Best ETFs for 2026: Desert-island ETF picks

This is what they told us.

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

“I picked XAD [iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense Index ETF] in 2024, citing increased geopolitical tensions and a global rearmament cycle. SHLD is a far more sensible defense ETF: it’s not U.S.-focused, lacks aerospace bias, its top holdings are not dominated by a handful of prime contractors, and it broadens the scope to cybersecurity and military intelligence too.”

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

“If I really, really had to pick just one ETF, this is it. I continue to like the small tech exposure in HEQT for do-it-yourself investors that have a long investing time horizon and do not want to deal with a multi-fund solution in their portfolio.”  

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

“Reason: I will be on the desert island for a long time. Humanity’s future hinges disproportionately on technology. The NASDAQ 100 is highly concentrated in technology. For example, the S&P 500’s Magnificent 7 weight is about 32.7%, NASDAQ 100 Mag 7 weight is about 50%. Expect extreme volatility, but the risk distribution of the S&P 493 has shifted so that more companies are at risk of underperforming the median. AI may destroy humanity, but you will want to own the largest tech stocks on the last day, if accumulating the most capital when you die is the goal of your game.”

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

“I think in the future, owning a robot will be as normal as people owning a car. ROBT has a very high concentration of small-cap robotics firms that are currently being acquired by larger AI players.”

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

“For the desert island pick I’m sticking with HXQ for a second year as the most cost-effective way to play AI. There are cheaper alternatives—QQC’s MER is 0.20% vs HXQ at 0.25%—but HXQ’s corporate class structure allows for tax-deferred compounding in a non-registered account. The two big incumbents, XQQ and ZQQ, charge 0.39% and offer no comparable tax advantage. On a desert island with one ETF, tax efficiency matters more than saving a few basis points on fees—particularly in the long haul. HXQ is also unhedged so the investor is not paying for a hedging drag dampening returns over time.”

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

“HUTL uses a covered-call strategy to lock in income on a basket of global utilities invested at equal weight. There are some Canadian players in there, like Enbridge. There are market-weight ETFs out there but they are concentrated in a couple of companies. With HUTL, the upside is capped because of the covered call but you get a stream of income (7% yield).” 

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

“Because it’s the only asset with a fixed supply in a world where everything else can be printed, and I see it as a long-term hedge against inflation.”

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

“This is one of several new funds brought to Canada by CIBC and managed by Avantis Investors, well known for their factor ETFs in the U.S. market. It has a management fee of approximately 0.28%, MER to be reported after a full year of operation. CAGE applies Avantis’s value and profitability factor tilts across a globally diversified all-equity portfolio in a single fund. It has the same single-ticket simplicity as the major index-based asset allocation portfolios but, based on the performance of its U.S.-listed predecessor fund, it should provide a meaningfully different expected return profile for investors who accept the evidence for factor premiums.”

Watch: ETF Academy Lesson 9

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About Michael McCullough

Michael is a financial writer and editor in Duncan, B.C. He’s a former managing editor of Canadian Business and editorial director of Canada Wide Media. He also writes for The Globe and Mail and BCBusiness.