A decade is a long time in the share market.
Plenty will change between now and 2036. Interest rates will move, economic cycles will turn, and investors will fall in and out of love with different sectors.
That is why I think it makes sense to focus on S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares with strong positions, useful products, and room to keep growing.
Three that I would be happy to buy and hold for the next decade are named in this article.
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REA Group Ltd (ASX: REA)
REA Group is one of the most powerful digital businesses on the ASX.
Its main asset, realestate.com.au, sits at the centre of Australia's property search market. That gives the company a valuable position in a market that attracts huge attention from buyers, renters, sellers, agents, and advertisers.
I think the strength of REA is that property search is highly concentrated.
When Australians want to see what is for sale or rent, they often start with the largest platforms. Agents then want to list where the audience is. That creates a loop that helps protect REA's market position.
Over the next decade, I think REA can keep growing by doing more for agents, consumers, and advertisers. Listings are only part of the opportunity. Data, premium marketing, property insights, finance leads, and digital tools could all help the business become more valuable.
The share price will still move with the property cycle, but I think the platform itself is exactly the kind of asset I would want to own until 2036.
Goodman Group (ASX: GMG)
Goodman Group is another ASX 200 share I think could be much bigger in 10 years.
The company owns, develops, and manages industrial property around the world. Its assets are used for logistics, warehousing, e-commerce, supply chains, and, increasingly, data centres.
I like Goodman because it is tied to the physical side of several major trends.
Online shopping needs fulfilment space. Businesses want more efficient supply chains. Data centres need well-located sites with power access. These are not short-term fads. They are structural changes in how goods move and how digital infrastructure is built.
Goodman has also shown a willingness to recycle capital and focus on higher-value opportunities. That discipline is important in property, where excessive debt or poor development decisions can quickly erode returns.
The valuation can look expensive, and interest rates will remain a factor. But I think Goodman's asset base, development pipeline, and data centre opportunity make it one of the more attractive long-term growth stories on the ASX.
Xero Ltd (ASX: XRO)
Xero gives investors exposure to the digital backbone of small businesses.
The company started with cloud accounting, but its opportunity is broader than that. Small businesses need help with invoices, payments, payroll, tax, cash flow, reporting, and decision-making. Xero can bring more of those tools into one platform.
That is powerful because small business owners are usually time-poor. Software that saves time, reduces admin, and gives clearer financial information can become very hard to replace.
I also like Xero's global opportunity. Australia and New Zealand are strong markets, but the UK and US could provide meaningful growth over the next decade if management executes well.
Artificial intelligence could also make the platform more useful. Accounting and finance involve repetitive tasks, data entry, reconciliation, and reporting. If Xero can automate more of that work, the product should become even more valuable to customers.
Foolish Takeaway
I think REA Group, Goodman, and Xero have the right ingredients for a 10-year holding period.
They are already strong businesses, but their best years may not be behind them.
REA can keep building around property search, Goodman can benefit from logistics and data infrastructure demand, and Xero can become more central to how small businesses manage their finances.
There will be weaker periods along the way. But if I were building a portfolio for 2036, these are three ASX 200 shares I would be very happy to own.
