INVESTING · ALPACA · ENTITY PICK
The Alpaca integration scaffold ticket (Both / High) has been waiting 11 days on a founder-side answer: which entity owns the Alpaca account that the scaffold should authenticate against? The paper-trade portfolio is already deployed against the existing personal-paper account (smart-money-mirror v1, power v1.1, NVIDIA supply-chain v1, NVIDIA-adjacent v1 - all live in paper sandbox). The scaffold question is forward-looking: when we eventually move from paper to a real funded account, which entity holds it? The answer affects 1Password secret naming, API-key isolation, and tax treatment of any future realized P&L.
Pick one of the 4 options below. Default recommendation: APPROVE Personal (Ben) - fastest path, lowest friction, easiest to migrate later if separation becomes worthwhile. Ben individual account already exists (paper sandbox under it); funding it is one wire transfer.
| Entity | Setup cost | Tax | Friction | Cleanliness |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal (Ben) | Zero - exists | Schedule D on Ben's 1040 | Lowest | Commingles personal + RDCO research |
| RDCO LLC | ~1 week (entity-account onboarding, KYB docs) | Flows to personal via Schedule K-1 (single-member LLC default) | Medium | RDCO is the operating entity; trading is RDCO research artifact |
| New dedicated trading entity | ~3-4 weeks (form entity, EIN, bank account, Alpaca onboarding) | Separate K-1 or 1120 | Highest | Cleanest - separates trading from operating biz, simpler reporting if active trading scales |
Alpaca Personal Paper API Key vs Alpaca RDCO LLC Live API Key), env var conventions for the bot to load, and a guardrail that paper and live keys can't be accidentally swapped.APPROVE Personal (Ben). No live funds in motion. Paper sandbox is already there. Lowest friction unlock. If/when active trading scales (say, >$100k AUM or external capital), revisit and migrate to LLC or new entity. The "cleanest" option (new dedicated entity) costs weeks of admin friction for a paper-trade scaffold - misallocation of founder time given current scale.
Ray hardens the scaffold against Ben's personal Alpaca account. 1Password naming: Alpaca Personal Paper API Key + Alpaca Personal Live API Key (when funded). Migration to LLC/new entity later remains an option. Use the field for any constraint (e.g. "require explicit paper/live flag on every trade call").
Ray opens a new Alpaca account under RDCO LLC, runs KYB onboarding (~1 week), reissues keys, retires paper sandbox under personal. 1Password naming: Alpaca RDCO LLC .... Trading P&L flows via K-1 to personal return (single-member default).
Form a new LLC dedicated to trading. Costs ~3-4 weeks (entity formation, EIN, bank, Alpaca KYB). Cleanest separation; ideal if active trading scales or external capital ever enters. Use the field if you want a specific entity name or jurisdiction.
Approve-NEW + sendPark the scaffold until paper-trade thesis matures further. Existing paper portfolio continues under Ben's personal sandbox without the scaffold hardening. Decision moves back into queue when triggered.
Defer + sendRelated decisions: