Most investors won't build life-changing wealth from the stock market overnight, but when you're investing in wonderful stocks for many years at a time, you don't need to hit a one-time jackpot to build and sustain meaningful returns. Even if your retirement is a ways off, it's never too early to start planning for a better and stronger financial future. 

Here are four different stocks, each on a unique growth trajectory, that have the potential to multiply a $100,000 investment by at least 5 times in the years ahead. 

1. Shopify

The growth of the digital economy continues to pave the way for the future, and the buying and selling of goods online remains a significant aspect of that journey. E-commerce spend will account for 31% of all retail transactions in the U.S. alone by 2026, compared to its current share of 23%, according to Morgan Stanley.  

An estimated 20% of all e-commerce sites globally are built on Shopify's (SHOP -3.21%) platform. Shopify has made it straightforward and accessible for anyone, anywhere to create an online business. With subscriptions to build and maintain a store starting at just $29 a month, the company continues to attract a wide range of entrepreneurs and enterprises looking to capitalize on the growth of the digital economy.  

In the most recent quarter, the company delivered revenue growth of 22% to $1.4 billion, driven by subscription solutions and merchant solutions revenue growth of 12% and 26%, respectively, from the year-ago period. Since the time of the stock's initial public offering in 2015, the company has grown its revenue by well over 4,000% while delivering a total return of approximately 1,300% for investors.  

The macro environment is impacting consumer spending right now, but the buying and selling of goods online isn't going anywhere. Shopify provides the full spectrum of services, web technologies, and integrations required to launch and support an online business, and the company's leading market share means its platform is ideally placed to benefit from both the near-term and long-term growth of the explosive e-commerce market.

It's certainly not a stretch of the imagination that Shopify could augment its current share price by 5 times or more over the next decade.  

2. Vertex Pharmaceuticals 

Healthcare stocks often possess a unique advantage during difficult economic backdrops, because the products and services these companies provide enjoy steady demand that's not subject to the cyclicality other industries face. In the case of Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX -0.87%) specifically, its focus on the rare disease drug market has enabled it to deliver astonishing growth and consistent shareholder returns throughout the years.

To date, Vertex Pharmaceuticals has four approved products on the market. All of these drugs treat cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease that affects more than 100,000 people globally. The prevalence of cystic fibrosis is only increasing, and it's estimated about 1,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with the illness every year. 

While Vertex Pharmaceuticals effectively dominates the fast-growing cystic fibrosis drug market, this is far from the only catalyst on which it can launch its business to future growth. It is actively building out its pipeline of therapeutic candidates targeting a wide variety of rare diseases and will soon seek approval for exa-cel, a treatment for the rare blood disorders sickle cell and beta thalassemia that it developed with its long-term partner CRISPR Therapeutics. If exa-cel is given the regulatory green light, it will be the first CRISPR product ever approved for a genetic illness.

Over the past three years alone, a time of broad volatility for companies across a wide variety of sectors, Vertex Pharmaceuticals has delivered a total return of 34%, while its revenue and net income have risen 109% and 178%, respectively, during that same period. It has also increased its cash flow from operations to the tune of about 150% during that three-year window.  

Given the company's widening footprint in the rare disease drug market and its steady track record, there's no reason to think Vertex Pharmaceuticals can't compound its share price returns several times over in the years ahead.

3. Teladoc Health

Teladoc Health (TDOC -3.82%) was one of the leading forces in the rapidly evolving telehealth market before COVID-19. The onset of the pandemic accelerated its growth trajectory and the pace of innovation in this space, and the future will only multiply the need for effective, full-service virtual care solutions. Teladoc's platform is ideally positioned to benefit from these long-lasting tailwinds, and despite what its share price might indicate, the company is already doing so. 

There's no denying now that Teladoc probably overpaid for Livongo when it bought the health-tech platform in 2020, and that was the driving force behind the nearly $10 billion in impairment charges the company reported in the first half of 2022.

However, those eye-popping losses seem to be gradually retreating into the background. Teladoc's net loss dropped to $74 million in the most recent quarter, a net loss of $0.45 per share compared to a net loss of $0.53 in the year-ago period.

Meanwhile, Teladoc's third-quarter revenue jumped 17% year over year to $611 million. The company is profitable on a free-cash-flow basis, having generated free cash flow of $20 million in the quarter. It also ended the period with $900 million of cash and investments on its balance sheet.

Its position as one of the key platforms at the forefront of the $84 billion telehealth industry bodes well for its potential going forward.  

4. Airbnb 

The global travel industry may be slowing down as fears of a far-reaching recession take hold, but Airbnb (ABNB -1.55%) continues to go from strength to strength. It's becoming increasingly apparent that Airbnb's growth trajectory isn't predicated solely around trends within the tourism sector.

This is largely due to the fact Airbnb's platform caters to far more than short-term travelers. Digital nomads, remote workers looking for long-term stays, and tenants seeking alternatives to a regular lease structure also use the Airbnb platform.

In the second quarter, long-term stays -- which are bookings of 28 days or more -- had risen 25% year over year. By the third quarter, long-term stays accounted for approximately 20% of all bookings on the platform. Its third-quarter revenue and net income also jumped about 75% and 355%, respectively, from the same quarter of 2019.

Meanwhile, the company recently announced it will be launching partnerships with a dozen major apartment landlords across the country, allowing users to go on Airbnb and look for an apartment the same way they would through a real estate agency site or other traditional real estate platforms. 

For buy-and-hold investors, this growth stock could contribute generous returns to your portfolio.