Great idea/advice :)
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Getting back to which fund - any other suggestions or comments on USF v TWF or maybe even AIF?
For the sums you're dealing with, investment in overseas equities does matter. Sharesies etc. would not care if you're small investor or a big time roller and i'm quite certain (or I would be surprised otherwise) that their USF and TWF funds would be bound by IRD's FIF tax rate. I also would be surprised if any of those overseas invested funds would outperform the other method... for which is to invest in those funds directly.
In a different thread, you may recall I said if you're dealing with small sums... you should buy the index ETFs directly and not through some managed fund structure like USF. Because the key point is FIF does NOT apply for amounts under $50K in value. All the capital gains would be tax free vs under managed funds, they're bounded to FIF and have to pay for it on years of losses. While for yourself that invests directly, you can choose the 'Comparative Rate' method for FIF and pay no taxes on years that you have a loss. Get the picture?
I don't understand what you mean by "invest in the index ETF directly." The Smartshares US 500 ETF invests in the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, which tracks the S&P 500 Index. I can't invest directly into the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, through Sharesies - only via the Smartshares ETF. What exactly are you proposing that I should do?
EDIT: did you mean “invest in the index directly” - not “invest in the index ETF directly?”
Open yourself an account in the US and send the funds there so you can start trading / buying.
https://interactivebrokers.com/inv/e...p#open-account
This is a proper brokerage account and none of the fluff we have in NZ brokerage firms. Their commissions are competitive with again, none of the rip-off account management fees we see by NZ providers. IB also have brokers in Australia if you find having a US account is too far away.
Once your funded and ready to make your investment, the world is your oyster. But since your interest is specifically with Vanguard S&P500 ETF, it's ticker is VOO
https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/VOO
Since it's over $300 USD per share, you'll have to check if they do fractional shares. Also if you're only sending $20/week or so, then it may be a waste of time. I suggest to send much larger sums to make it worth while.
Consider TWF as per others or possibly InvestNow vanguard international AUT (tax implications but low fee). Personally I’m using Simplicity growth for my kids as they have a great ‘Where in the world is my money invested’ section where it tells you beautifully the top 10 portfolio companies with the dollar value. Most are NZ companies so easy to relate to for teaching. You can play around with amounts in the calculator as well.