Many Americans consider $1 million in savings to be a baseline for a comfortable retirement. Unfortunately, fewer than 5% of Americans have actually reached that milestone, according to a recent analysis by the Employee Benefits Research Institute of Federal Reserve data.
If you have at least a decade until retirement, you should probably ramp up your investments. For example, a simple $100,000 investment in an S&P 500 index fund could still blossom to $259,000 if it continues to grow at a CAGR of 10% over the next ten years. But if you're willing to take on a bit more risk, splitting that $100,000 into two $50,000 investments in Plug Power (PLUG +0.67%) and ChargePoint (CHPT 2.17%) could net even bigger gains.
Both of these stocks are speculative plays, but they could potentially rise more than tenfold over the next decade if they successfully scale up their businesses. Let's review their business models, growth rates, and valuations to determine if they are suitable for your retirement portfolio.
Image source: Getty Images.
Plug Power
Plug Power develops hydrogen fuel cells, charging systems, electrolyzers, and storage systems. It generates a significant portion of its revenue by selling fuel cells and charging systems for Amazon's (AMZN 1.35%) and Walmart's (WMT +1.00%) hydrogen-powered forklifts. To diversify its business away from those two retail giants, it's gradually selling more electrolyzers for large-scale green hydrogen power projects.
In 2024, it experienced a slowdown as macroeconomic headwinds curbed the market's demand for new hydrogen charging projects. But in 2025, its revenue rose again as its soaring electrolyzer sales offset the weaker growth of its fuel cell and charging infrastructure businesses.
NASDAQ: PLUG
Key Data Points
From 2024 to 2027, analysts expect Plug Power's revenue to grow at a CAGR of 18% as it narrows its net losses. It appears reasonably valued at less than four times next year's sales, and it should have considerable room to grow as new decarbonization initiatives encourage more companies to increase their spending on new hydrogen power projects. Grand View Research expects the green hydrogen market to expand at a CAGR of 38.5% from 2025 to 2030 as those tailwinds kick in.
If Plug Power matches analysts' estimates through 2027, grows its revenue at a CAGR of 20% through 2035, and trades at ten times sales by the final year, its market cap could surge from $3.1 billion to $44.7 billion. While it remains a speculative stock, it could rise more than tenfold as its nascent hydrogen business expands.
ChargePoint
ChargePoint manages approximately 375,000 EV charging ports (over 39,000 of which are DC fast chargers) across the U.S. and Europe. It also provides its drivers with access to roughly 1.35 million public and private charging ports through its roaming partnerships.
Unlike Tesla (TSLA 2.50%), which sets up its Superchargers as extensions of its own business, ChargePoint primarily helps companies establish their own charging stations and set their own rates. It also provides residential charging systems for homes and apartment complexes.
NYSE: CHPT
Key Data Points
ChargePoint suffered a slowdown in fiscal 2025 (which ended this January) as higher interest rates throttled new EV sales and chilled the market's demand for new EV charging ports. But from fiscal 2025 to fiscal 2028, analysts expect its revenue to grow at a CAGR of 10% and narrow its net losses as the EV market stabilizes and expands. That's a robust growth rate for a stock that trades at less than one times next year's sales.
If ChargePoint matches analysts' expectations through fiscal 2028, grows its revenue at a CAGR of 10% through fiscal 2035, and trades at a more generous five times sales, its market cap could surge from $190 million to $5.4 billion over the next decade. That millionaire-making gain could make your retirement a lot more comfortable.
