Volatile stock markets come and go, but the choices you make about your portfolio now could affect your financial health for years to come. If you want to build out your basket of stocks with compelling companies featuring strong underlying businesses before the new year fully takes off, you've come to the right place.

If you have $10,000 to add to your portfolio right now, here are two such stocks to consider investing at least part of that amount early in the year that you can easily hold onto for the next decade or longer.

1. Teladoc 

The telehealth industry represents a multibillion-dollar addressable market opportunity and one that is quickly expanding at that. Teladoc's (TDOC -2.91%) continued indomitable leadership in this market is a key tailwind that some investors might be overlooking, as evidenced by the stock's precipitous decline of more than 70% over the trailing 12 months.

Understandably, some investors have been put off by the roughly $10 billion in writedowns that Teladoc reported earlier in 2022 due to overpaying for Livongo in 2020. While it seems the company did indeed overpay for that acquisition, the combination of these businesses has rapidly advanced Teladoc's vision of providing a platform with all-encompassing solutions for whole-person virtual care. 

In the first nine months of 2022, Teladoc's revenue jumped 20% to $1.8 billion, driven by a 23% increase in access fees revenue and an 8% increase in visit fees revenue from the year-ago period. Meanwhile, average revenue derived per U.S. member on Teladoc's platform rose 14% in the first nine months of 2022, compared to the same period in 2021.  

Total visits on Teladoc's platform jumped 20% year over year in that nine-month window. The company also reported an adjusted EBITDA of $152.4 million for the nine months.  

As the impairment charges for Teladoc's pandemic-era acquisitions retreat into the background and the company continues to expand its platform, there's no reason it can't return to profitability in the future. Its third-quarter net loss was a significant improvement from the prior two quarters, and management has estimated that its net loss per share could improve to a range of $0.40 to $0.10 for the final quarter of 2022, compared to $0.45 in the third quarter.

As the leader in the U.S. telehealth industry -- a space on track to realize a 45% compound annual growth rate between 2022 and 2030 alone -- Teladoc looks like a steal right now given its long-term market potential and still steadily growing business.  

A $5,000 investment in Teladoc would add over 200 shares to your portfolio. 

2. MercadoLibre 

While many e-commerce companies have struggled in recent months as investor sentiment has turned away from growth stocks in general, it's become increasingly apparent that not all such stocks are created equal. In the case of MercadoLibre (MELI -0.45%), the leading e-commerce and fintech company in all of Latin America, this is a business that has continued to prove its mettle even throughout the tumultuous events of recent market times. 

The stock is down by more than 30% over the trailing 12 months but has surged by more than 20% in the trailing six-month period. The Latin American e-commerce market generated roughly $170 billion in sales in 2022, while the number of digital buyers in the region is expected to jump from the current figure of around 300 million individuals to more than 20% over that amount by the year 2027. Bear in mind, MercadoLibre accounts for roughly 22% of all e-commerce sales that take place in Latin America.  

The beauty of MercadoLibre's business model is that it is incredibly asset-light. The company operates similarly to other well-known e-commerce platforms since it enables the full breadth of solutions needed for merchants to set up an online store and list any variety of goods for sale, then takes a cut of the final transaction amount. However, MercadoLibre makes money in a variety of ways. It has a robust fulfillment network of its own (Mercado Envíos) that allows it to capture the full trajectory of many merchant transactions in-house. In 2021 alone, Mercado Envíos facilitated roughly one billion deliveries.

Then there is the fintech side of its business, Mercado Pago, which is designed for use by both consumers and merchants. Mercado Pago facilitates payment for transactions in everything from credit to cash, a key point since cash is still widely used in Latin America compared to other regions of the world.  

In terms of the continued success of MercadoLibre's multi-faceted platform solutions, the proof is in the pudding. In the most recent quarter, the company reported net revenue to the tune of $2.7 billion, a 61% jump from the year-ago period on a currency-neutral basis. Total payment volume from MercadoPago in the quarter came to $32 billion, while gross merchandise volume from its e-commerce business totaled $9 billion, representing respective increases of 76% and 32% from the year-ago period.  

Unlike many growth-centric businesses, MercadoLibre is profitable. Its net income for the quarter was just shy of $130 million, while income from operations hit $300 million for the three-month period. The company's key position in the fast-growing Latin American e-commerce market, which is still highly underpenetrated, bodes well for its continued growth as this space evolves while providing abundant opportunities for expansion in the future. 

A $5,000 investment in MercadoLibre would add roughly 6 shares to your portfolio.