Brad Gerstner on 'Trump Accounts' and the Travel Leaders He Still Calls First

Brad Gerstner's Invest America, which turned into Trump Accounts, could be a game-changer for tens of millions of American kids.

Altimeter Capital CEO and travel industry veteran Brad Gerstner opened custodial investment accounts for his two sons at birth — but it was his son Lincoln’s question at the kitchen table that led to a national policy.

"Well this doesn't seem fair," Lincoln said. "Why do we get these and what about the other kids?"

Gerstner said that was the spark for the Invest America initiative and the creation of "Trump Accounts."

Under the new law, every American under age 18 will be eligible to open a tax-deferred investment account starting around July 4, 2026, and those born after December 31, 2024 will get $1,000 in government seed funding.

Several corporations, including Uber, Zillow, T-Mobile, Nvidia, Salesforce, and iHeartMedia, have committed to giving $2,500 to employees' kids as a tax-free benefit.

"Of course, less than 5% of kids in America currently have [investment] accounts," Gerstner told Skift. "And not surprisingly, the kids who do have the accounts are kids whose parents are pretty affluent. And so I g