Best Long-Term ETFs to Invest In

A look at the top ETFs to consider investing in for the long term.

By Matthew DiLallo – Updated Oct 27, 2025 at 1:29 PM | Fact-checked by Frank Bass

Key Points

Vanguard S&P 500 ETF offers low-cost exposure to the 500 biggest U.S. companies.
Invesco S&P 500 ETF provides equal-weight exposure to the same companies.
iShares Russell 1000 targets U.S. companies growing at above-average rates.

The best long-term ETFs allow investors to easily build a diversified portfolio. They can provide broad exposure across many asset classes, industries, and geographies. This diversification can help an investor reduce risk without sacrificing long-term returns.

There are many exchange-traded funds (ETFs) built for long-term investors. Here's a closer look at several top ETFs that make ideal buy-and-hold investments.

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A person looking at a screen with the word ETF on it along with several investing diagrams. — Image source: Getty Images.

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Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF)

An exchange-traded fund, or ETF, allows investors to buy many stocks or bonds at once.

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NYSEMKT: VOO

Vanguard S&P 500 ETF

Today's Change

(0.20%) $1.23

Current Price

$628.27

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$0B

Day's Range

$625.16 - $630.54

52wk Range

$442.80 - $634.13

Volume

5.6M

Avg Vol

Gross Margin

0.00%

Dividend Yield

N/A

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2. Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF

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NYSEMKT: RSP

Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF

Today's Change

(-0.24%) $-0.46

Current Price

$187.47

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$0B

Day's Range

$185.47 - $187.97

52wk Range

$150.35 - $192.33

Volume

16M

Avg Vol

Gross Margin

0.00%

Dividend Yield

N/A

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Gross Expense Ratio

The gross expense ratio is the percentage of an investment that goes toward fees before discounts have been applied.

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NYSEMKT: IWF

iShares Trust - iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF

Today's Change

(0.49%) $2.38

Current Price

$487.96

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$0B

Day's Range

$486.29 - $490.21

52wk Range

$308.67 - $493.00

Volume

1.5M

Avg Vol

Gross Margin

0.00%

Dividend Yield

N/A

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4. Vanguard Real Estate ETF

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NYSEMKT: VNQ

Vanguard Real Estate ETF

Today's Change

(-0.15%) $-0.13

Current Price

$89.05

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$0B

Day's Range

$87.86 - $89.14

52wk Range

$76.92 - $99.20

Volume

4.5M

Avg Vol

Gross Margin

0.00%

Dividend Yield

N/A

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NYSEMKT: SCHD

Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF

Today's Change

(-1.05%) $-0.28

Current Price

$26.47

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$0B

Day's Range

$26.32 - $26.66

52wk Range

$23.87 - $29.72

Volume

21M

Avg Vol

Gross Margin

0.00%

Dividend Yield

N/A

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NYSEMKT: IEFA

iShares Trust - iShares Core Msci Eafe ETF

Today's Change

(0.01%) $0.01

Current Price

$88.10

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$0B

Day's Range

$87.87 - $88.22

52wk Range

$66.95 - $89.47

Volume

10M

Avg Vol

Gross Margin

0.00%

Dividend Yield

N/A

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The iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF (IEFA +0.01%) is an ETF focused on international stocks. It provides investors with broad exposure to companies in Europe, Australia, Asia, and the Far East. That enables anyone to add some international diversification to their portfolio, which has outstanding long-term growth potential.

The ETF held more than 2,600 stocks as of late 2025. It provides fairly broad exposure to global stocks, with its top 10 holdings making up about 11% of its net assets. The ETF is also reasonably diversified by sector and geography:

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Data source: iShares. NOTE: Data as of October 10, 2025.
Top 5 Sectors	Top 5 Geographies
Financials (22.1% of the fund's holdings)	Japan (23.6%)
Industrials (19.6%)	United Kingdom (14.5%)
Healthcare (10.4%)	France (10%)
Consumer discretionary (10.2%)	Germany (9.5%)
Information technology (8.5%)	Switzerland (8.8%)

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The iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF charges a very low expense ratio of 0.07%, allowing investors to add some international exposure to their portfolios at a low cost and benefit from the long-term growth of the global economy.

7. iShares Core 60/40 Balanced Allocation ETF

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NYSEMKT: AOR

iShares Trust - iShares Core 60/40 Balanced Allocation ETF

Today's Change

(0.03%) $0.02

Current Price

$65.11

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$0B

Day's Range

$64.91 - $65.17

52wk Range

$52.97 - $65.78

Volume

400K

Avg Vol

Gross Margin

0.00%

Dividend Yield

N/A

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The iShares Core 60/40 Balanced Allocation ETF (AOR +0.03%) offers investors a simple way to build a highly diversified portfolio. It provides access to several asset classes through one ETF. The fund provides investors with exposure to a broad mix of stocks (roughly 60% of its allocation) and bonds (40%) by holding seven ETFs:

iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV +0.21%): This S&P 500 index fund made up 37.6% of the ETF's assets.
iShares Core Total USD Bond Market (IUSB -0.10%): This U.S.-focused bond ETF totaled 30.5% of the fund's holdings.
iShares Core MSCI International Developed Markets ETF (IDEV +0.03%): This international ETF, which focuses on developed markets, accounted for 16.6% of its assets.
iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets (IEMG +0.67%): This emerging markets-focused ETF made up 7% of the fund's assets.
iShares Core International Aggregate Bond ETF (IAGG -0.12%): This international bond ETF comprised 5.3% of the fund's assets.
iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF (IJH -0.05%): This mid-cap stock-focused ETF accounted for 2% of the fund's assets.
iShares Core Small-Cap ETF (IJR +0.20%): This small-cap stock-focused ETF totaled 1% of the fund's assets.

The ETF allows investors to easily set up a balanced long-term portfolio, helping to reduce their risk profile while still delivering attractive returns. It charges investors a reasonable fee of 0.15% after adjusting for the fees and associated waivers on the ETFs in the fund.

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