Hi everyone,
I’m 27, have my 6-month emergency fund settled in ASM, and I’m ready to start my long-term ETF journey (20+ year horizon). I’ve decided to use Moomoo for now for the ease of entry, with a plan to migrate to Irish-domiciled ETFs (UCITS) on IBKR once my portfolio hits a larger milestone (e.g., RM50k or 100k) to optimize for the 30% withholding tax.
Current Financial Context:
- Emergency Fund: 6 months in ASM.
- Able to save up around RM1k - RM1.2k monthly, planning to dump it all into ETFs from now onwards as I have enough emergency fund.
- Dividend Strategy: Avoiding SCHD for now because the 30% tax on a dividend-focused fund feels like a major drag at this stage.
Proposed Portfolio Idea: I’m currently leaning towards a 3-fund setup:
- 40% QQQM (Nasdaq 100) - Growth/Tech tilt. (I know there’s overlap with VOO, but I want to overweight the tech sector because I believe it will continue to outperform the general market over 20 years.)
- 30% VOO (S&P 500) - Core US exposure.
- 30% VXUS (Total International) - To ensure I’m not 100% US-dependent.
My Questions for the Experts:
- The “VT” Dilemma: Should I include VT (Total World) or just stick to VOO + VXUS? My logic is that VOO + VXUS allows me to manually control my US/Ex-US ratio, whereas VT locks me into the market cap weight (currently ~60% US). Given current global uncertainties, is it better to have that manual control?
- QQQM vs. QQQ: From my research, they track the same index, but QQQM has a lower expense ratio (0.15% vs 0.18%). Is there any reason at all not to pick QQQM for a long-term hold? (Liquidity seems fine for a retail investor like me).
- Redundancy Check: Does a combo of VOO + QQQM + VXUS feel “cluttered”? Should I simplify, or is this a solid way to capture US Large Cap + Tech + International?
Would appreciate any feedback or alternative combinations you guys are running!