A 10-year timeframe changes how I think about exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
Instead of focusing on short-term performance, I find it more useful to think about how an ETF fits into a portfolio and what role it can play over time. The combination of different roles is often what builds a stronger long-term outcome.
Here are three ETFs I would be comfortable buying and holding for the next decade.
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BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF (ASX: NDQ)
The NDQ ETF is often framed around technology, but I think it can be viewed as a concentration play on global leadership.
This popular fund gives you exposure to a group of 100 companies that dominate their respective industries. These are businesses that tend to set standards, shape customer behaviour, and influence how entire sectors evolve.
What I find interesting is how that leadership compounds. When a company sits at the centre of an ecosystem, it often benefits from scale, data, and network effects that reinforce its position over time. That can lead to stronger margins, deeper customer relationships, the ability to invest heavily in future growth, and often strong returns for shareholders.
Holding the BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF over 10 years, in my view, is about owning that layer of global influence rather than trying to pick individual winners.
Vanguard MSCI International Small Companies Index ETF (ASX: VISM)
The VISM ETF plays a very different role.
Where the BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF focuses on established global leaders, the Vanguard MSCI International Small Companies Index ETF provides exposure to smaller companies across developed markets that are earlier in their growth journey.
What I like is the breadth of its holdings. Instead of relying on a handful of large names, this ETF spreads exposure across hundreds of businesses operating in different industries and regions. That creates a wide base of potential growth drivers.
Over time, some of these companies will scale, some will be acquired, and others will continue to grow steadily in niche areas.
The VISM ETF is a way to capture that long tail of opportunity that often sits beneath the largest companies.
Vanguard FTSE Asia Ex-Japan Shares Index ETF (ASX: VAE)
Lastly, the VAE ETF adds a geographic dimension that I think is important over a long horizon.
It provides exposure to Asian markets outside Japan, including economies that are continuing to expand and evolve.
What I find attractive here is how economic development can translate into an investment opportunity. As incomes rise and populations grow, new sectors emerge, and existing ones deepen. That process can support long-term growth across multiple areas of the economy.
The Vanguard FTSE Asia Ex-Japan Shares Index ETF captures that progression across a range of countries, which should help balance the risks and opportunities within the region.
Foolish Takeaway
I believe that a long-term ETF strategy comes back to combining different sources of growth.
The NDQ ETF provides exposure to global leaders that continue to shape industries, the VISM ETF offers access to a broad set of smaller companies with growth potential, and the VAE ETF captures the ongoing development of Asian markets.
Each brings a different role, and I think that combination could support a portfolio built for the long term.
