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The best thing you can do in investing is get started, and you don’t need a lot of money to begin. With so much market uncertainty right now, many people may be hesitant to invest, but that’s not the best approach. If you have $1,000 to invest, these top stocks are right for you.
Apple
With over $2 trillion in market cap, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) is the most valuable company in the U.S. and has been one of the key driving forces in the technology industry for decades. It became the first U.S. company to reach the $3 trillion market cap threshold in January 2022, but like many other technology stocks (and the market as a whole), it’s been a rough year for the company as the stock is down 28% year to date. Even with its size, there’s still room for a lot of growth with Apple.
The iPhone is by far Apple’s most valuable product, and it’s been that way for some time now, accounting for more than half of its net sales. However, I don’t believe the future of Apple’s growth lies with the iPhone; I believe it’s their deepening moves into the financial services space. Apple dipped its foot in there when it announced Apple Pay in 2014, and took it a step further when it launched Apple Card in 2019. But its recent entry, Apple Pay Later, is putting the writing on the wall that they’re ready to go all in.
Apple Pay Later lets customers split purchases into four equal payments over six weeks with no fees or interest. But more than the feature itself, the important part of the release is the fact that Apple will underwrite and fund the loans themselves — something it hasn’t done in the past. With Apple Card, Apple partnered with Goldman Sachs to approve applications and fund loans, but now the company is confident it has the tools (read: data) needed to become a lender itself.
Apple has one primary advantage that other finance companies don’t: its products are in a lot of people’s hands. As the financial services industry changes with the emergence of different fintech companies, it makes sense that a company with Apple’s technological expertise and reach inserts itself into the space, using its vast resources to hit the ground running.
Coca-Cola
While so many stocks have taken a beating in 2022, Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) has seen its share price in the green most of the year. There’s a reason Coca-Cola is considered a blue chip stock: Its global brand and solid returns over the years are undeniable. In February 2022, Coca-Cola announced it would be increasing its annual dividend for the 60th consecutive year, marking a decade as a Dividend King. With so much uncertainty currently in the market, the one thing you can be all but certain about is that Coca-Cola will continue to reward its shareholders.
Coca-Cola’s portfolio consists of 200+ brands worldwide, including household names like Sprite, Powerade, Minute Maid, Topo Chico, and many more. What’s especially impressive about the beverage giant, though, is it’s never gotten complacent with the dominance of some of its flagship products and has always been willing to adjust to new consumer preferences.
Coca-Cola’s release of Lemon-Dou in 2018 was its first entry into the alcohol space since the late 1970s. As we’ve seen the growth of hard seltzers and canned cocktails, we’ve also seen Coca-Cola’s offerings increase with products like Simply Spiked Lemonade, Topo Chico hard seltzer, and ready-to-drink Jack Daniel’s & Coca-Cola. The company is already a top player in the soft drink space, and now it’s gaining traction in the alcohol space.
With Cola-Cola, you know you’re getting a company with good long-term stability and a rewarding dividend. You can rarely go wrong with that.
Find out why Apple is one of the 10 best stocks to buy now
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Stefon Walters has positions in Apple. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Apple. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long March 2023 $120 calls on Apple and short March 2023 $130 calls on Apple. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
