A practical guide for Indian investors
Your First Global Investment
A practical guide to US stocks, ETFs and global markets for Indian investors.
By Siddharth Dhanania
Website-exclusive introductory price
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Who it’s for
You invest in India. Now you want the world. Start here.
US stocks, Nasdaq ETFs, GIFT City: everyone is talking about investing abroad, and you have questions. This practical guide answers them, from the first decision to the first order and every year after.
Exploring the idea
Find out whether investing abroad belongs in your plan at all, before you open any account.
Ready to invest
Compare the routes, work out the full rupee cost, and follow the steps to your first order.
Already holding foreign shares
RSUs from your employer, or living abroad as an NRI: the tax, disclosure and estate questions explained.
What’s inside
Everything between “I’m curious” and “I’ve done it right”
- Whether investing abroad belongs in your plan
- Three routes compared: an overseas account, GIFT City and Indian funds
- LRS, TCS, Form A2 and W-8BEN, step by step
- How US markets work, in IST, and how to place your first order
- Why the same index can give different results depending on the fund’s domicile
- Indian tax, Schedule FA and the 180-day rule
- RSUs and ESPPs from your employer
- What changes for NRIs, and for those returning home
The CLEAR method
Five questions before you invest
Context
Does this investment belong in your financial life?
Legal instrument
What do you legally own, and where?
Economics
What does it cost, and what could make it lose value?
Allocation
What job does it do in your whole portfolio?
Responsibilities
Can you manage what comes after the purchase?
With worked examples in rupees, five investor case studies and a decision record to complete before your first purchase. No stock tips. No forecasts.
Read Part I free
The Author’s Note, the Introduction, the CLEAR method and the first four chapters, including how the rupee changes your returns.
Questions
Before you buy
Is this investment advice?
No. The book explains how overseas investing works for Indian residents and NRIs: routes, costs, tax and reporting. It does not recommend any security or tell you how much to invest.
I’m a complete beginner. Will I follow it?
Yes. It explains everything from scratch, with India as the reference point, and works through examples in rupees.
Does it cover Indian funds that invest abroad, or only direct US shares?
Both. It compares an overseas brokerage account, the GIFT City route and Indian mutual funds and ETFs with overseas exposure.
How current is it?
Rates, rules and platform details are as of the research cut-off of 1 November 2026, and each figure is dated and sourced in the book.
Your next step
Ready to explore global investing?
Buy directly from this website at the introductory price of ₹399.