Looking for some perspective from people who’ve been doing this longer than me.
I’ve got around $50k set aside that I want to invest for the long term, think 15–20 years. This is not my emergency fund, not money I’ll need anytime soon, just something I want to let compound quietly.
I keep going back and forth between just keeping it simple with an S&P 500 ETF or going broader with something like a total world ETF.
On one hand, the S&P 500 has delivered strong returns historically, around ~10% annualized over long periods. Hard to argue with that track record.
On the other hand, it’s heavily US-focused, and with how much the US has already outperformed globally, part of me wonders if the next 10–20 years might look different. A world ETF feels more diversified, but historically returns have been a bit lower.
I also considered just splitting it, something like 70% US / 30% global, but then I’m not sure if I’m overcomplicating what should be a simple decision.
For context, I’m not trying to beat the market or trade actively with this money. The goal is just steady growth and not making a big mistake.
If you were starting fresh with a long-term horizon today, would you: stick with US-focused funds, go fully global, or combine both?
Would really appreciate some grounded advice here.
Not financial advice.