AI
Meet the Zillennials: The luckiest micro-generation in the workforce, born between 1993 and 1998
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 3, 2026
4 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.