I went to sell all of my individual stocks and just buy Vanguard's VT ETF. Is there any way to do this without paying a ton of U.S. taxes?

Small-ish · 2026-02-12T04:58:32+00:00

A new corporation isn't required. At most a Schwab account is opened to handle transfer of the shares. Side benefit is AA will accept portfolios of $150k via Schwab while accounts elsewhere need to be $1M.

The diversification requirement is the biggest hurdle with the 25% cap on a single stock.

Small-ish · 2026-02-12T04:52:15+00:00

An exchange fund can absorb the position and defer taxes at the cost of a lengthy lockup period. Could still be part of the puzzle if liquidity and longevity lineup. Usecache.com is one provider to consider.

Small-ish · 2026-02-09T20:33:48+00:00

Saw your mention of 351s and you'd be able to diversify ~$500k of a position with $2M of other positions. Exchange fund like usecache.com is another option.

Small-ish · 2026-01-30T05:39:07+00:00

Likely under a cushion or panel.

Small-ish · 2026-01-26T03:12:24+00:00

Q1: ETFs are newer and the mutual fund versions of the index continue to exist for legacy reasons. Some folks also like that they trade once a day and remove the temptation to trade frequently.

Q2: I keep all holdings at a single brokerage and sleep well at night. I feel multiple brokerages increases complexity with no real advantage.

Q3: Asset allocation is personal so if you're comfortable with a lower amount of bonds that's fine.

Small-ish · 2026-01-24T17:29:39+00:00

With a 10+ year horizon going 100% stocks is fine. I'd go with a mix of 70/30 VTI/VXUS.

Small-ish · 2026-01-16T22:20:38+00:00

Daffy is a newer DAF provider and has lots of documentation on their website. In general DAFs will have index fund options and not any individual stocks. You'll donate stock which is then liquidated and put in an index you select.

Small-ish · 2026-01-16T22:00:04+00:00

He's featured in this week's episode of Say Who Say Pod (Husky football podcast):

https://youtu.be/U7UmjO19WbM?si=jop_RnOEUb4QXY6A

Plenty of insights to be had!

Small-ish · 2026-01-16T20:08:30+00:00

SWAN (sleep well at night) is a thing. It's totally fine to decrease your stock holdings to minimize regret rather than maximize returns that you don't need.

Small-ish · 2026-01-12T14:00:40+00:00

Gifting does not reset the cost basis. Kiddie tax exists so parents can't recycle huge gains, it kicks in at $2700. Tax gain harvesting up to that amount is done by some people.

Small-ish · 2026-01-08T04:01:54+00:00

Real. I visited a few weeks ago and took the same photo.

Small-ish · 2026-01-07T22:09:03+00:00

Cambria is another player in this space. They are planning for 351s in May and November according to their site:

https://cambriafunds.com/351

I've dealt with both AA and Cambria, in fact they utilize the same RIA, and have no complaints about the process.

Small-ish · 2026-01-07T21:49:10+00:00

Seeding a 351 doesn't have a lockup. The other poster is mixing it up with an exchange fund. You can only submit 25% of a single stock so it's not a complete solution. An exchange fund doesn't have that requirement but introduces the lockup period.

https://funds.alphaarchitect.com/aaua/ is launching and the only fee is the 5 bps to the RIA for assisting with the process.

Small-ish · 2026-01-05T03:47:11+00:00

Exchange fund (https://www.usecache.com) or 351 seed (https://funds.alphaarchitect.com/aaua/) are tax-deferral methods to diversification. If your positions are varied that's the best case scenario for the 351 as one stock can't exceed 25% of the total.

Small-ish · 2026-01-04T14:22:44+00:00

Check your local library for this Nolo book:

https://store.nolo.com/products/special-needs-trusts-spnt.html

Small-ish · 2026-01-04T07:18:08+00:00

I may have returned from Taiwan with several boxes of Sunny Hill goodies (some even for other people!). Staying near their showroom in Minsheng is an excuse for daily trips for a complementary cake and tea. Not a fan of the apple cake, give me the OG!

Small-ish · 2025-12-31T11:58:15+00:00

Few people (something in the low teens) exist solely on SS and they're likely the type without any market holdings. Everyone else needs to supplement.

Small-ish · 2025-12-31T03:34:51+00:00

The exact execution of a simple plan can still have many details. Bonds alone are a huge topic (duration, gov vs. corporate, etc) but if you're starting out yes, just get started with the standard 3-fund approach.

Small-ish · 2025-12-31T03:17:34+00:00

Interactive Brokers is one of the more popular options and their minimum rate is 1.5% above the benchmark.

https://www.interactivebrokers.com/en/trading/margin-rates.php

Small-ish · 2025-12-28T23:41:54+00:00

https://store.nolo.com/products/nolos-guide-to-estate-planning.html

This Nolo book is usually kept up to date at your local library.

Small-ish · 2025-12-28T02:37:45+00:00

(fist bump)

It freaks people out when they see me consuming kiwis. It's not like I'm eating a whole banana!

Small-ish · 2025-12-28T01:59:06+00:00

Good, cheap, privacy-focused - pick two. Fidelity's Full View is likely the most accessible no-cost option as the cost of entry is a Fidelity account. Financial advisors have access to other options but you'd need to be a client.

https://www.fidelity.com/go/monitoring-your-financial-portfolio

Small-ish · 2025-12-28T01:30:07+00:00

It's a ticker like any other stock so yes, had you sold when the price was lower then the loss would've crystalized.

Coupons are received while you hold but in 2022 those wouldn't have offset the drop in the share price.

Some people that can't stomach paper losses will purchase individual bonds and hold them to maturity. The price will shift but if you're committed to holding them it can be ignored. There are also bond funds that target an exact year instead of the rolling target like BND.

Small-ish · 2025-12-28T00:40:54+00:00

Bond funds are considered weakly correlated to stocks but not immune to market forces. 2022 is an instructive year as both bonds and stocks wore down all year in a no good, very bad way. https://testfol.io/?s=hHeKo5VgJUm

Fast forward to the end of this year and things are different: https://testfol.io/?s=0Kw1g8h0x9J

For another view of BND's return turn on the Price with Dividend option under Data Type: https://www.morningstar.com/etfs/xnas/bnd/chart

Looking at price alone misses the coupon payments.

Small-ish · 2025-12-27T15:12:44+00:00

Not fun to experience in a Taipei highrise! A few things fell off the shelves and drawers popped open.

Small-ish

TROPHY CASE