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this is the spot i'm in too, i can move my 401k and IRAs around fine but ye'old brokerage account is a different story. Unless my losses are greater than the capital gains i'm going to pay then i'm better off just staying put. That brokerage account is dedicated to funding college for my two boys. I have enough now for about 6 years of undergrad. The bills start coming in 2 years, idk if that's enough time to recover from a dot-com level crash...

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If you need the money in 2 years, I wouldn't leave it in the stock market. Find a money market or CD to avoid the gamble. You're going to get hit with capital gains taxes either now or in 2 years, so that shouldn't impact your decision.

My personal time frame is 4-5 years of emergency funds. You can adjust that for your own risk tolerance, but have a look at various past crashes to make an educated decision.

I'd only leave it invested if you don't actually need it, because college can be delayed or financed with student loans.

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