The end of IBKR + VT: a cheaper, safer, less US-dependent alternative

[gaijin]

Your post feels heavily co-written with AI, making some statements a bit hard to interpret. A few short comments:

@Idanel

specifically leveraging synthetic (Swap) structures to optimize dividend withholding taxes (L1WT).

Just note that there is a swap fee and a (small) risk of counter party.
Swap ETFs are also discussed in detail here:

Synthetic and swap-based ETFs

Hi! Recently I was wondering if using a synthetic ETF would be a more cost effective way to invest in less liquid markets. Before doing that, I wanted to consider the risks too. My two worries are: Counterparty risk: Considering all the rules on collaterals and splitting the risk, is in your opinion still a real problem? Professional investor: Being those ETF swap-based I was wondering if from a fiscal point of weiw they are considered stocks or might be considered derivatives and trigger…

@Idanel

3. Simplicity vs. Efficiency: Am I overcomplicating things? Should I just liquidate everything, convert to USD and target a single All-World ETF (like VWCE or FWRA), even if it means losing the tax advantage of Swap structures on the S&P 500?

If you are bullish on Asia, this is a good implementation. I personally prefer all-world ETFs since I don’t consider myself professional enough to predict market trends.