Key Points

• Americans aren't saving enough for retirement.

• Here are three exchange-traded funds to build your nest egg around.

• Complement them with top-notch individual stocks, such as this AI leader, plus a cryptocurrency to protect against inflation.

• 10 stocks we like better than Vanguard S&P 500 ETF ›

Despite the remarkable U.S. economy, Americans are falling dramatically short of their retirement goals. According to research by The Motley Fool, most Americans are saving and investing in a retirement account, but just 34% believe that they're on track to hit their goals.

The study found that the median U.S. household has just $87,000 saved, with the typical household reaching a peak of around $200,000 between the ages of 65 and 74.

Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Learn More »

If you're still working, a diversified investment portfolio can help you change your financial trajectory, even if you're starting later than you had hoped to.

Here are five incredible investments to consider for your long-term portfolio that could help move the needle for your retirement over the coming decades. Consider buying and holding them today.

Image source: Getty Images.

1. An ETF you can build your retirement around

For quick and straightforward portfolio diversification, consider exchange-traded funds (ETFs). These are collections of individual stocks that trade under a single ticker symbol. Among them, it's hard to beat the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: VOO). This ETF tracks the S&P 500, an index of 500 prominent U.S. companies.

Investing in this ETF provides exposure to various market sectors and industries. The S&P 500 adheres to strict selection criteria that help maintain its quality. Its system works. The S&P 500 is arguably the most proven wealth-building machine of all time, making it a no-brainer to include in your retirement portfolio.

2. Casting a wider net, this ETF offers instant diversification

Diversifying your portfolio goes beyond the companies and industries you invest in. It also includes geographic markets. Therefore, you should consider an ETF such as the Vanguard Total World Stock ETF (NYSEMKT: VT), a global stock market ETF with over 9,700 individual stocks from almost every industry across various countries.

It represents an investment in the broader global economy, which is crucial because there may be times when the U.S. stock market stumbles or lags behind other countries. This ETF pairs nicely with the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF as a foundation for your nest egg that should last as long as you need it to.

3. This innovation ETF should also help grow your nest egg

Now, it's time to look to growth to help your money compound over the coming decades. Consider the Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ: QQQ) a fantastic starting point.

This ETF tracks the Nasdaq-100, an index with a heavy focus on technology stocks. It provides abundant exposure to the "Magnificent Seven" stocks, which lead the way in artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, e-commerce, digital advertising, and other high-growth industries.

This fund can be more volatile, but it has outperformed the S&P 500 over its lifetime. That may not always be the case, but the world is becoming increasingly tech driven, making the Invesco QQQ an excellent way to bet on innovation as a whole.

4. A leading AI stock that could boost your portfolio's results

It's fine to sprinkle in some individual stocks after you have built a foundation for your portfolio. AI could create trillions of dollars in economic value down the road, making it perhaps the most important growth story you can invest in right now.

Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) has already established itself as an AI powerhouse. It's the dominant leader in supplying chips used to train and run AI models in data centers.

Nvidia continues to grow as companies invest billions to build data centers, and experts predict that these expenditures could amount to trillions of dollars over the coming years. Beyond that, Nvidia could also play a part in emerging AI-driven technologies, such as autonomous vehicles and humanoid robotics. Nvidia is a total package that should continue to thrive, considering the AI era is only just beginning.

5. Hedge for inflation with the flagship cryptocurrency

President Donald Trump recently signed his "One Big Beautiful Bill" into law, officially raising America's debt ceiling. It's another sign that the U.S. government figures to continue spending to support its interests, a long-standing pattern that has steadily increased the country's debt. As a result, it may be worthwhile to include some anti-inflationary investments in your portfolio.

Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) is the largest and most prominent cryptocurrency. Its status and capped maximum supply have resulted in staggering price appreciation that has easily outpaced the stock market for years.

Alternatively, if you're skeptical of cryptocurrencies, consider investing in gold, which remains a popular hedge against inflation to this day. Either way, having some anti-inflationary investments is yet another way to cover all your bases and mitigate risk.

Should you invest $1,000 in Vanguard S&P 500 ETF right now?

Before you buy stock in Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Vanguard S&P 500 ETF wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $671,477!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,010,880!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 1,047% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 180% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of July 7, 2025

Justin Pope has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin, Nvidia, and Vanguard S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

President Donald Trump announced a significant development in his trade war against the United States' trading partners.

*Stock prices used were the afternoon prices of July 6, 2025. The video was published on July 8, 2025.

Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue »

Should you invest $1,000 in Invesco QQQ Trust right now?

Before you buy stock in Invesco QQQ Trust, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Invesco QQQ Trust wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $687,764!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $980,723!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 1,048% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 179% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of July 7, 2025

Parkev Tatevosian, CFA has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Parkev Tatevosian is an affiliate of The Motley Fool and may be compensated for promoting its services. If you choose to subscribe through his link, he will earn some extra money that supports his channel. His opinions remain his own and are unaffected by The Motley Fool

The secret to retiring a multi-millionaire is quite simple. There is no easier way to accomplish this than by using a consistent dollar-cost averaging strategy. If you start investing early and use this investment strategy, your odds of retiring a multi-millionaire are extremely good.

Dollar-cost averaging is one of the simplest and most effective investing strategies out there. Instead of trying to time the market, you simply invest at regular intervals, regardless of where prices are.

Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Learn More »

By investing a fixed amount every month, or every paycheck, you'll buy more shares when prices are low and fewer shares when they're high. Over time, this will smooth out your cost basis and help protect you from big market swings. It's a disciplined approach that will keep you investing through both bull and bear markets.

Some of the best investment vehicles to use this strategy with are exchange-traded funds (ETFs). With ETFs, you can get an instant portfolio of stocks without doing a lot of research. ETFs are also very accessible. You can feel comfortable starting with a small amount -- the key is just investing consistently.

Image source: Getty Images.

With the power of compounding, dollar-cost averaging consistently into an ETF can help you retire a multi-millionaire. You also don't have to start with a large amount. If you are in your mid-twenties and have 40 years until retirement, a simple $500 investment each month can turn into a nearly $5 million nest egg by the time you hit retirement age with just a 12% average annual return.

If you're older, though, don't fret. A $1,000 investment each month at a 12% annual return can give you a $3 million portfolio after 30 years. However, the sooner you start, the better, as $1,000 each month for 40 years turns into nearly $10 million.

Let's look at five ETFs with strong track records that can help you retire a multi-millionaire.

Vanguard S&P 500 ETF

With a 12.8% return over the past decade, the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: VOO) is one of the first choices that investors should consider when looking to implement a dollar-cost-averaging strategy. The ETF replicates the performance of the S&P 500, which is widely considered the benchmark for the U.S. stock market.

The ETF is a nice blend of growth and value large-cap stocks, and with around 500 stocks in the fund, it gives investors instant diversity.

Vanguard Growth ETF

Growth stocks have been leading the way in the market for the better part of two decades. The Vanguard Growth ETF (NYSEMKT: VUG) is a great way to invest in this dynamic. With a 15.3% return over the last 10 years, this ETF is another solid choice for investors looking to use a dollar-cost-averaging strategy.

While the ETF officially tracks the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index, this is essentially the growth side of the S&P 500. It's not as diversified as the S&P 500, with only around 165 stocks in its portfolio, but you're getting the best of the large-cap growth stocks through the ETF.

Invesco QQQ Trust

The Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ: QQQ) has quite simply been one of the best-performing non-sector-specific or non-leveraged ETFs over the past decade. The ETF tracks the performance of the Nasdaq-100 index, which is made up of the 100 largest non-financial stocks that trade on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange. The Nasdaq has long been known as the exchange for emerging growth and technology companies, so the ETF is heavily weighted toward these types of stocks.

The ETF has generated an average annual return of 17.7% over the past 10 years, easily ahead of the return of the S&P 500 over the same stretch. Even more impressive is that it has consistently beaten the S&P 500 more than 87% of the time on a 12-month rolling basis.

Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF

Investing in growth and technology stocks is not the only investment style, and the Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (NYSEMKT: SCHD) is a nice value investment alternative. The ETF tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index, which consists of high-yielding U.S. stocks that have long track records of consistently paying out dividends.

While the ETF has only generated a 10.6% average annual return over the past 10 years, it has produced a 12.2% annual average return since its inception in October 2011. That's a solid long-term track record.

ARK Next Generation Internet ETF

If you're looking to swing for the fences, the ARK Next Generation Internet ETF (NYSEMKT: ARKW) could be right for you. Unlike the other ETFs, it is actively managed and does not follow an index. Instead, it is focused on investing in companies "that benefit from the increased use of shared technology, infrastructure and services, internet-based products and services, new payment methods, big data, the internet of things, and social distribution and media." In addition to investing in stocks, it currently has an investment in an ETF that tracks the price of Bitcoin.

The ETF has been a strong performer, generating an average annual return of 18.2% over the past 10 years. However, you'll need a strong stomach, as the ETF has seen some wild swings over the past few years, as shown in the table below.

Data source: Ark Invest.

As such, this ETF is only for the most aggressive investors.

Should you invest $1,000 in Vanguard S&P 500 ETF right now?

Before you buy stock in Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Vanguard S&P 500 ETF wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $713,547!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $966,931!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 1,062% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 177% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of June 23, 2025

Geoffrey Seiler has positions in Invesco QQQ Trust and Vanguard S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin, Vanguard Index Funds-Vanguard Growth ETF, and Vanguard S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

The $1 million mark is a significant financial milestone for many people. There's something about seven figures that feels like you have achieved a real level of financial security.

For most people, the most realistic way to reach $1 million is through investing. That's not groundbreaking news, but what is often underappreciated is just how simple it can be. It doesn't take hitting big on a generational winner like Nvidia or Amazon; it can be done with exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that take a lot of the guesswork out of investing.

Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue »

One ETF in particular, the Invesco QQQ ETF (NASDAQ: QQQ), has delivered historical returns that could carry you to the $1 million mark. And it's worth considering for your portfolio.

Image source: Getty Images.

An ETF that leans heavily on big tech stocks

The Invesco QQQ ETF mirrors the Nasdaq-100, an index that tracks the 100 largest non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange. The ETF is weighted by market cap, so megacap tech stocks make up a large portion of the fund. Below are its top 10 holdings (as of June 13):

• Microsoft: 8.79%
• Nvidia: 8.62%
• Apple:7.34%
• Amazon: 5.59%
• Broadcom: 4.80%
• Meta Platforms:3.72%
• Netflix:3.17%
• Tesla: 2.94%
• Costco Wholesale: 2.69%
• Alphabet (Class A): 2.54%

Having half of a 100-stock ETF in 10 stocks doesn't scream diversification, but it does give you exposure to some of the stock market's heavy hitters. Each of the 10 stocks has considerably outperformed the S&P 500 over the past decade and operates in industries with plenty of growth opportunities.

NVDA data by YCharts; ANN = compound annual growth over previous 10 years.

This ETF has a history of impressive returns

Since it hit the stock market in March 1999, this ETF has averaged around 10% total returns (close to the S&P 500 long-term average). Over the past decade, its returns have been much greater.

QQQ data by YCharts.

Averaging 17% to 18% annually is impressive, no doubt, but it shouldn't be the long-term expectation. Would it be nice? Absolutely. However, it's much better to plan for more-modest returns and be pleasantly surprised if it does work out that way.

For the sake of illustration, let's assume the ETF's returns are in the middle, around 14% annually. Here's how much $500 monthly investments would grow to in different numbers of years.

Table by author. Investment values are rounded down to the nearest hundred and take into account the ETF's 0.20% expense ratio.

The biggest factor is time because that's what allows compound earnings to work their true magic. Even if we use the more conservative 10% annual returns, you could hit the $1 million mark a little after 30 years.

In all fairness, these are assumptions, and we should never take past performance as a guarantee of future results. However, it does show this ETF's long-term potential with consistent investments over time.

Use this ETF as a supplemental part of your portfolio

Although this ETF is full of world-class companies and has all the tools to outperform the market, I wouldn't make it a large portion of my portfolio because of how concentrated it is. The tech sector is over 57% of the ETF, so your returns will depend a lot on the sector's performance, especially the "Magnificent Seven" companies.

Granted, the tech sector has been the highest-performing over the past decade or so, but there's a risk that comes with relying heavily on one sector. It's especially important to be aware of how concentrated your stock portfolio is if you're investing in the S&P 500, which has become tech-heavy over the past few years with the explosion of megacap tech stocks.

Even if you can't afford to dedicate $500 monthly solely to this ETF, a relatively small amount can go a long way over time.

Should you invest $1,000 in Invesco QQQ Trust right now?

Before you buy stock in Invesco QQQ Trust, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Invesco QQQ Trust wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $659,171!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $891,722!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 995% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 172% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025

John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Stefon Walters has positions in Apple and Microsoft. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Costco Wholesale, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Netflix, Nvidia, and Tesla. The Motley Fool recommends Broadcom and recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

It didn't seem that far ago in the past that the idea of artificial intelligence (AI) seemed like the stuff of science fiction. Nowadays, however, it seems that everywhere we look, AI has a presence. From customer service chatbots to self-driving cars, AI in a wide variety of places that transcend the generative AI applications like ChatGPT that people are turning to daily -- and maybe even hourly.

Recognizing how rapidly AI is escalating, growth investors are looking for ways to prosper from the trend. Fortunately for them, they needn't fret about identifying individual AI companies -- the exchange-traded fund Invesco QQQ ETF (NASDAQ: QQQ) provides a convenient one-stop shopping exchange-traded fund opportunity for those looking to invest $1,000 and hold on for the long term.

Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Learn More »

Image source: Getty Images.

Don't let the name fool you -- AI exposure reigns supreme

Although you couldn't tell by the name of the fund, the Invesco QQQ ETF still offers considerable AI exposure, although it's not explicitly stated in the same way as other AI-focused ETFs like the Roundhill Generative AI and Technology ETF or the Global X Robotics and Artificial Intelligence ETF.

Providing exposure to the market's leading tech stocks, the Invesco QQQ ETF has the stated goal of tracking the Nasdaq-100, an index that tracks the performance of the top 100 nonfinancial stocks listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market.

In addition to all the "Magnificent Seven" stocks, the 10 largest positions in the Invesco QQQ ETF include semiconductor stalwart Broadcom, streaming leader Netflix, and leading wholesale retailer Costco Wholesale.

Data source: Invesco QQQ ETF Prospectus Data.

Despite the fact that there are 100 stocks held in the Invesco QQQ ETF, it's the top 10 positions that do the heavy lifting, representing 50% of the fund's weighting.

Besides companies providing innovative AI tools like Apple and Microsoft, investors have the opportunity to prosper from AI's use in autonomous vehicles with Tesla, as well as semiconductor stocks Nvidia and Broadcom that provide AI computing capabilities.

A simple way to surf the waves of tech innovation

While the popularity of some technologies -- like 3D printing -- turn out to not provide investors with the lucrative returns that they had seemed to initially offer, the omnipresence of AI in so many facets of society suggest that it's here to stay and become even more deeply embedded in our daily lives in the coming years. While it does, the Invesco QQQ ETF will continue to provide investors with the opportunity to benefit.

Naturally, tech advancements will continue, and the Invesco QQQ ETF will continue to serve as an ideal way for investors to have exposure to the companies at the vanguard of innovation, since the ETF is rebalanced quarterly and reconstituted annually.

Many experts, for example, suspect that quantum computing will be the next tech revolution. If they're correct, companies that are quantum computing industry leaders and are already held in the Invesco QQQ ETF -- like Nvidia, Microsoft, and Alphabet -- will provide exposure for investors.

This ETF's success is clear as day

Since its inception in March 1999, the Invesco QQQ ETF delivered a convincingly strong performance, soaring at a clip that exceeds those of both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite. From the early days of the internet through the development of the smartphone industry up to the boom in AI stocks, the Invesco QQQ ETF provided investors with a convenient way to prosper from the recent technological achievements.

QQQ data by YCharts.

As it has over the past 25 years, the ETF is bound to experience some bumps in the road, as it's subject to the whims of the market. But for investors who take the long view -- our favorite type of investors -- the volatility the ETF experiences shouldn't impede it from enjoying future success and contributing greatly to growing investors' personal wealth.

As if the allure of the fund isn't bright enough, those who fret that a high-quality ETF such as this comes with exorbitant management costs needn't worry. The Invesco QQQ ETF has a low total expense ratio of 0.2%, or $20 annually for each $10,000 invested.

Should you invest $1,000 in Invesco QQQ Trust right now?

Before you buy stock in Invesco QQQ Trust, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Invesco QQQ Trust wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $658,297!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $883,386!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 992% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 172% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025

John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Scott Levine has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Costco Wholesale, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Netflix, Nvidia, and Tesla. The Motley Fool recommends Broadcom and recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

The tech sector has been a market-beating beast in recent years. Tech-heavy exchange-traded funds (ETFs) like the Vanguard Information Technology ETF (NYSEMKT: VGT) and the Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ: QQQ) have delivered annual returns of more than 21% over the last three years. Broad market trackers like the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: VOO) only gained 15.5% per year over the same period. Yes, that's a fantastic return from a historic perspective, but the tech sector offered even stronger gains.

Image source: Getty Images.

Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Learn More »

The technology boom has been driven by artificial intelligence (AI) news, starting with the public release of ChatGPT in November 2022. Many leaders in the AI market have soared sky-high, adding fuel to the tech sector's market performance fires, but also making those market darlings a bit expensive.

Fortunately, the market-moving forces left a few top-notch companies behind. I still see several tech stocks with a combination of bright business prospects and modest stock prices. Let's check out a couple of underappreciated bargain-bin tech stocks. This dynamic duo looks ready for a fresh bull run.

1. Criteo

Digital advertising has been a troubled sector since the first signs of an inflation crisis in 2021. Paris-based commerce media specialist Criteo (NASDAQ: CRTO) provides purchase-inspiring ad services to global brands. This focus placed the Parisian company in the epicenter of the inflation-based slowdown -- why invest in lavish marketing campaigns when consumers are pinching pennies and tightening belts?

Criteo's revenues have indeed slumped since then, and so has the stock price. You know what's surging in recent quarters, though? That would be Criteo's free cash flows:

CRTO Free Cash Flow data by YCharts

The cash profits took a temporary dip, but came back stronger, with trailing cash flows reaching an all-time high in May's Q1 2025 report. But Criteo's stock price is down more than 30% in the last quarter, and the shares are trading at the bargain-bin valuation of 11.3 times earnings and 6.6 times free cash flow.

I'm not saying the digital ad market is roaring back to life in the spring of 2025. The political climate may result in another inflation spike, and advertisers are already reducing their ad-spot spending right now. Hence, Criteo's undervalued stock may see more volatility and weakness in the coming months. However, I think the market makers have underestimated Criteo's ability to turn cash profits in a soft market.

The Criteo shares you buy at a discount in this downswing should return to more reasonable valuation ratios someday. At the same time, the company's robust cash generation makes it less vulnerable to short-term financial challenges. You can buy Criteo stock with confidence while it's cheap. This one is poised for great long-term returns, and patience is the greatest Wall Street virtue of them all.

2. Hewlett Packard Enterprise

My next recommendation is more of a household name. Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE: HPE) has been around (in some form) since 1939. As the data center and cloud computing operator of the old HP business, HP Enterprise (aka HPE) plays a serious part in the AI boom.

Indeed, seven out of the 10 most powerful supercomputers today were built by HP Enterprise. Only Chinese rival Lenovo has more systems in the top 500 than HP Enterprise, and nobody can match the total number-crunching performance of this company's ultra-powerful systems. Any company or organization that needs a top-performance system for their AI training and operations is likely to check out HP Enterprise's catalog first.

So I'm talking about an AI powerhouse here. Yet, the stock price has dropped 16% lower year to date while smaller system builders Super Micro Computers (NASDAQ: SMCI) and Dell (NYSE: DELL) are up by 41% and down by just 1%, respectively. Trading at 8.9 times earnings and 14.3 times free cash flow, HP Enterprise looks downright cheap next to these challengers.

HP Enterprise's stock could double or triple in price and still be affordable next to Supermicro or Dell. This could be a great value play on the hardware side of the AI boom.

Should you invest $1,000 in Criteo right now?

Before you buy stock in Criteo, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Criteo wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $653,389!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $830,492!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 982% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 171% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of May 19, 2025

Anders Bylund has positions in Criteo, Vanguard Information Technology ETF, and Vanguard S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Vanguard S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool recommends Criteo. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

The stock market remains volatile but not quite as frantic as earlier this year. Meanwhile, the major market indexes remain well below their recent highs.

Against this backdrop, now is a great time to invest in high-quality exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that track indexes. ETFs are a collection of assets that trade as a single unit and are a great place for new and experienced investors alike because they bring instant diversification with the flexibility to be traded like a single stock.

Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Learn More »

And $500 is a great starting point -- but just that. The key to investing, particularly with ETFs, is to contribute consistently over time. It's a strategy known as dollar-cost averaging, where you regularly invest a set amount at a specific time. This could be with each paycheck or on a particular day of the month.

It is important to stick with this strategy, whether the market is up or down. Down markets are a great time to pick up stocks on the cheap and get a better cost basis.

And you should continue to do so even in bull markets, which tend to last a long time. In fact, according to a JPMorgan Chase study, since 1950, the S&P 500 hit a new all-time high on 7% of its trading days, and on a third of those days, the index never dropped lower.

Let's look at three great index ETFs you can begin to invest in right now.

The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF

One of the most popular ETFs in the world is the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: VOO), and for good reason. As the name says, it tracks the roughly 500 largest companies that trade on a U.S. stock exchange. The index is market-cap weighted, which means that the larger a company's value, the bigger part of the portfolio it occupies.

And as with most Vanguard ETFs, it comes with a minuscule expense ratio. Even seemingly low expense ratios, such as 1%, eat into returns over time, especially as your investments grow in size. The Vanguard ETF's expense ratio is only a scant 0.03%.

With this Vanguard ETF, investors get an instant portfolio of the companies that have grown to become some of the world's largest. The index is also generally considered the benchmark for the U.S. stock market as a whole.

The ETF has a long history of solid returns. Over the past decade, it has generated an average annual return of 12.3%, as of the end of April.

The Vanguard Growth ETF

Sticking with Vanguard and its low costs, the Vanguard Growth ETF (NYSEMKT: VUG) is another great option. It mimics the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index, which is essentially the growth side of the S&P 500. It has a similarly low expense ratio of 0.04%.

The Vanguard Growth ETF gives you an instant portfolio of many of the large-cap growth stocks that have been helping drive the market over the past several years. It is heavily weighted toward the tech sector, which makes up about 57% of its holdings. And some very tech-heavy companies, such as Amazon and Tesla, are categorized into other sectors.

If you're looking for exposure to the so-called "Magnificent Seven" stocks (Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla), this ETF is a good option. At the end of last quarter, these seven stocks accounted for over 50% of its holdings.

This fund has been a strong long-term performer, generating a 14.5% return over the past 10 years, as of the end of April.

Image source: Getty Images

The Invesco QQQ ETF

Beating the returns of the S&P 500 is not an easy task, but one ETF that has been able to consistently outperform it is the Invesco QQQ ETF (NASDAQ: QQQ), which tracks the performance of the Nasdaq 100. Like the other indexes mentioned above, the Nasdaq 100 is also market-cap weighted. It contains the 100 largest nonfinancial stocks on the exchange.

That index has historically attracted fast-growing companies, particularly in the technology sector. As such, it is also very heavily weighted toward tech, checking in at a similar 57% to the Vanguard Growth fund.

The Invesco ETF has been the best performer of these three over the past decade, with an average annual return of nearly 17% over the past 10 years, as of the end of April. And this has not been just from a couple of big years of outperformance. On a rolling 12-month basis, it has outperformed the S&P 500 more than 87% of the time over the past decade (for the period ended March).

It carries a 0.2% expense ratio, but its consistent outperformance over the years more than justifies its higher cost.

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Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $617,181!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $719,371!*

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*Stock Advisor returns as of May 5, 2025

Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Geoffrey Seiler has positions in Alphabet, Invesco QQQ Trust, and Vanguard S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, JPMorgan Chase, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia, Tesla, Vanguard Index Funds - Vanguard Growth ETF, and Vanguard S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Despite the latest turmoil that's rattling the market due to concerns about how President Donald Trump's trade policies will play out, the S&P 500 index has done a good job compounding investor capital over the long run. In the past 10 years, the widely followed benchmark has produced a total return, including dividends, of 194%.

However, there is one exchange-traded fund (ETF) that has absolutely trounced the broader S&P 500. Had you invested in the Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ: QQQ) in April 2015, you would have registered a spectacular total return of 333%. No one will argue with that kind of outcome.

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Should you buy the QQQ right now and hold it for 10 years? Investors must know important information before making that decision.

Exposure to powerful secular trends

Investors will gain different exposure in their portfolios with the Invesco QQQ Trust, which tracks the performance of the Nasdaq 100 index. This includes the biggest nonfinancial companies that trade on the Nasdaq exchange. That's in stark contrast to the S&P 500's composition.

While every sector is represented, there is an unusually high concentration in the technology and consumer discretionary sectors. That shouldn't be surprising because the "Magnificent Seven" stocks combined make up 40% of the entire portfolio. These companies have generally performed very well in recent times.

It's crucial for investors to realize that the QQQ is essentially a bet on various technology-focused secular trends shaping our economy. For example, this ETF will ensure you benefit from ongoing growth within digital payments, cloud computing, digital advertising, streaming entertainment, and perhaps the most powerful, artificial intelligence.

The beauty of choosing to invest in the Invesco QQQ Trust is that it provides instant diversification. There's no need to pick single stocks that might be the big winners of tomorrow. Instead, it's a basket approach that has worked out quite well in the past. And all it costs investors is a 0.2% expense ratio.

What to expect

As of this writing, the Invesco QQQ Trust trades 18% below its record high, which was established in February. A significant decline like this can definitely be unnerving for some investors, particularly when you see your net worth fall so much in such a short period of time. The natural reaction can be to hold off on buying, or maybe even dump your holdings. This would be a mistake.

The market's turmoil presents a lucrative buying opportunity. It's worth mentioning that the QQQ has experienced multiple major drawdowns historically. It can certainly be very scary when living through it. The market is known to be extremely volatile at times. But it should alleviate investor concerns knowing that this ETF has always bounced back to reach new all-time highs.

Patient investors who can look past the near-term uncertainty and focus on the big picture are inevitably rewarded. And I believe this will happen again, even though the Invesco QQQ Trust's future returns may or may not resemble those in the past.

The market downturn can be viewed as an advantage, particularly from a valuation perspective. The Magnificent Seven contain some of the most dominant and innovative businesses the world has ever seen. And today, the group trades at a median forward price-to-earnings ratio of 27.5. Given the general growth potential and impressive profitability of those companies, that valuation doesn't look unreasonable by any means.

The best thing investors can do is to consider starting to put money to work in the Invesco QQQ Trust today while it's well off its peak -- and dollar-cost average every month or quarter. This extra cash inflow can have a serious effect on returns over the next 10 years.

Should you invest $1,000 in Invesco QQQ Trust right now?

Before you buy stock in Invesco QQQ Trust, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Invesco QQQ Trust wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $594,046!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $680,390!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 872% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 160% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of April 21, 2025

Neil Patel has positions in Invesco QQQ Trust. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

With the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) ending last week down more than 10% in two days, the stock market experienced its first crash since March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic began to escalate. The culprit this time was the U.S. enacting punitive tariffs against much of the rest of the world and an ensuing trade war. These tariffs were even applied to two islands uninhabited by humans, with the Trump administration saying the duties were added so that other countries could not evade tariffs by shipping goods through the ports of these islands.

With the market in turmoil and a lot of volatility likely ahead, let's look at four ways investors can navigate the current market crash.

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1. Have liquidity

In a bear market or an impending bear market, one of the most important things investors can have is liquidity, or cash on the sidelines. By having available cash, investors can then take advantage of market dips.

If you're fully invested, consider selling some of your least favorite positions to raise some cash that can later be used to buy ideas you have more conviction in. If these are in a non-retirement account, you'd also get the potential benefit of a tax loss when you next file.

To be clear, you don't want to start panicking and just sell stocks. Instead, you want to look at this as an opportunity to high-grade (improve the quality of) your portfolio.

2. Create a list of high-quality stocks to buy

Another important thing you can do is create a list of high-quality stocks and the prices at which you'd start buying them. Undoubtedly, there have been stocks you've liked in the past, but their valuations were too high.

This could be highfliers like Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ: PLTR) or Cava Group (NYSE: CAVA) whose businesses are doing great but whose stock valuations just skyrocketed over the past year or two. Perhaps it could be stocks in industries that have always tended to have high multiplies, such as cybersecurity companies like CrowdStrike (NASDAQ: CRWD) and Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ: PANW). There could also be blue chip tech names like Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) (NASDAQ: GOOG) or Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) whose stocks have just gotten cheaper, given their collection of businesses and future prospects.

The key, though, is to gather a list of high-quality stocks you'd be comfortable owning over the long run. And then, when they reach your price target, be ready to start building positions in them. Just do the research beforehand so you're ready to pounce.

Image source: Getty Images.

3. Consider writing puts

A more advanced strategy to use in a down market is to write (sell) put options. By writing a put option, you collect a cash premium up front, but you are then obligated to buy that stock if the buyer exercises his option to sell it to you. As such, you want to do this only with stocks and at prices where you would want to buy them.

For example, if Amazon was on your list of stocks to buy at $150, you could write a put on Amazon stock with a strike price of $150 and a May 9 expiration and collect around $3.70 in premium. If the stock falls below $150 and the option is exercised, you'd own the stock at $150. Note that each option represents 100 shares. If Amazon doesn't fall to that price, you just collect the premium, which would be worth around $370 for each option.

This strategy's intention is twofold. One is to let you buy into a stock you want to own at a lower price. However, if the stock never reaches that price, you still earn some return.

The downside to this strategy is that it does tie up some capital, which you could potentially use elsewhere. That is why I prefer to keep the expiration dates short, at about a month.

In addition, if the stock blows past your price target on the downside, you are still obligated to buy at the strike price. This is most likely to occur if a major event happened when the market was closed, and it opened way down. However, the assumption we are using is that you'd be a buyer of the stock at the strike price regardless. The other disadvantage is that if the market does make a quick reversal, you would lose out compared to if you had jumped in right away and bought the stock.

However, this is a nice strategy to supplement your investments, allowing you to earn some extra cash as you wait for stocks to hit your buy prices.

4. Dollar-cost average with ETFs

Another strategy investors should consider is dollar-cost averaging. In this strategy, you make investments at set times and dollar amounts regardless of their prices.

This strategy works particularly well with exchange-traded funds (ETFs) such as the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: VOO) or the Invesco QQQ ETF (NASDAQ: QQQ). These two ETFs track major market indexes that have proven to be long-term winners. The Vanguard ETF tracks the S&P 500, which comprises the 500 largest stocks traded in the U.S., while the QQQ ETF tracks the Nasdaq-100, which is more tech- and growth-oriented.

With ETFs, you don't have to worry about individual stock research. You can buy an ETF that immediately gives you a portfolio of leading stocks. Consistently dollar-cost averaging into index ETFs is a great way to build long-term wealth, and a down market is a great place to start implementing this strategy.

Should you invest $1,000 in S&P 500 Index right now?

Before you buy stock in S&P 500 Index, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and S&P 500 Index wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $590,231!*

Stock Advisor provides investors with an easy-to-follow blueprint for success, including guidance on building a portfolio, regular updates from analysts, and two new stock picks each month. The Stock Advisor service has more than quadrupled the return of S&P 500 since 2002*. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of April 5, 2025

Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Geoffrey Seiler has positions in Alphabet, Invesco QQQ Trust, and Vanguard S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Amazon, CrowdStrike, Palantir Technologies, and Vanguard S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool recommends Cava Group and Palo Alto Networks. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.