Five Funds to Invest in and Hold for Life at 18

Here are the five funds that I would invest in and hold for life if I were 18 years old. I'm Tyler, a former financial advisor and portfolio manager. Now I make financial content for free, so you don't have to pay for it.

1. VTI - Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF

This is your own literally everything fund, and you're buying companies like Apple, Tesla, and that little regional pizza chain in Tulsa that somehow went public. It gives you exposure to the entire U.S. stock market.

2. VXUS - Vanguard Total International Stock ETF

Because America doesn't win every decade, and you're buying shares from Europe, Asia, emerging markets, basically everywhere that isn't the U.S. Some years this will lag, others it will crush. Either way, you're diversified and you'll never have international FOMO.

3. VSIAX - Vanguard Small Cap Value Index

This is where it gets a little spicy. Small cap value stocks historically outperform over the long run, but they're also volatile as H-E double hockey sticks. If you're 18 and can stomach watching this fund drop 40% in a week, you'll likely be rewarded in 30 years.

4. QQQM - Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF

This is QQQ's younger, slightly cheaper sibling. If you believe that tech will keep eating the world, this is your best bet.

5. SGOV - iShares Short-Term T-Bill Fund

And here's why. Putting five to 10% of your portfolio in T-bills ensures you have something stable when the market drops, preventing your brain from screaming at you to sell everything or feeling frustrated because you can't buy something.

Conclusion

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