2 ETFs to Buy With $100 and Hold Forever

With so many stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) trading at triple-digit prices today, some new investors may think there are "gates" or prices of admission for investing -- and that they need to have a certain amount of money to get in the game.

Fortunately, the reality is different. Let's assume you have $100 with which to get started. If you put that $100 to work today, you add nothing else to it, and the market returns 5% annually, that $100 will turn into $430 over 30 years.

For less than $100, investors can buy both of these solid dividend ETFs. Image source: Getty Images

Extending that example: If you put $100 to work today and add $100 to it each month, it's possible -- perhaps likely -- that your modest stake could be worth $100,000 or more in 30 years. That quest can be assisted by leveraging compounding, making blue chip dividend stocks worth a look if you're a buy-and-hold investor just getting started.

With that in mind, the Invesco High Yield Equity Dividend Achievers ETF (NASDAQ: PEY) and the Schwab International Dividend Equity ETF (NYSEMKT: SCHY) are worth examining. Even with just $100, you can get involved with these ETFs and have change left over.

Getting paid with PEY

In the blue chip ETF conversation, the Invesco fund often goes overlooked, but that shouldn't be the case. This $1.1 billion ETF, which turns 22 years old in December, tracks the Nasdaq US Dividend Achievers™ 50 index. That benchmark selects its 50 components based on both yield and consistency of payout growth.

Indeed, the trailing-12-month distribution rate of nearly 4.4% is quadruple the current dividend yield of the S&P 500, and attractive relative to a broad swath of high-grade bond ETFs. Yield alone doesn't tell the full story for this ETF, as it's potentially compelling for other reasons.

First, the Dividend Achievers ETF has defensive and value tendencies. It allocates nearly two-thirds of its portfolio to financial services, industrial, consumer staples, and utilities stocks, making it well-suited to a low-yield, growth-heavy ETF or index fund.

Second, the Invesco ETF pays dividends monthly rather than quarterly; that's a nice perk for investors seeking a steadier income stream. Up nearly 15% year to date, this dividend fund hit a 52-week high on June 12. But even with those data points, it's trading just north of $23 per share, making it approachable to capital-conscious investors. It charges 0.54% per year, which is toward the high end among passive dividend ETFs.

A dividend passport

The Schwab International Dividend Equity ETF is one of the best international ETFs for cash-constrained investors because, as of June 12, one share of this fund could be had for less than $33.

This fund's benefits extend far beyond its undemanding price tag. It offers tangible value as a twofold diversification tool for portfolios heavily tilted toward domestic growth stocks. The $2.3 billion ETF is classified as a foreign large-cap value fund, and it lives up to that billing with more than 58% of its 135 holdings hailing from the financial services, communication services, consumer staples, and industrial sectors. Those sector exposures are important because outside the U.S., particularly in developed markets, financial and industrial stocks are prime drivers of dividend growth.

Speaking of payout growth, it's rising at impressive rates in multiple markets outside the U.S. While the Schwab ETF isn't a dedicated European fund, seven of its 10 largest geographic weights are European nations. And that's noteworthy because, on average, the largest European companies boosted payouts by 6.2% in 2025.

One more perk: the Schwab ETF is inexpensive to own, making it appealing to buy-and-hold investors. It charges just 0.08% per year, mere pennies on a $100 investment. That expense ratio is toward the lower end of what investors should expect to pay for broad-market international ETFs.

Todd Shriber has positions in Schwab Strategic Trust-Schwab International Dividend Equity ETF. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.