Two years from now, March 2022 could look like a great time in retrospect to buy stocks. But let's not stop there. Look ahead two decades from now. There's a very good chance that you'll either be glad you invested "way back when" or will be kicking yourself because you didn't.
Of course, which stocks you pick will play a huge role in just how great the prospects might be. And there are some really good choices ready for the plucking even for investors who don't have a huge amount of cash. If you have $2,000, here are three unstoppable stocks to buy right now.
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1. Innovative Industrial Properties
Cannabis has been used by people for both medical and recreational purposes for a long time. It's not a current fad that's going to go up in smoke. One of the best ways to invest in the U.S. cannabis opportunity is to buy shares of Innovative Industrial Properties (IIPR 2.41%).
The company doesn't grow, process, sell, or handle cannabis in any shape, form, or fashion. But IIP definitely serves as a go-to resource for many businesses that do. IIP is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that focuses exclusively on providing real estate capital to the regulated cannabis industry in the U.S.
Cannabis operators in the U.S. don't currently have full access to traditional banking services because of federal restrictions. IIP gives them a solution to raise capital. It buys the properties of cannabis operators, then leases those properties back to them. Everyone wins.
Speaking of winning, IIP has delivered total returns of more than 1,200% over the past five years. The stock is down close to 35% below its peak in late 2021. However, there are plenty of opportunities for IIP to buy and lease additional properties. As it does so, the company's earnings will increase -- and its share price will almost certainly follow.
2. MercadoLibre
Great opportunities don't just exist in the U.S. Latin America has a fast-growing middle class and a big market. Buying shares of MercadoLibre (MELI 0.87%) stands out as arguably the best way for investors to profit as the region's market expands.
The company is best known for its e-commerce platform. E-commerce continues to be MercadoLibre's biggest revenue source, accounting for nearly 65% of total revenue in the fourth quarter of 2021.
There's a huge runway for growth, too. Chief financial officer Pedro Arnt said in the company's fourth-quarter conference call, "Even after the significant uptake in digital services we experienced over the last couple of years, e-commerce penetration in our region is still only at around the 10% range."
However, MercadoLibre has other growth drivers as well. Many people in Latin America face challenges obtaining traditional banking and insurance services. This presents a massive growth opportunity for the company's fintech business.
MercadoLibre's share price is still more than 40% off its high even after a solid rebound following its blockbuster fourth-quarter update. This stock should have a lot of room to run.
3. Teladoc Health
Shares of Teladoc Health (TDOC 2.46%) have plunged nearly 70% over the past 12 months. Some might derisively view the stock as unstoppable -- going the wrong direction. But Teladoc's recent stock performance doesn't reflect the company's tremendous potential.
It stands as the clear leader in the virtual-care market. It offers the broadest range of virtual-care services, including chronic-disease management, across the widest geographical footprint. More than 12,000 client organizations and 76 million members use at least one of Teladoc's products.
The company has two key ways to grow. First, it can expand the use of its services by existing customers. Teladoc thinks that there's a $75 billion revenue opportunity on this front. Second, the company can win new clients. This is also a big opportunity since nearly half of all Americans don't currently have access to a Teladoc service.
Teladoc isn't profitable yet. But its bottom line is definitely trending in the right direction. With a total addressable market topping $260 billion in the U.S. alone and a market cap of only $11 billion, Teladoc stock could be one of those that in retrospect a few years from now looks like a no-brainer pick.
