2026 ETFs: Desert Island Portfolio Picks

Each year, we ask the judges for our Best ETFs list to name a single ETF they’d choose if they could only hold one long term—an ETF that might not win any specific category but would serve as a resilient wealth-builder or a hedge against severe market shocks. Think of it as the one fund you’d want if you were stranded on a remote island for an extended time.

Here are the ETFs our judges picked and why they stand out as strong, long-term holdings.

Tony Dong: Global X Defence Tech Index ETF (NYSEArca:SHLD)

Tony favours SHLD over other defence-themed ETFs because it offers broader exposure beyond U.S. prime contractors. Unlike funds with a heavy aerospace tilt or U.S.-centric holdings, SHLD includes companies across defense technology, cybersecurity and military intelligence from a wider geographic base. That diversification reduces concentration risk and gives exposure to evolving defence technologies rather than a narrow subset of legacy contractors.

Mark Seed: Global X All-Equity Asset Allocation ETF (TSX:HEQT)

Mark’s one-ETF choice is HEQT. He likes its all-equity approach with modest exposure to smaller technology firms, which can suit do-it-yourself investors who have a long time horizon and want a single-fund solution rather than managing multiple ETFs. HEQT aims to provide diversified equity exposure worldwide while keeping the implementation simple for long-term wealth accumulation.

Mark Yamada: Invesco NASDAQ 100 Index ETF (TSX:QQC)

Mark chose QQC for a straightforward reason: over the long term, technology will likely remain a central driver of human progress and economic growth. The NASDAQ 100 is heavily weighted toward large technology companies—its concentration among the biggest tech names is much higher than in broader indexes. For context, the “Magnificent 7” represents about 32.7% of the S&P 500’s weight but nearly 50% of the NASDAQ 100. That concentration brings extreme volatility, but on a decades-long horizon it also concentrates ownership in the largest, most influential technology firms—an approach Mark believes is appropriate for a single, long-term holding.

Alain Guillot: First Trust Nasdaq AI and Robotics ETF (Nasdaq:ROBT)

Alain expects robotics to become as commonplace as cars, and he sees ROBT as a way to capture that transition. The fund has high exposure to smaller-cap robotics firms—many of which are targets for acquisition by larger artificial intelligence and industrial companies—so it offers concentrated access to the robotics and automation innovation cycle.

Ioulia Tretiakova: Global X Nasdaq-100 Index Corporate Class ETF (TSX:HXQ)

Ioulia repeats her pick of HXQ as the most tax-efficient way to gain exposure to the Nasdaq 100. While some alternatives are slightly cheaper on fee alone—QQC has a management fee of 0.20% versus HXQ’s 0.25%—HXQ’s corporate-class structure allows for tax-deferred compounding in non-registered accounts, which can be more valuable over long horizons than saving a few basis points in fees. Larger incumbents like XQQ and ZQQ charge about 0.39% and offer no comparable tax advantages. HXQ is also unhedged, which means investors do not pay for hedging costs that can erode returns over time.

Aman Raina: Harvest Equal Weight Global Utilities Income ETF (TSX:HUTL)

Aman highlights HUTL for investors seeking income with diversification across global utility companies. HUTL holds an equal-weighted basket of utilities and overlays a covered-call strategy to generate income, producing a yield near 7%. Compared with market-weighted utility ETFs that can be dominated by a few large names, HUTL’s equal-weighting spreads risk more evenly across the sector. The covered-call approach caps upside but offers consistent income, which can be appealing for conservative, income-focused investors.

Michelle Robertson: Purpose Bitcoin CAD ETF Currency Hedged (TSX:BTCC)

Michelle chose BTCC as a long-term hedge against inflation because Bitcoin is the only widely traded asset with a fixed supply. In a world where fiat currencies and many financial instruments can expand through monetary policy, she views a fixed-supply asset as an alternative store of value for a long-term allocation.

Mark McGrath: Avantis CIBC All-Equity Asset Allocation ETF (CAGE)

Mark points to CAGE as an attractive single-ticket equity solution that applies Avantis’s factor-based approach—tilting toward value and profitability—across a globally diversified equity portfolio. Managed in partnership with Avantis Investors, CAGE aims to offer the simplicity of a one-fund allocation while pursuing a different expected return profile than traditional market-cap index-based multi-asset portfolios. Its management fee is approximately 0.28%; the full MER will be reported after the fund completes a year of operation.

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