We're nearly into a new decade and it's a good idea to think about which shares are going to do well for years into the future and base our investment decisions on that long-term thinking.
It's impossible to know what share is going to do well next week or next month, all we can do is judge what is a good share price to buy at.
When you think of investments in terms of years it's much easier to get a grip on where the earnings are headed and where the share price is probably going to go. It's also good when you can find businesses themselves that are thinking long-term.
These three shares are ones I'd want to buy for their high chance of dominance in the 2020s:
Altium Limited (ASX: ALU)
Altium is aiming to become the dominate provider of electronic PCB design software. Its offering is mission critical for various organisations to design their products or machinery to work effectively.
Management of Altium are aiming to dominate the PCB software industry like Microsoft changed and dominated the Office software space. That's why the company is aiming for 100,000 Altium Designer subscribers over the next five years which should help generate US$500 million of revenue.
The great thing about a business like Altium is that as its revenue grows it costs don't grow as fast, leading to growing profit margins and increasing profits.
Altium is also aiming to keep its balance sheet debt free whilst growing dividends for shareholders. It's a great business for a number of reasons.
A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M)
If there has been one business on the ASX that has shown what brand power can do, it's A2 Milk. It has created a powerful image in the public's mind as being higher-quality than its competitors, which allows it to charge higher prices and generate higher returns.
It has become a huge player in Australia and now it's got its eyes set on the US and further growth in China. Then there's every other country that A2 Milk isn't currently being sold in.
I think that A2 Milk has a very long growth runway, despite its years of growth already. New products and new countries could mean that A2 Milk is one of the best non-tech ASX shares to buy today for the long-term.
Brickworks Limited (ASX: BKW)
You wouldn't think that a building products business could produce large returns, but it's generating long-term consistent growth which makes excellent compounding returns.
Its industrial property trust continues to grow in value whilst also seeing rising rental profit. Its investment in Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Co. Ltd (ASX: SOL) continues to deliver rising earnings and dividends.
What I'm most excited about is Brickworks' US expansion – America is a huge market and Brickworks has rapidly built a market-leading position in the north east of the country.
Brickworks should also benefit in the shorter-term as Australia's construction cycle swings back to good times again.
Foolish takeaway
I think each of these businesses are on track to deliver excellent returns in the 2020s. Brickworks could deliver the most dependable returns because of its diverse divisions, but I think if things go Altium's way it will generate the largest returns because of the rapid growth of the technology and its growing profit margins.
