3 Unstoppable Vanguard ETFs to Buy Even if There's a Stock Market Sell-Off in 2026

There's no doubt the bull market over the last couple of years has been impressive. Yet at this point, the S&P 500 index (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) is flirting with all-time highs, and some investors might be leery of jumping into stocks.

The thing is, for most investors, it is better to start investing (and keep investing) than it is to try to time the market's ups and downs. Which is why these three low-cost Vanguard exchange-traded funds (ETFs) might be the right choice for you even if there's a sell-off in 2026.

1. Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF

When most investors refer to "the market" they are thinking about the S&P 500 index, which you can own if you buy Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: VOO). But the truth is, that's a committee-selected portfolio of roughly 500 stocks that are meant to be representative of the U.S. economy. It's not a bad proxy, but if you really want to own "the market," Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (NYSEMKT: VTI) is a better choice. Without getting into the details, it basically buys every U.S. stock using a market-cap-weighting approach.

Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF is ultra-cheap to own, with an expense ratio of 0.03%. And the performance you get will be, well, the actual market's performance. To be fair, Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF has the same overweight in technology as the S&P 500 and it also has a heavy weighting in Nvidia, Apple, and Microsoft. But with over 3,500 stocks in the portfolio, you are getting a whole lot more exposure to the market than you would get with the 500 stocks in the S&P 500 index.

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2. Vanguard Total International Stock ETF

The United States is a very important country in the world, economically speaking, but it isn't the only country. Which is why you'll probably want to pair Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF with Vanguard Total International Stock ETF (NASDAQ: VXUS). Minus the nitty-gritty details, this exchange-traded fund buys all investable stocks from non-U.S. companies. The expense ratio is a reasonable 0.05%, noting that it is far more costly to operate across different countries than it is to just invest in the U.S. market. This fund's portfolio contains around 8,700 stocks.

Europe is the largest weighting at nearly 38% of the portfolio. Emerging markets account for nearly 28%. And Asia comes in third at about 25% of the portfolio. When you pair Vanguard Total International Stock ETF with Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF, you create a highly diversified equity basket. And you get to control just how much non-U.S. exposure you want in your portfolio.

3. Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF

To fully round things out here, you need some bonds. A solid option on that front is Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (NASDAQ: BND). This ETF buys high-quality, taxable U.S. bonds and has an expense ratio of 0.03%. You could get fancy and try to buy foreign bonds, too. But bonds are a very complex investment and it is probably best to err on the side of caution.

Sticking to an economically stable country with strong regulations and financial transparency is likely to be a net win. That's particularly true given that bonds are generally used to provide stability to a portfolio when using an asset allocation framework. The two Vanguard stock ETFs are the exciting growth stories. The bond ETF you buy should, almost literally, lull you to sleep.

Putting it all together

The idea here is to build a three-ETF portfolio that you can buy and keep buying through thick and thin. Sometimes U.S. stocks will outperform; sometimes they will underperform. The same is true of foreign stocks and even bonds. The goal is to spread your eggs across multiple baskets so you don't get too heavily weighted in any one investment.

Wall Street wisdom has long suggested that a 60% stock and 40% bond portfolio is a good starting point. Add more to stocks if you are younger and more aggressive; up the bond component if you are older and have a lower risk appetite. As for the U.S./foreign stock split, it probably makes sense to go heavier in the U.S., but an equal split wouldn't be unreasonable, either.

Once you have your asset allocation set among these three ETFs, rebalance it once a year. And every five years or so, revisit your allocation to make sure it remains suitable for your age and risk tolerance levels. What happens in 2026 doesn't matter nearly as much as what happens over the next several decades, so you can rest a little easier knowing you are building a portfolio meant to weather whatever comes its way.

Reuben Gregg Brewer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF, Vanguard Total International Stock ETF, and Vanguard Total Stock Market 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.