While markets have experienced elevated volatility in 2025, the S&P 500 is still up handily on the year as stocks have powered higher. And while there’s no telling where things will wind up next year, investors targeting long-term financial goals shouldn’t worry too much about the talk of artificial intelligence bubbles or a crypto winter. That’s because for most people, financial goals are measured in years and decades — not the day-to-day movement of Wall Street.
For those taking this approach, low-cost exchange-traded funds remain one of the most effective tools of the trade. ETFs offer diversified and cost-effective portfolio construction in just a few holdings, and are the go-to product for buy-and-hold strategies.
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The following seven funds represent some of the best long-term ETFs to buy and hold based on their large asset base, their low expense ratios and their tactical investing strategies:
| ETF | Expense ratio | Net assets |
| Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (ticker: VOO) | 0.03% | $800 billion |
| iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (IWF) | 0.18% | $125 billion |
| Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG) | 0.05% | $99 billion |
| Vanguard Total International Stock ETF (VXUS) | 0.05% | $111 billion |
| Vanguard Total World Stock ETF (VT) | 0.06% | $57 billion |
| Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND) | 0.03% | $143 billion |
| iShares Gold Trust (IAU) | 0.25% | $66 billion |
Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO)
Assets:
$800 billion Expense ratio: 0.03%
A massive fund with $800 billion in assets — and more than $1.5 trillion across the various share classes of this fund — VOO tracks the S&P 500 index and provides exposure to approximately 500 U.S. large-capitalization companies across all major sectors. Its scale has recently surpassed that of the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY), reinforcing its position as a core portfolio building block. Key constituents include chipmaker Nvidia Corp. (NVDA), e-commerce king Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN), and electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla Inc. (TSLA) among others. Due to its broad representation of major U.S. stocks as well as its best-in-class liquidity, VOO remains one of the most efficient vehicles for gaining long-term exposure to U.S. stocks.
iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (IWF)
Assets: $125 billion Expense ratio: 0.18%
This index fund starts with the 1,000 largest U.S. stocks, then provides targeted exposure to the growth-oriented names in that list by a focus on characteristics such as earnings and revenue expansion. The portfolio is understandably concentrated in technology, which represents more than half of all assets, while utilities, real estate and materials all add up to about 1% in total as a group. This is a less diversified approach, but with 391 total components there is still a measure of diversification in this long-term ETF.
Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG)
Assets: $99 billion Expense ratio: 0.05%
This Vanguard fund focuses on U.S. large-cap companies with a demonstrated record of increasing dividend payments over time. The fund holds roughly 340 securities, balancing income generation with prospects for long-term dividend growth. Current yield levels are moderate relative to higher-yield strategies, with distributions totaling about 1.6% at present, but VIG emphasizes quality and consistency, and those payouts are likely to grow significantly over the long term. Major holdings include Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) and Eli Lilly and Co. (LLY), among others.
Vanguard Total International Stock ETF (VXUS)
Assets: $111 billion Expense ratio: 0.05%
VXUS provides comprehensive “ex-U.S.” exposure to developed and emerging markets outside of America’s borders. Covering more than 8,500 securities, the fund’s diversified global allocation includes stocks from Japan (roughly 15%), China (9%) and the United Kingdom (9%). Top individual positions include Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSM), Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (OTC: SSNLF) and Swiss consumer giant Nestle SA (OTC: NSRGY) to name a few. For investors aiming to mitigate U.S. concentration risk and capture global growth opportunities, VXUS functions as a broad and cost-efficient international equity solution.
[Read: 9 of the Best Bond ETFs to Buy Now.]
Vanguard Total World Stock ETF (VT)
Assets: $57 billion Expense ratio: 0.06%
VT covers each of the strategies from the prior funds, and more. Taking a worldwide approach, this long-term ETF holds stock in nearly 10,000 companies of all shapes and sizes. The portfolio is weighted toward the firms with the largest market value, so big and domestic stocks still have significant pull in the makeup of this ETF. Right now, about 62% of assets are in the U.S., led by trillion-dollar tech stocks like Apple Inc. (AAPL). But for investors looking to have significant exposure to large domestic names as well as a bit of diversification, the simplicity and broad exposure of VT make it one of the best long-term ETFs to buy and hold.
Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND)
Assets: $143 billion Expense ratio: 0.03%
Looking beyond equity markets, BND delivers straightforward exposure to the universe of investment-grade bonds, with a massive portfolio of more than 11,000 fixed-income instruments. These span U.S. government, corporate and securitized loan markets, but every one of them is “investment grade” — meaning no distressed debt or junk bonds. Roughly half of the fund’s holdings are U.S. Treasurys, complemented by significant allocations to corporate debt and mortgage-backed securities. The fund’s aggregate yield of approximately 4.2% provides a meaningful income component that many dividend stocks can’t match — and even when they can, these assets often do so by adding much greater risk than this investment-grade bond ETF.
iShares Gold Trust (IAU)
Assets: $66 billion Expense ratio: 0.25%
Gold is having a great year in 2025, but it’s worth noting that the precious metal has performed pretty well over the long haul as well, delivering an average annual return of about 10% per year since 2000. IAU is one of the simplest ways to gain direct exposure to physical gold without buying bars or coins, and serves as a hedge against volatility in stocks, bonds and everything else. As one of the largest and most cost-effective bullion-backed ETFs, IAU provides simple access to physical gold without the hassle of safes, insurance and other practical concerns.
[READ: 7 Best Silver ETFs to Buy]
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7 Best Long-Term ETFs to Buy and Hold originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 12/04/25: This story was published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
