Hi everyone, my partner and I recently bought a house for $660k and will be starting construction soon. Our combined income is around $220k and we’re both 36 years old.

Once everything settles, we should have about $70k in our offset account as our emergency fund, plus around $80k ready to invest into ETFs. I’m still pretty new to ETF investing, so I’d really appreciate any suggestions or feedback.

1. ETF allocation thoughts

This is the portfolio I’m currently thinking about:

• VAS – 25%
• DHHF – 25%
• VGS – 20%
• VGE – 15%
• VSO – 10%
• VAE – 5%

What do you think of this allocation? Any overlaps or things you’d change?

2. Debt recycling vs investing directly

Would it make more sense to put the $80k into the loan first and use debt recycling?

My understanding is that with only $80k, the tax deduction benefit might be fairly small, but I could be wrong. Keen to hear how others would approach it.

3. US ETFs

With the ETFs above, do you think it’s worth also investing in US ETFs like VWO or IJR?

My main concern is the extra tax paperwork, fees, and whether it’s worth the added complexity compared to sticking with ASX-listed ETFs.

Open to any suggestions or portfolio ideas — still learning, so appreciate all feedback!