The three ETFs I’d buy to set up a starter portfolio

Picking individual stocks, particularly when you’re starting out investing, can be a fraught process – how do you know what to buy, if and when to sell?

That’s why many investors are turning to exchange-traded funds (ETFs) which according to Betashares, will see fund inflows of more than $50 billion this year.

I like ETFs for their ease of use, and despite there being literally hundreds of ETFs on offer, it’s relatively easy to find an investment thematic which will suit your purposes.

Cybersecurity in focus

For myself, one ETF I can’t go past is the Betashares global Cybersecurity ETF (ASX: HACK).

While the ETF has come off a bit over the past month, pushing its 12 month total return down to 5.7%, given the huge investment inflows into the artificial intelligence field at the moment, I can’t help but think this ETF will come into its own in the next couple of years, returning to its longer-term performance of 24.1% over three years and 13.5% over five.

This ETF holds stakes in companies such as Cisco Systems, Crowdstrike Holdings and Cloudflare.

Local income play

For exposure to Australian shares and their dividend yields I’d go with Vanguard Australian shares High Yield (ETF :VHY), which has more than $6 billion in funds under management and returned 14.4% over the past 12 months.

VHY has a fully-franked dividend yield of 8.3%, fully-franked, which is great for investors seeking regular income, and it pays out quarterly.

The top holdings in VHY mirror the S&P/ASX20 Index and include BHP Group (ASX: BHP), Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) and Westpac Banking Corporation (ASX: WBC).

Global leaders

Looking outside of Australian shares, the iShares Global 100 ETF (ASX: IOO) is a solid option, with a total return over the past year of 17.5% and 27.3% over a three-year horizon.

As the name suggests, this ETF aims to give investors exposure to 100 of the largest global stocks in one fund, and is more geared towards capital growth than dividend returns.

Investing in IOO gives exposure to the trillion-dollar Nvidia Corp as well as Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and Google owner Alphabet.

While I’ve selected three ETFs which suit my investment profile, there are literally hundreds of other options out there.

CommSec recently revealed the three most popular ETFs traded on its platform during 2025, and only IOO among my picks was in the top three, coming in at third place.

The second-most popular ETF was the iShares Core S&P/ASX 200 ETF (ASX: IOZ) which aims to track the top 200 Australian companies, while the most popular was the Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF (ASX: NDQ)  which aims to track the tech-heavy NASDAQ’s top 100 index.

The post The three ETFs I’d buy to set up a starter portfolio appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Cameron England has positions in iShares International Equity ETFs – iShares Global 100 ETF. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended BetaShares Global Cybersecurity ETF. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended BHP Group, Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF – Currency Hedged, and Vanguard Australian Shares High Yield ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.