You'd need a pretty good ROR to grow 500 to 3000 in 18 years. Over 10%, by my reckoning. But it's not a bad start. If you started an account and dropped 1,000 in it every year, abstracting from inflation and assuming a real rate of return of 5%, you have almost 30,000 in 18 years. A little more interesting. Clinton & GOre have made similar proposals under the rubric of "tax cuts."
max
The UK Labour Government has trailed a proposal to give each baby at birth a few hundred pounds. Children of poorer families would get more, namely £500. Periodically a bit would be added.
If, but only if it is invested in the Stock Exchange it might reach £3000 by the 18th birthday, when the owner would be able to spend it, but probably on restricted items.
This I believe borrows from ideas in the USA.
It is the first time in the UK that benefits have been given in the form of capital.
As a way of unifying people it appears to be solve growing gaps by encouraging everyone to be "middle class".
Chris Burford