Audio By Carbonatix
President Donald Trump’s latest branded policy idea, “Trump Accounts,” is essentially a government-seeded investment account for kids. The plan calls for a $1,000 federal deposit for babies born in the United States between 2025 and 2028, with the money invested in index funds until they turn eighteen.
But a new boost to the program spreads it beyond the kids who fall outside the federal birth window: Michael and Susan Dell of Dell computer fame announced a $6.25 billion pledge on Tuesday, December 2, to as many as 25 million children. If carried out, the pledge would put $250 in the investment accounts of kids ten and under who live in ZIP codes with a median household income of $150,000 or less.
On paper, that sounds targeted to lower- and middle-income communities, but in reality — at least in Colorado — it’s almost everyone.
Using Google’s Data Commons tool to extrapolate which Zip codes qualified for Trump’s proposed investment accounts, only a dozen of Colorado’s 500-plus Zip codes rose above the threshold. Zip codes that fall outside the range are affluent suburbs, mountain-fringe towns, and some fast-growing exurban pockets. (Please don’t take these results as official, however, as we’re not sure what data the Dells will use)
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Only one Denver ZIP code clears the bar: 80238, the Central Park neighborhood formerly known as Stapleton. See below:
- 80108 — Castle Rock
- 80454 — Coal Creek / Golden foothills area
- 80547 — Timnath
- 80007 — Arvada (northwest suburbs)
- 80125 — Littleton (Roxborough / Chatfield area)
- 80126 — Highlands Ranch
- 80238 — Denver (Central Park)
- 80132 — Monument / northern El Paso County
- 80130 — Highlands Ranch
- 80118 — Larkspur
- 80027 — Louisville
- 80116 — Franktown
We double-checked to make sure Aspen wasn’t mistakenly left off this list, but apparently, the exclusive ski town’s service workers bring down the median.
The “Trump Accounts” themselves remain a work in progress. If implemented, employers and parents would be able to add to the children’s accounts, as well. We’re no investment experts, but with at least eight years to mature, and much longer for younger children, these kids will definitely be looking forward to their eighteenth birthdays if these accounts actually materialize.
