Brokerage Strategy Lens
The brokerage accounts are not all passive-income engines today. They are capital pools to be classified by tax sensitivity, liquidity, currency exposure and redeployment potential.
Current Strategic Watchlist
- Schwab U.S. brokerage: do not actively trade because of tax implications; future redeployment requires tax-aware planning.
- IBKR USD cash: large cash balance currently generating credit interest; review as potential redeployment capital only after liquidity reserve and tax/currency implications are clear.
- IBKR NVDA concentration: major unrealised gain; not passive income and not a cash-flow source unless realised or converted.
- 401(k) assets: included in USD known assets; later evaluate allocation, rollover, withdrawal and retirement-income planning.
Rules Before Action
- Do not treat unrealised gains as passive income.
- Do not annualise IBKR YTD income until a full-year pattern is available or a clear projection rule is chosen.
- Do not move taxable U.S. brokerage assets without tax review.
- Keep custody location separate from currency/economic exposure.
- Keep FX conversion pending until a formal USD/SGD and MYR/SGD rule is set.