Three ETF mixes ordered by investing experience — not age. Start simple if you’re new, add one small growth extra when the core feels familiar, then a second side holding when you’re ready to manage more moving parts. Same building blocks; more pieces only when they earn their place.
Illustrative ETF mixes from ClearTape — not personal advice, not a buy or sell recommendation, and not your brokerage account. Weights are discussion targets, not live rebalancing or performance tracking.
Just starting
Steady start
A simple three-fund core: US stocks, international stocks, and bonds.
Built for people still learning stocks, bonds, and diversification. Three broad ETFs keep the story short and the decisions few. Often suits a longer horizon when the goal is a durable starting shape — not more extras.
Building confidence
Growth tilt
Same diversified core, plus one small Nasdaq-100 extra — still ETF-first.
For when the three-fund shape already makes sense and you want one intentional growth tilt. A small QQQ slice teaches concentration risk without abandoning the core. Often a fit once you’re comfortable rebalancing and still have runway for a modest side holding.
More experienced
Core plus extras
Still diversified and ETF-first: a growth extra plus a small-cap slice beside the core.
Two side holdings ask you to keep each lane sized on purpose — growth tilt and small-cap beside the same core. Best when you already understand overlap with VTI and why extras stay small. Often suits people ready to review drift without chasing every market move.
- VTI40%
Broad US stocks remain the largest holding.
- VXUS20%
International equities stay meaningful against home bias.
- BND20%
Nominal bond ballast — same job as the simpler mixes.
- QQQ10%
Intentional Nasdaq-100 concentration on top of VTI — a side holding, not the core.
- IJR10%
US small-caps that mega-tech indexes underweight — a size diversifier.