Warren Buffett – one of the greatest investors of all time – is famous for saying that his favourite time to sell a share is never. Not being one who likes to disagree with Buffett, I totally concur with the master on this one. Choosing a time to buy an ASX share is stressful enough – I would rather not bother with another stressful decision when it comes to my investing.
So saying that, here are three ASX shares that I think you can buy today without any reasonable expectation of ever having to sell them.
Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL)
This one's a fairly easy choice to justify. Coles (of course) sells food and household essentials – all items I don't think are going to become redundant for humanity in at least my lifetime.
The company seems to be adapting well to technological change with its ambitious 'Smarter Selling' automation program, which should enable the company to cut significant costs out of its operations over the next few years. Although its arch-rival Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) is a larger company, I think Coles represents better value on today's pricing.
Transurban Group (ASX: TCL)
Another prime candidate for a 'never sell' stock is Australia's largest toll-roads operator. Although there is significant disruption going on in the automotive sector with electrification on the rise, I don't think this trend poses any threat to Transurban's long-term future.
Whether you're riding in an Uber or driving a Tesla in the future, you'll still likely be using Transurban's toll-roads to get there. I don't see the fast number of road freight volume currently carried by our trucking fleet heading off-road either. For these reasons, I can't see a situation where Transurban is not still collecting toll revenue in 2030 or even 2050 (unless we invent flying cars). Thus, I think Transurban is a stock you can own and get a really good night's sleep.
Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF (ASX: VAS)
An index fund like this one automatically tracks the top 300 public companies in Australia. So by definition, it periodically weeds out the losers and bumps up the winners without you having to do anything.
I'm already a huge fan on index funds like VAS for their passive nature, but this future-proof trait really seals the deal for a long-term investing case in my view. If you'd instead like an index fund that goes beyond our shores, you could try the iShares Global 100 ETF (ASX: IOO) or a Warren Buffett favourite – the iShares S&P 500 ETF (ASX: IVV).
Foolish Takeaway
I'm very confident that buying any of these ASX shares will be a decision you won't ever have to reverse. If you really want as little future risk as possible, then in my opinion an index fund is your best bet. Otherwise, Transurban and Coles are both top-notch companies in their own right.
