Buying an S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) share becomes a little more serious when selling is taken off the table.

If I knew I had to hold an investment for the next decade, I would want businesses that could keep finding new ways to grow long after the initial purchase.

These three ASX 200 shares would make my shortlist.

Xero Ltd (ASX: XRO)

Xero would be one of my first choices.

Its accounting software has become an important part of how millions of small businesses manage invoicing, payroll, payments, reporting, and other financial tasks.

I like the position that creates. Once a business has moved its financial records onto Xero, connected its accountant, and added other applications, changing platforms can become increasingly inconvenient.

That can help Xero retain customers while gradually offering them more services.

The company also still has a surprisingly large market left to target. Xero had around 4.9 million customers in FY26, while management has previously pointed to a global addressable market of around 100 million small businesses.

Payments, payroll, artificial intelligence, and its acquisition of Melio could also allow Xero to play a larger role in the financial lives of those customers.

Over 10 years, I think there is plenty of room for both the customer base and the amount each customer spends with Xero to increase.

HUB24 Ltd (ASX: HUB)

HUB24 would give me exposure to another long-term change happening in Australia.

The ASX 200 share provides investment and administration technology used by financial advisers to manage client portfolios.

What I like here is the opportunity for more wealth to move onto modern platforms as advisers look for better technology, greater flexibility, and more efficient ways to manage client money.

HUB24 can benefit as its existing advisers bring more client assets onto the platform, while new advisers provide another source of growth.

The wider group also owns businesses including Class and myprosperity, giving it technology that reaches accountants and wealth-management clients beyond the core investment platform.

Australia’s pool of superannuation and investment savings should continue growing for many years. I think HUB24 has a good chance of capturing an increasing share of the activity surrounding that wealth.

Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG)

Macquarie would be my third ASX 200 share pick.

The company has built businesses across asset management, infrastructure, commodities, energy, financial markets, advisory, and banking.

That gives Macquarie plenty of places to look for opportunities as the world changes.

Over the coming decade, enormous amounts of capital will likely be required for energy infrastructure, transport, digital networks, and other major projects. Macquarie has spent decades building the expertise and relationships needed to participate in those areas.

Its earnings can be up and down, and some years will inevitably be much stronger than others.

But if I were forced to ignore the share price for 10 years, that would bother me less. I would be backing Macquarie’s ability to keep finding attractive opportunities and allocating capital effectively over a full market cycle.

Foolish takeaway

A 10-year restriction would change the way I thought about buying ASX 200 shares.

Short-term catalysts would become far less important. I would spend much more time asking whether the business could still have a larger customer base, stronger competitive position, and higher earnings a decade from now.

For Xero, HUB24, and Macquarie, I think the answer could be yes.

The post 3 ASX 200 shares I’d buy if I couldn’t sell for 10 years appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Grace Alvino has positions in Hub24. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Hub24, Macquarie Group, and Xero. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Xero. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Hub24 and Macquarie Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

By your early 50s, your superannuation balance should turn from a savings pot for the future into a financial deadline.

Your balance has already had a few decades to grow, but the next 10 to 15 years are even more important. During this period you can still make meaningful changes to your superannuation balance, investment strategy and retirement plans.

At age 53, it’s important to know how much you have in your super, and if you’re on track to fund the retirement lifestyle you want when the time comes.

Let’s break it down.

How much does it cost to retire?

According to data from the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA), there are two main retirement lifestyle brackets: modest and comfortable.

A modest retirement is one that allows you to meet essential living costs slightly above the Age Pension payment. It assumes you’ll have enough money to fund basic costs like bottom-tier health insurance, utilities and grocery expenses. It leaves a little room for infrequent, low-cost leisure activities and perhaps the occasional budget meal out. But it doesn’t account for funds for travel, and it leaves only a very limited discretionary budget. 

ASFA estimates that a modest retirement will cost approximately $36,434 per year for singles and around $52,473 for a couple combined. These figures assume you own your home outright (so additional mortgage or rental costs will be on top) and that you’ll receive a part Age Pension. 

To fund a modest retirement, singles will need around $110,000 in superannuation, and couples around $120,000.

It’s achievable for most, but what many strive for is a comfortable retirement lifestyle.

ASFA defines a comfortable retirement as one which allows Australians to maintain a good standard of living well above and beyond the Age Pension. It covers expenses like top-tier private health insurance, a reasonable car, and regular leisure activities. It also includes money for home repairs and renovations, an occasional meal out, and maybe even an occasional holiday.

The data shows that a comfortable retirement is estimated to cost around $55,923 per year for singles and $78,566 for couples. Again, it assumes you’ll receive a part Age Pension and that you own your home in full. In order to fund this, single Australians will need around $630,000 in their superannuation at retirement, and couples will need around $730,000.

Ok, so at age 53, how much superannuation should I have to be considered ‘on track’?

I’ve crunched the numbers using ASFA’s online super detective tool and, at age 53, Australians should aim to have a superannuation balance of around $364,000 to be on track for a comfortable retirement. 

How does this compare to your own balance?

Can I boost my balance before it’s too late?

At age 53, you’ve still got at least seven more years before you can access your superannuation (assuming you’ve stopped working), or another 12 years if you want to access it and still earn some money on the side.

That’s plenty of time for your balance to catch up if it’s falling behind.

First, check that your fund is performing well and that your risk profile suits your needs. There is no point in adding extra funds to a superfund that is underperforming major indices like the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO).

Once you’ve verified that, you’ll need to start adding additional funds yourself. Don’t rely solely on the compulsory minimum employer superannuation contribution to do the heavy lifting for you.

Take advantage of additional concessional or non-concessional contributions. You can do this through salary sacrifice or by making after-tax payments (as long as they’re within your annual limits).

If you don’t have enough surplus cash to add to your superannuation yourself, can your partner do it for you? Couples can boost their combined super savings if the higher-income earner contributes after-tax funds to the lower-income earner’s account. 

Also make sure you’ve checked for lost super and consolidated your super funds. Every cent counts.

The post How much should I have in my superannuation by age 53? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Samantha Menzies has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

You would think record gold prices would be doing wonders for Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) shares.

Instead, the gold miner has gone backwards.

Northern Star finished Thursday down 1.40% at $22.54, leaving the share price around 16% lower in 2026 and well below its recent highs.

That’s not really what investors would expect with gold trading at such strong levels.

But there could be a bit more going on here than just the gold price.

US activist investor Elliott Investment Management has been building its position in Northern Star, and it clearly sees room for improvement.

I think that makes the next few months worth watching closely.

Elliott wants to see some changes

The US activist investor has been pushing Northern Star to strengthen its board and take a look at how the business is run.

Last month, Elliott said:

During a period of record gold prices, a company with assets of this calibre should be among its sector’s strongest performers.

It also argued that Northern Star’s shareholder returns had lagged peers because of execution and governance failures.

Northern Star has pushed back. Outgoing chairman Michael Chaney said Elliott had made demands “to which no responsible board would agree”.

With that said, the boardroom battle could become more interesting over the next 2 months.

Director nominations close on 16 September, while the annual general meeting (AGM) is scheduled for 18 November.

A new CEO is coming too

There’s also a fair bit happening inside Northern Star itself.

Suresh Vadnagra is due to take over as chief executive on 5 October following Stuart Tonkin’s departure last month.

That means the company will soon have a new CEO, a new chairman and a major activist investor demanding better results.

I think that puts plenty of pressure on the new leadership team to show investors what it can do differently.

And there is clearly room for the share price to recover.

Northern Star is still up around 8% over the past year, but the shares remain well below the levels they reached in March.

Could Northern Star shares recover?

Brokers aren’t exactly on the same page when it comes to Northern Star.

TipRanks shows an average 12-month price target of $23.40, which is only around 4% above Thursday’s closing price.

But a few analysts see a lot more upside.

UBS recently upgraded Northern Star to buy and lifted its price target to $29.40, while Jefferies has a $27 target and Morgans is at $25.

If UBS is right, Northern Star shares could climb around 30% from here.

Personally, I wouldn’t buy the stock just because Elliott has built a huge position.

The new team will need to improve execution and get shareholders back onside before I’d take another look.

The post Down 16%, could this $2 billion activist bet wake up Northern Star shares? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.