Some of the best investors in the world like to buy stocks and never let them go. And hey, if you've found a winner, why would you sell it off to someone else? Even Warren Buffett himself has owned some of his companies for decades – he first bought The Coca-Cola Company in the early 1980s and he's held American Express Company since the 1960s!
Here are five companies that I would buy and hold till I'm old!
CSL Limited (ASX: CSL)
CSL is a company that has been at the vanguard of the biotech space for at least a decade. CSL is a global player in the blood plasma space and also work on vaccines and disease control through its Seqirus division. I have full confidence CSL will continue to dominate the biotech sector and I would be happy to have CSL shares forever in my portfolio.
MFF Capital Investments Ltd (ASX: MFF)
I already own MFF shares and never plan on selling them. MFF is a listed investment company (LIC) run by one of the best fund managers in Australia (in my opinion) – Chris Mackay. Mr Mackay has a huge chunk of his family's money in MFF, so I have confidence he will manage the fund with integrity. MFF holds some of the best businesses in the world, like Mastercard and Alphabet (Google), so I'm very comfortable with this stock.
Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Co. Ltd (ASX: SOL)
'Soul Patts' has been around a while (1872 to be exact) and has a long track record of picking good stocks and raising its dividend. The company owns several diversified, good quality businesses like TPG Telecom Ltd (ASX: TPM) and I have confidence that it will be around for a lot longer to come and bring its track record with it.
Rural Funds Group (ASX: RFF)
Rural funds is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that specialises in farmland. No matter how far technology advances over the coming decades, I'm pretty sure we are still going to have to eat, and thus I would be very happy to have RFF shares in my portfolio. RFF leases farms to grow cotton, nuts, wine and cattle and has rental increases built into these leases – ensuring rising profits for shareholders for years to come.
Xero Limited (ASX: XRO)
Again with the technology theme, Xero is a company that has proven it knows how to get and keep a customer. Its cloud-based accounting software has taken the world by storm. No matter what happens with technology, employees will always need to be paid and taxes collected, so I see a strong future for Xero.
