There's more to investing than just picking great stocks and bonds. In fact, the biggest impact you're likely to have on your wealth has almost nothing to do with individual security selection. Two of the most important factors are making sure you pay yourself first so you save as much money as possible, and selecting an investment approach that you can actually stick to through thick and thin.
Which is why many investors try to find a single investment to buy that provides them with a complete retirement portfolio. That way they only have to worry about saving money. But you can't simply buy any old investment, you have to make sure you pick one that fits with your personality type so you don't jump ship when times get tough in the market (which will eventually happen).
Historically this has meant buying a mutual fund, but there's an increasingly long list of exchange traded funds (ETFs) that fit the bill too. ETFs are pooled investment vehicles like a mutual fund, but they generally track indexes. And because of their unique structure, they tend to have lower fees than mutual funds and can be traded all day long. You have to pay a commission each time you buy an ETF's shares, but brokers will often waive those fees (check with your broker on this), and overall they are an extremely useful and powerful tool for creating long-term wealth.
With that in mind, here's a list of all-in-one investment portfolios that are structured as ETFs.
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