# Tax optimisation for ETF investing

**URL:** https://forum.mustachianpost.com/t/tax-optimisation-for-etf-investing/67
**Category:** Wiki
**Created:** [October 31, 2016, 7:22am UTC](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/t/tax-optimisation-for-etf-investing/67 "2016-10-31T07:22:20Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 53

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### Author: ![nugget](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/user_avatar/forum.mustachianpost.com/nugget/32/57_2.png) [@nugget](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/u/nugget)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2018, 6:48am UTC](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/t/tax-optimisation-for-etf-investing/67/53 "2018-02-20T06:48:28Z")

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sorry for not answering that long 🙂  
the question was why i would opt for US-based VXUS/VSS and not some IE-based alternative.  
i decided for the US-based versions because

- they are from vanguard, which i consider is better than for example BlackRock (iShares), “conflict of interest”
- they have much more positions than comparable ETFs, i.e. are stronger diversified
- they are super cheap to trade, far greater volumes than IE-ETFs, and larger
- noone has lower TERs than vanguard

there are a few cons that I, in total, valued less than the pros:

- bulk risk of having all ETFs with one company (vanguard), in one domicile
- for non-US ETFs, holding US versions has a chance of being taxwise inferior (for VWO (EM) this is _not_ the case, see the number in the example) to IE ETFs. overall the difference is very small. if i find out that it is till too big, the cost of swiching the ETF is very small.
- that issue with [IRA & ineritance tax,](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/t/the-60000-cap-for-us-investments/111/17) which I believe is solved

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