What surprised is that? Please share.

eh - Uni student. U really need me to "draw out colon" (literal Cantonese translation) ar?
poh poh.. ardi su te..

Last time I checked I didn't see any commission free ETFs at all in TDAM Asia, I'll check again next time I log in.

But yeah you can just buy 1 stock / ETF. The commission free ETFs Maden TDAM great for buy and hold!

Again for longer term stuff (which is all I have at the moment) I've gone with the Ireland domiciled equivalents which aren't traded on the USA exchanges (avoids half of the 30% Witholding tax on dividends!)

I think 500-1000 USD probably isn't worth it to be honest

You need to consider the fees for depositing funds etc too - if you were to deposit $10,000 or $500 your TT charges will be about the same, eating up either 0.5% or 10%!

Care to share the link of that Ireland broker?
Also, does it have more or less the same selection as TDAM or better?

I meant Ireland domiciled ETFs, I trade them though Interactive Brokers - not a broker in Ireland. They're traded on different exchanges ( i.e. LSE) which Interactive Brokers has, but TDAM / Asia doesn't.

This post has been edited by rjb123: Oct 29 2016, 01:26 PM

To maximise profit and for holding long term say at least 5 years, do you recommend US based/Ireland based ETF?

Also what's your opinion about optionsXpress as a broker. It's quite popular among Singaporeans vs TD Ameritrade Asia in terms of cost savings.

Also, you mentioned

So if I am buying ETF for long term holding, I need >USD10k for it to be worth it?

Er, cannot understand cantonese.

This post has been edited by Ramjade: Oct 29 2016, 02:11 PM

Ouch ... mean I have long way to put my feet into US market then...thanks for your information

u can start small

Will do ... but still need 3500usd to open Td Ameritrade Asia account ...

Not necessary must use TD.
Try other broker

hi,

Concerning the Ireland domiciled ETFs that traded at LSE,
anyone here use local brokerage's foreign stock account to buy?

I am thinking of bogleheads stye investing practice via the accumulated ETFs there (accumulated ETF means no dividend distribution).

I think this save me hassle of open non-malaysian account, USD TT.
As the only "cost" I see is on the one time purchase/sale charge on brokerage fee/stamp duty/currency rate,
but it is conveniently just paid from my existing MYR account in my local brokerage (only problem is cannot offset purchase/sale contract).

thanks for any feedback.

p.s one side note that I realise on US domiciled account is that we cant run away from US estate tax if amount is larger than USD60K (I am small fish but for anyone with long term plan there)

This post has been edited by asimov82: Oct 29 2016, 10:24 PM

Can't advise on local brokerages as I have no experience in using those.

Regarding the estate tax if you were to pass away that's true - however in the case of Ireland domiciled ETFs those wouldn't count towards that amount as those assets aren't cosnidered US domiciled

A US domiciled ETF for example or cash inside your US broker would be.

Do u have any recommended US broker that still accept malaysia client ?

u can try sogotrade

Thanks I will check them out

For those worrying (maybe just me) about IRS' estate tax on NRA's "amount >USD60K"
Bolded = my highlighting of what i think is pertinent to IRS' categorised as NRAs (non-resident aliens), like me,.

Just to share on TDAmeritrade Asia (ie. SG) response on estate taxes (ie when i die, my assets with TDAA macam mana)
"
TD Ameritrade Asia Pte. Ltd. is registered with ACRA in Singapore and our accounts are considered as domiliced in Singapore. The assets in an account will be distributed in accordance with Probate after receipt of all required information. We are however not tax professionals and hence cannot confirm if US Estate Taxes will or will not apply to any single individual. Please consult a professional tax advisor on whether US Estate Tax applies to your personal tax profile.

Any Estate Tax payable in Singapore is a matter between the Estate and the IRAS. The following link may be of some assistance with respect to IRAS Estate Tax https://www.iras.gov.sg/irashome/Other-Taxe...ty/Estate-Duty/ however, we strongly recommend that you speak with your professional tax advisor to ensure you are fully informed.
"

thanks for the effort, sound like they never handle such real scenario before...
to me, if the asset is regulated/protected by country A then it's considered tax-treated as in country A. (just my no-basis assumption...)

Compared to the response from OX (OptionsXpress) SG - it was incredibly much clearer + more "action-able".

OX just responded that they aren't tax blah blah and to consult my own tax expert blah blah
alo - in Malaysia la, i did check lar - and unless my pockets are real deep...
BTW - i did poke US' IRS too via email heheh - same kaka, they asked me to contact on of the listed tax accredited advisers blah blah..

if i had millions of USD in US ok lar tapi... more than $60K, less than worthwhile to do the above..
the feeling of being between a rock & a hard place / devil & deep blue sea

AND have to worry about it coz my sis & my investments - if i solo, ok lar my own problem... but my sis piggy back on my trades & investments..

This post has been edited by wongmunkeong: Nov 10 2016, 03:51 PM

Maybe Hansel can help you.