Indeed

If you have a USD account in Malaysia that's more convenient - of course you need to exchange to fund that account sometime also.

i have email and ask TDAA about require amount to open account...
here the reply by TDAA.

help@tdameritradeasia.com
Oct 22 (2 days ago)

to me
Hello,

It is USD 3,500. Let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Kind Regards,

Melvin Ho
Manager, Trade Desk

well, unfortunaly...i cant open with them yet..dont have the capital yet...
i also found Firstrade this broker....anyone using this broker ?

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

I have been reading those last few pages (about 5-7). It looks like IB is the way to go. Regarding the min usd100k, does that take into account your total amount in the ETFs or just how much you have in your funding account?

Also, are those Ireland domicile ETF a mirror image of say Vanguard Total Stock Market or are those Ireland domicile ETF based on companies in Ireland only?

TD Ameritrade Asia - min usd3500

But i got to email enquiring on any monthly charges due to inactivity.

I wan to start small with something new. Cannot simply throw much.limited bullet and got typhoon blowing over now.

So, are u still stick to local brokerage ? Or u have started with TD Ameritrade Asia?

Anyone know of a local broker with fees that are near TDAA? Everyone seems to be charging a minimum of $25 over here. That's pretty painful.

According to what I found on other forums Citi global transfer service doesn't work to institutional accounts.

Anyway, no harm in trying!

Can i be friend with you ? I really need you this kind of friends .
All my friend either like to drinks or club    Can i buy u a meal or something , i promise it will be good and not mamak?

Been reading all 19 pages on ETF, funding etc...what an eye opener.

Been reading up on DriveWealth broker as well. seems like a relatively new fintech company that is a member of FINRA and SIPC, so i guess it's legal.

From the practice account, there are pros and cons:

Pros:
1. multiple funding options: TT only incur the cost at the bank and no charges from their side, funding using credit card etc
2. commission USD2.99/trade
3. can buy a fraction of share
4. min deposit USD50-60 (including misc fees)
5. web site seems very simple and graphical, probably good for beginners

Cons:
1. only limited stocks available to trade
2. less common compare to big boys. can last long term?
3. no GTD functionality. So order last for 1 trading day only
4. withdrawal USD45 each time
5. security concern?

Cant seem to find much info about this broker but seems to attract retail customers (claim to have >100k retail customers). Worth the risk?

What are ETFs?


DEFINITION OF 'EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND - ETF' Source

Benefits of ETFs Source

The Benefits of Trading Like a Stock

Low Expense Ratios

Diversification

How to buy ETFs?


Taxation

Funding

Useful Links

1. It's just an assumption for me to get a feel of the numbers. Whether it's tdaa or ib I'll just need to adjust the numbers to reflect accordingly.
3. I got that value from the first post where it's stayed that roughly the total tt charges would be around usd 50. That rm10 is just charges by local banks. I would assume that there might be some charges by receiving and intermediate banks in us.
5. I thought as nra, were eligible to get a 15% deduction on the wt if we fill up some form by every April? Well,I suppose that is still some extra work compared to buying Ireland domiciled etf.

Tbh, 30k would be close to what i earn yearly. I supposed us etf is just out of my reach atm.

Thanks for your feedback.

actually, I have the usd10k now for my initial investment. However, it took me four years to save up due to the increase in exchange rates.

That means if I were to go ahead, I can only buy once now, save up another four years then only top up. I supposed this wouldn't be advisable? Or is my understanding wrong?

I understand that earning through investing/trading is anything but simple. I would like to think that I am not greedy and do not look to make quick money, else I would definitely be in forex and actual stock trading.

However, everytime I research on methods to investing, I come across many who would recommended investing long term in index funds, particularly vanguard funds even for your everyday average joe/jane. Most of them mentioned that index funds:
1. In the long term would provide decent returns. Nothing too fancy, amazing nor terrible which is what I am looking for.
2. In the long term, it is rather stable due to their diversification (Equity across the whole US economy and the whole world's economy + Bonds which covers the whole US economy)
3. In the long term, if one can weather the major dips and not pull out, eventually after many years it will eventually recover. Whereas, one may stand the chance lose all their money in other types of investment.

All these points mentioned by other websites recommending Index funds make it sounds like it is something which one can buy and be relatively comfortable that it is quite unlikely to lose all their investment in the event of a major financial crisis, provided one can weather the downturn period and not pullout. That is why it seems quite interesting to me.

The only downside and blocker at the moment is the fact that I am earning in MYR which translate to the huge sum which is required in order to make the investment worthwhile be it through a US or SG brokerage.

I do acknowledge that there are risks involved by investing in index funds, although I may not be able to properly size/feel it due to my inexperience. Like you have mentioned "if u hv not seen the devil, u will not cry".

However, at the moment, I can only think of three major risks with regards to investing in Vanguard index fund ETF. Please do enlightened me on any other risks of investing in Vanguard index fund ETF. 
1. MYR/USD forex fluctuation.
2. Risk of fees eating up profit if investments amount is too small.
3. US & World economy downturn (though, wouldn't this also affect other funds/investment types in other countries to an extent?)

I go with a mixture of a few ETFs (LSE traded) but 0% Bonds right now as still fairly cash heavy. This year has been a busy one so haven't really touched anything in a while

Excellent summary. Answered a lot of my inner pondering especially the relationships between different countries economics, relationships between world/international indexes-sector indexes-company stocks, and your personal practices. Domou Arigatou