About Vested

Vested is a publication for Indian residents who want to invest in US markets and manage RSUs without getting lost in jargon, half-baked Reddit threads, or generic American advice that ignores how the LRS, TCS, and Indian tax law actually work.

Who’s behind Vested

Vested is the editorial publication of Rovia. Rovia is a global investment platform we’re building for global citizens. The premise is simple: if you live in the UK, UAE, India, or Singapore and earn US equity through your employer, you are already globally diversified. But brokerage rules, jurisdictional restrictions, and local compliance often stop you from investing the way a local does. Rovia exists to remove that friction. Live anywhere, invest where you feel like.

Vested is written by Shivang Badaya and Arnav Grover, the co-founders of Rovia. We write about what we work on every day — cross-border investing, RSU mechanics, Indian tax compliance, and the gaps between “what the platform shows you” and “what actually happens at filing time.”

Why this exists

If you live in India and earn (or hold) US assets — RSUs from a multinational employer, ETFs bought via the LRS, ESPP shares — most of the content out there is written for an American reader. It glosses over the parts that actually matter for you: 20% TCS on remittances, 25% US dividend withholding, capital gains classified as unlisted foreign equity, Form 67 for foreign tax credit, Schedule FA disclosures, and so on.

Vested is the publication we wished existed when we first started investing across borders. Every post is written from one assumption: you are an Indian resident, and the rules you operate under are Indian.

What you’ll find here

US investing — LRS mechanics, brokerage comparisons, ETF picks (VTI vs VOO vs QQQ, direct ETFs vs Indian international funds), capital gains taxation in INR, currency risk, and rebalancing across rupee and dollar portfolios.
RSU management — vesting mechanics, the sell-to-cover trap, US-India DTAA relief, when to hold vs. sell, diversification frameworks, how to evaluate an RSU offer, and how to redeploy proceeds.
Indian tax compliance — ITR-2 walkthroughs for RSU holders, Schedule FA foreign asset disclosure, Form 44 foreign tax credit, W-8BEN, 1042-S, advance tax under Section 234C, new vs old tax regime comparison, and AIS/26AS reconciliation.
Market coverage — earnings recaps for Mag-7 names with RSU-specific context: what the numbers mean for your August vest FMV, perquisite tax, and concentration decisions.
Calculators — interactive tools built around Indian rules: late filing interest (234A/234B/234F), advance tax (234C), and more. All free, no account required.

Editorial independence

Rovia funds Vested, but Vested doesn’t exist to sell Rovia. The posts you read here are written to be useful even if you never become a Rovia customer. Where Rovia is genuinely the relevant answer to something we’re explaining (for example, when discussing how to actually move shares out of a US-employer broker), we’ll say so plainly. Otherwise, we cover the ecosystem — INDmoney, the original Vested platform, IBKR, employer-default brokers like Fidelity and Morgan Stanley — the way a publication should: on merits.

Rovia has a referral program for early users who help bring other RSU holders onto the platform. The details are intentionally not on this page; if you’re curious, the Rovia team can walk you through it directly.

A note on platform links and advertising

When we link to platforms (Vested, INDmoney, IBKR, Rovia), some of those links may be referral or affiliate links. We may earn a small credit if you sign up through them. Linked or not, our coverage of each platform is based on what the product actually does — the comparisons would read the same with non-affiliate links, which is the test we hold ourselves to.

Vested also displays ads served by Google AdSense. Ad placement does not influence editorial content — what we recommend and what we advertise are independent decisions. You can manage your ad preferences via Google’s ad settings.

What this is not

This is not investment, tax, or legal advice. We write what we’ve learned and what we’ve verified against primary sources (RBI master directions, the Income Tax Act, IRS publications). For decisions specific to you, please talk to a SEBI-registered investment advisor and a qualified CA.

Comments and sign-in

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Contact

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