Investing in US and global markets from Singapore

Choose an overseas broker you understand, cut currency and tax leakage, and keep the records your family and you will need later.

Buying a US stock from Singapore takes two minutes on an app. Knowing what you actually own takes longer, and most people skip it. They do not know which legal entity holds their shares, how much the currency conversion cost them, why their dividends arrive 30% short, or that the US can tax their holdings when they die. None of this shows up until it costs money. This course works through the plumbing of owning overseas assets: custody, protection, FX, withholding, estate exposure, fund domicile, orders and records. Each module ends with a check you run on your own accounts.

What you'll be able to do

• Identify the legal entity, regulator and custody arrangement behind every brokerage account you hold
• Calculate the full currency conversion cost of a trade and choose a cheaper way to convert
• Explain US dividend withholding and confirm your W-8BEN is on file and current
• Estimate your exposure to US estate tax and list the assets that create it
• Compare a US-domiciled and an Irish-domiciled ETF on tax, cost and practicality
• Place market, limit and stop orders with a checklist that avoids common mistakes
• Keep a record of trades, FX rates, dividends and withholding that lets you track your return in SGD

Syllabus

Module 1: Know who actually holds your overseas shares

How custody works when you buy overseas, the main types of broker open to Singapore investors, and what protection applies if your broker fails, so you know where your assets sit and on what terms.

• 1.1 Your overseas shares sit in someone else's name
• 1.2 Three kinds of broker and what each one trades away
• 1.3 What happens to your shares if your broker fails
• 1.4 Check your broker's licence and custody set-up

Module 2: Stop losing money on currency conversion

Where foreign exchange costs hide in an overseas trade, the main ways to convert SGD to USD, and how conversion cost differs from currency risk, so you can price and cut the FX leg of every trade.

• 2.1 Where the FX cost hides in a US trade
• 2.2 Convert per trade, in bulk, or hold US dollars
• 2.3 Currency risk is not the same as conversion cost
• 2.4 Price the full cost of one US trade

Module 3: Understand US dividend withholding and the W-8BEN

Why part of every US dividend is taken before you see it, what the W-8BEN form does, and how Singapore treats the income that reaches you, so you can read your dividend statements and compare after-tax yields.

• 3.1 Why 30% of a US dividend never reaches you
• 3.2 What the W-8BEN does and does not do
• 3.3 How Singapore treats the dividends that reach you
• 3.4 Work out the after-tax yield on a US holding

Module 4: Plan for US estate tax before it matters

How the US can tax the US assets of a non-resident who dies, which holdings count, and what your family would face to get them back, so you can measure your exposure and decide what to do about it.

• 4.1 The US can tax your US shares when you die
• 4.2 Which of your holdings count as US assets
• 4.3 What your family faces to get the shares back
• 4.4 Estimate your family's exposure

Module 5: Use Irish-domiciled ETFs as an alternative

What fund domicile means, how Irish-domiciled UCITS ETFs change dividend withholding and estate exposure, and the trade-offs in cost, currency and listing, so you can compare two versions of the same index fairly.

• 5.1 Same index, different wrapper: what domicile means
• 5.2 How Irish domicile changes the dividend tax
• 5.3 Accumulating or distributing, and the other trade-offs
• 5.4 Compare a US-listed and an Irish-listed ETF on one index

Module 6: Place trades without surprises

US market hours from Singapore, the main order types and when each one hurts you, and how fractional shares are held, so you can place an order that fills at a price you expected.

• 6.1 US market hours from a Singapore timezone
• 6.2 Market, limit and stop orders, and when each one hurts
• 6.3 What you own when you buy a fractional share
• 6.4 Write your personal order checklist

Module 7: Keep the records you will need later

Which records overseas investors need, how to track your return in SGD rather than USD, and how to leave your accounts findable by your family, so your numbers are right and your holdings are never lost.

• 7.1 The records worth keeping and where to keep them
• 7.2 Track your real return in Singapore dollars
• 7.3 Make your overseas accounts findable
• 7.4 Build your overseas investing record book

Frequently asked questions

How long does the course take?

About seven and a half hours across seven modules, including the exercises. Most people take three to four weeks, because some steps involve checking accounts and waiting for broker replies.

Will this course tell me which broker or ETF to buy?

No. It teaches you how to check a broker and compare funds using their own documents and official registers. Brokers and funds are mentioned only as examples of a type, never as recommendations.

How is this different from Build and run an ETF portfolio?

That course decides what to hold and in what proportions. This one covers the mechanics of holding overseas assets from Singapore: custody, FX, tax and records. Many learners take both, in either order.

Is this financial or tax advice?

No. The course is education and does not replace financial advice. Tax rules change and depend on your situation, so check official IRS and IRAS guidance and speak to a licensed adviser or tax professional before acting.

Explore more

• All Academy courses