I recently sold a couple of blue chip stocks I was holding because market is crazy right now. Im a bit uncertain what the next couple of years will look like based off the market volatility from the new administration and I question the sustainability of the recent boom we've been seeing. Im pretty young (early 20s) and anticipate a few major expenses before I retire (buying a home and other major life expenses) so I ideally want a fund thats stable and relatively liquid. My investing goals are to have enough cash stashed away to be able to weather unforseen financial challenges life throws my way, eventually own a home, and retire comfortably when the time is right. Additionally I'd be ok with lower returns if I dont have to panic were the market to repeat the major 2021 covid sell-off. Not having to worry about my money is a huge asset within itself for me. It seems like for my purposes SCHD is stable, defensive and had pretty decent returns even if it does underperformed the SPY. Is there another ETF I should be invested in that better serves my purposes, or am I misunderstanding this concept entirely and the SPY is still the way to go even if the market is questionable the next couple of years?