Welcome to Vested: US investing & RSUs for Indians

If you're an Indian resident trying to invest in US markets — or you've just got a fresh batch of RSUs from your multinational employer — you've probably noticed something annoying.

Almost every guide online assumes you're American.

The "tax-efficient ETF allocation" article doesn't mention that the dividends you receive will be hit by 25% US withholding. The Reddit thread on "what to do with my RSUs" doesn't mention the LRS limit, schedule FA disclosure, or that your "long-term capital gains" are classified as unlisted foreign equity under Indian tax law — taxed at a flat 12.5% (no indexation, no exemption) only after a 24-month hold, and at your slab rate plus surcharge plus cess for anything sold sooner.

Vested is built for the rest of us.

What we cover

1. US investing for Indian residents. How the LRS works, which brokerage routes are sane (Vested, INDmoney, IBKR), how dividends and capital gains are actually taxed in India, what to do about currency risk, and how to build a portfolio that doesn't fall apart when the rupee moves 8%.

2. RSU management. The vesting math, the sell-to-cover trap, US-India tax treaty relief, foreign tax credit via Form 67, and — most importantly — what to do with the cash once you sell. Reinvesting RSU proceeds is where most of the long-term wealth lives, and it's the part nobody talks about.

How posts will look

Short. Practical. Number-heavy when it helps and number-light when it doesn't. Every post will lead with what you should do, then explain why — not the other way around.

We'll also build small interactive tools as we go. The RSU Calculator is the first one. More coming.

What this is not

This isn't investment advice. It isn't tax advice. It's the honest version of what I've learned, verified against primary sources — RBI master directions, the Income Tax Act, the relevant US-India treaty articles. For your specific situation, please talk to a SEBI-registered advisor and a CA who actually understands cross-border equity.

If that sounds useful, subscribe. One post a week, no fluff.