I've been thinking about it—if you truly want to achieve a million-dollar asset goal by retirement, the key points are actually just these: start investing as early as possible, choose the right tools, and stick with them. Recently, I’ve read quite a few discussions about retirement stocks and long-term investment strategies, and I’ve noticed that many people are actually falling into a common misconception.

I’ve noticed that Vanguard’s series of ETFs are definitely worth paying attention to, especially for those aiming for steady growth. Their expense ratios are ridiculously low, which can save a lot of money over the long term. Today, I want to talk about three particularly interesting options among them.

First, the safest one—the ETF that tracks the S&P 500. This is essentially a microcosm of the U.S. stock market, including the 500 largest companies. Why do so many people choose it? Because it’s a perfect core holding, containing both growth stocks and value stocks, spanning various industries. The key point is that its average annual return over the past ten years has been about 12.8%, which is already quite good, honestly. I did some calculations: if you invest $1,000 now and add $500 each month, and stick to this rate of return for 30 years, you could end up with over $1.8 million. Time truly is the best friend.

If you want a slightly more aggressive return, you can look at the ETF that tracks the growth index of the market. This one focuses more on tech and innovative companies, with an annualized return of 15.3% over the past decade. It doesn’t sound like much difference, but over time, the gap becomes significant—over the same period, this ETF’s total return exceeds 315%, while the broad market ETF is only around 234%. That’s the power of compound interest. At this pace, starting with $1,000 and adding $500 monthly, you could reach $3 million in 30 years.

The last one is a more specialized tech sector ETF. Honestly, I see it more as a supplement rather than a core holding. Its top three holdings—(NVIDIA, Microsoft, Apple)—account for nearly 45%, making it highly concentrated. But precisely because of that, it’s the best performer among Vanguard’s series, with an annualized return close to 20% over the past decade. Risk and reward always go hand in hand—this fund exemplifies that. If you’re still young and have enough time to endure volatility, choosing retirement stocks like these can indeed help accelerate wealth accumulation.

There’s an important point here that many overlook—investing once isn’t enough. The real way to accumulate a million is through regular, fixed contributions. This strategy is called dollar-cost averaging, which means no matter how the market behaves, you invest the same amount each month. Stick to this rhythm, and over a long enough period, you’ll generally reach your goal.

Of course, past performance doesn’t guarantee future results, especially with the tech-focused fund, which carries higher risks. But if you’re still relatively young, your biggest advantage is time. Personally, I’m optimistic about these three funds, but the key still depends on your risk tolerance and investment horizon. If you want to retire comfortably as a millionaire, you need to start taking action now.