Question 1

What is a SBLOC?

Accepted Answer

A Securities-Backed Line of Credit lets you borrow against your investment portfolio without selling anything. Your shares stay invested, you pay interest only on what you draw, and you avoid a capital gains event. Rates are variable and the broker can call the loan if the portfolio drops enough — think of it as a mortgage with no house and no fixed rate.

Question 2

Who is Stockstead actually for?

Accepted Answer

People whose biggest asset isn't their paycheck. If liquidating $100K+ of stock would trigger a real tax bill, or if you'd be selling shares you meant to hold for a decade — that's us. If your down payment is already sitting in savings, we're useful but not essential.

Question 3

How accurate are the calculations?

Accepted Answer

We use the actual formulas — amortization, long-term capital gains brackets, NIIT, state treatment, compound growth. That said, the answer is only as good as your inputs, and reality includes things no calculator models (like your accountant finding a deduction we didn't know about). Treat the output as a starting argument, not the last word.

Question 4

What tax rates should I use?

Accepted Answer

Your real marginal rates. Federal long-term capital gains is 0%, 15%, or 20% depending on taxable income (in 2026, 15% kicks in at $49,450 single / $98,900 married filing jointly). Add your state (0–13.3% depending on where you live) and the 3.8% NIIT if your MAGI is over $200,000 single / $250,000 joint. We default to 15% plus your state because that covers most people reading this.

Question 5

Is my data stored anywhere?

Accepted Answer

No — not unless you explicitly create an account to save a scenario. Every calculation runs in your browser. We can't see your portfolio balance, purchase price, or anything else you type. Aggregate analytics track that you used the calculator, not what you entered.

Question 6

Can I share a scenario with my advisor?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Hit Share and we'll pack every input into a URL — nothing hits our server. Your advisor opens the link, sees the exact same result, and can tweak anything they like.

Question 7

How does the interest strategy toggle work?

Accepted Answer

Two modes. Pay monthly — you service interest like a normal loan, and your balance stays flat. Capitalize — interest is added to the loan, your balance compounds, and monthly cash-out is zero. Capitalizing keeps the stress test tighter; paying monthly costs you more cash up front.

Question 8

What happens in a margin call?

Accepted Answer

If your portfolio drops below the maintenance requirement, your broker can force-sell shares to restore the collateral ratio. That's the risk we're modeling when you set a max drawdown slider — it shows the portfolio value at which the line gets called, and how much in shares would have to be sold.

Question 9

When does cash beat SBLOC?

Accepted Answer

When your basis is near your current price (so a sale triggers little tax), when you have a short time horizon (under 5 years), or when you'd otherwise keep the money in low-yield savings. Cash is also the boring, durable answer when rates rip higher than expected.

Question 10

Does SBLOC ever lose?

Accepted Answer

Yes — in bear markets. If your portfolio returns less than the SBLOC rate over your analysis window, you're paying to borrow against something that's shrinking. We let you run that scenario so you see it instead of assuming it away.

Question 11

Do I need an account?

Accepted Answer

Only to save scenarios across devices or share them with a collaborator. The calculator itself works fully without one.

Question 12

How do I delete my data?

Accepted Answer

Settings → Account → Nuke. One click, full wipe, no dark-pattern retention email.

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