As you get closer and closer to retirement, making sound financial decisions can be a real headache as you decide how to put your best foot forward. The hope is that you find a well-balanced portfolio that helps you feel like you are earning enough to retire comfortably.
Key Points
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Choosing a strong ETF is a great way to balance your portfolio and mitigate your downside risk.
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If you are looking for retirement security, ETFs are one of the best recommendations for a portfolio strategy.
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Choosing the right ETFs means you can expect strong annual returns.
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The hope is that with some very specific recommendations, you can adopt a “buy and hold” strategy with
QQQ
Among the most beloved ETFs on Reddit, QQQ is a definite winner to hold in your retirement portfolio. This is a Nasdaq-100 index fund that is currently offering a one-year return of 15.33% and a three-year return of 21.85%. It’s hard to argue with those numbers as part of a retirement fund, especially if the market continues to rise as it has now that the tariff conversation has calmed down.
As of July 4, 2025, approximately 52% of the QQQ portfolio is made up of tech giants like Apple, Microsoft, NVIDIA, as well as Google’s parent company, Alphabet. You also get to ride on the coattails of Facebook’s parent company, META. While there is no question that the tech sector can be volatile, it’s also going to give you a strong growth opportunity.
Other stocks in the portfolio are centered around communication companies, healthcare, and utility stocks, as well as energy, financial, services, and real estate. Of the top 10 holdings, along with the companies named above, you also get Broadcom, Tesla, Costco, and Netflix, so you definitely have an upside as these stocks perform well.
VIG
VIG, also known as the Vanguard Dividend Appreciation Index Fund ETF, is yet another hugely popular option that can carry you well into retirement. The YTD return in 2025 is only 2.66%, but the one-year return is currently sitting at around 12.39%, while the three-year return has averaged 12.33%.
At these numbers, you should certainly see all of the growth you need to retire comfortably, especially if you are planning to live with a 4% safe withdrawal rate. It’s also important to know that this is considered the largest dividend-oriented fund by assets, so now you get growth potential, but you can also look at passive income through dividends, regardless of how well the market performs.
Surprisingly, VIG doesn’t focus heavily on tech stocks like NVIDIA or Amazon, instead focusing equally on tech, healthcare, and financial services. Tech stocks, such as Microsoft and Apple, make up only 23% of the fund’s assets, while 22% is composed of names like J.P. Morgan, Visa, Mastercard, and other financial companies. Healthcare, energy, utility, and industrial stocks are also heavily represented here.
VTI
Another Reddit and investor favorite ETF is VTI, otherwise known as the Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund. Unlike VIG, this ETF focuses heavily on stocks, with 30% of the portfolio comprising names such as Apple, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Amazon, and Alphabet.
However, you also benefit from diversity, with names like Berkshire Hathaway, Broadcom, and Eli Lilly helping to balance the portfolio, which has a 14% emphasis on Financial Services and 11% on healthcare. As a result, the fund has grown 2.28% year-to-date but has a one-year return of around 13.84%.
Adding to the idea that you should buy and hold this ETF, its three-year return of 15.36% provides more than enough evidence that it is a good investment. As the fourth-largest ETF, the fund currently has around $438 billion in assets under management, so you are in good company with other investors and soon-to-be retirees who are hoping to get in and stay in with any of these three funds.
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