Where I'd park $100 spare cash each month to beat the ASX 200 index over a decade

Beating the market is hard, but not impossible.

Looking to find ASX shares that can beat out the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) over the coming decade?

Beating the ASX 200 mark over a long period of time is notoriously difficult. That's why many investors just opt to invest in a market-matching exchange-traded fund (ETF) and not bother with trying.

But beating the market is possible, as the likes of Warren Buffett can attest to. So if I had $100 to invest every month over the coming years to try and beat the market with, here's where I would put it.

A man with a wry smile on his face is shown close up behind ascending piles of coins as he places another coin on top of the tallest stack representing rising dividends

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2 shares that I would bet on beating the ASX 200 index with

Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Co Ltd (ASX: SOL)

When looking at potential ASX 200 beaters, I would first look at the shares that have shown they have done it before. And no share matches this description better than ASX 200 investment house Soul Patts in my view.

Soul Patts is one of the oldest companies on the ASX, with its roots tracing back to the 19th century. Today, it manages a variety of assets and share portfolios on behalf of its investors.

Back in June, Soul Patts told the markets that its investors have enjoyed an average annual return of 12.9% per annum over the 20 years to 30 April 2023. That's more than 3% per annum better than its benchmark All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO).

The All Ords has a slightly different composition to that of the ASX 200 Index. But looking at the performance of an ASX 200 ETF like the SPDR S&P/ASX 200 Fund (ASX: STW), it still measures up as a market beater. The STW ETF has averaged a return of just 7.88% per annum since its inception in 2001.

So this is the first investment I would put our $100 a month towards in hopes of outperforming the ASX 200 index over the next decade.

iShares S&P 500 ETF (ASX: IVV)

The second investment I would pick to beat out the ASX 200 index over the next decade would be this US-based index fund.

The S&P 500 Index (INDEXSP: .INX) is the most widely-tracked index in the world. It represents an investment in the 500 largest companies listed on the US markets. The ASX 200 is great and all. But it simply can't match the scale and quality that the S&P 500's top echelons are defined by.

There are dozens of world-class companies that we all know and love in the S&P 500. They include the US tech giants like Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet and Amazon, of course. But there are also names like Netflix, Nike, Adobe, Coca-Cola, Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Berkshire Hathaway in the mix as well.

The ASX-listed iShares S&P 500 ETF has had a phenomenal decade, returning an average of 15.72% per annum over the past 10 years. I don't quite expect the next decade to give investors those kinds of returns.

But the quality companies that this ETF consists of still give it a pretty good shot of outperforming the ASX 200 index, in my view. Thus, I would happily direct some of our $100 a month into this ASX exchange-traded fund.

Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. American Express is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has positions in Adobe, Alphabet, Amazon.com, American Express, Apple, Berkshire Hathaway, Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Nike, and Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The Motley Fool Australia's parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Adobe, Alphabet, Amazon.com, Apple, Berkshire Hathaway, Microsoft, Netflix, Nike, and Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The Motley Fool Australia's parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended the following options: long January 2024 $420 calls on Adobe, long January 2024 $47.50 calls on Coca-Cola, long January 2025 $47.50 calls on Nike, and short January 2024 $430 calls on Adobe. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Adobe, Alphabet, Amazon.com, Apple, Berkshire Hathaway, Netflix, Nike, and iShares S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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