A gain can exist before a sale
Suppose a fictional holding bought for $600 is now valued at $690. The $90 difference is an unrealised gain before costs and any tax considerations. It describes a change in value while the holding remains owned. It is not a separate $90 cash deposit in the account.
If the price falls before a sale, the amount available can change. A displayed valuation is therefore not a promise of what will be received. Even an executed sale may be followed by settlement and withdrawal processing before cash reaches an everyday bank account.
Record the current market value, the estimated sale proceeds after applicable charges, and the amount currently available for withdrawal. These can differ. For example, a $690 estimated sale with a fictional $3 transaction charge leaves $687 before other deductions. It does not follow that the account can immediately send $687 to a bank.
An account interface may also show buying power or available trading balance. Those labels do not always mean withdrawable cash. Read the provider's definition rather than treating every positive number as money that can fund a household bill.
Do not confuse realisation with safety
Selling changes the form of the holding and makes the executed price known. It does not prove the investment was appropriate or that the proceeds are free of other obligations. Tax treatment, account restrictions and currency conversion may still matter. This article does not calculate taxable gains, which require the applicable local rules and records.
FINRA's performance explanation notes that returns can be assessed without selling. That is useful for reviewing investments, but a performance calculation and a cash-flow plan answer different questions. The former measures value changes; the latter asks when money can actually be used.
For a planned withdrawal, work backwards from the payment deadline and check the provider's process. Keep a buffer appropriate to the actual service rather than inventing a universal number of days. The essential habit is to make each stage explicit: valuation, order, execution, settlement, withdrawal and receipt.
