The greater the amount at risk, the more due diligence is required. Most investors won't lose sleep if they lose $50. However, losing $50,000 is another story altogether.
Where can investors put such a large amount of money to work without worrying about it? Here are my picks for the best stocks to invest $50,000 in right now.
Image source: Getty Images.
1. Alphabet
Alphabet (GOOG +1.05%) (GOOGL +1.02%) has clearly demonstrated that it's playing to win in the artificial intelligence (AI) market. Once written off by some as being left behind by OpenAI's ChatGPT, the company now claims the No. 1 and No. 2 large language models (LLMs) – Google Gemini 3.0 Pro and Google Gemini 3.0 Flash – on LMArena's AI model leaderboard.
This achievement doesn't just give Alphabet bragging rights. I think it will translate to significant revenue and profits for the company. More customers will likely choose to use Google Cloud, which is already the fastest-growing of the top three cloud platforms, to build and deploy their AI applications because of the capabilities offered by Gemini.
NASDAQ: GOOGL
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Alphabet is also integrating the latest, most powerful version of Gemini throughout its product ecosystem. I expect this move will further cement Google Search's dominant market position.
Investors shouldn't overlook the tremendous opportunity Alphabet has with Waymo, either. The self-driving car technology unit has an impressive head start in the robotaxi market. I don't think Waymo's potential is fully reflected in Alphabet's valuation.
2. Micron Technology
What's the biggest AI bargain right now? A good case can be made for Micron Technology (MU +5.50%).
Micron's high-bandwidth memory (HBM) is critical for AI chips. Don't take my word for it. Here's what Nvidia (NVDA 0.05%) CEO Jensen Huang said last year: "Micron's leadership in high-performance memory is invaluable to enabling the next generation of AI breakthroughs that Nvidia is driving." Lisa Su, CEO of Nvidia's top rival, AMD (AMD 0.67%), also spoke positively about her company's partnership with Micron.
NASDAQ: MU
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Isn't memory a commodity? Sure. However, it's a hot commodity. Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra revealed last month that his company has fully allocated its HBM supply for the entire calendar year 2026. He also projected a 40% compound annual growth rate for HBM through 2028, from $35 billion in sales last year to $100 billion within the next three years.
Returning to Micron being a bargain, the stock trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 10.7 and a price-to-earnings-to-growth (PEG) ratio of 0.59. There's relatively minimal downside for Micron at that valuation but plenty of upside potential, in my view.
3. Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Not every great stock to invest in right now is focused primarily on AI. I've sung the praises of Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX 1.24%) for years and continue to do so as 2026 begins. Look for Vertex to report fast-growing sales of two new products throughout this year – Alyftrek and Journavx.
Alyftrek is the company's most powerful cystic fibrosis (CF) therapy yet. While it's likely to cannibalize sales of older CF drugs, that's OK. Vertex's profits will still rise because Alyftrek's royalty burden is lower. Meanwhile, non-opioid pain drug Journavx has blockbuster written all over it, in my view.
NASDAQ: VRTX
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Vertex's pipeline should also deliver good news. The big drugmaker is already in the process of submitting a rolling Biologics License Application (BLA) for povetacicept in the treatment of IgA nephropathy. This chronic kidney disorder affects around 300,000 people in the U.S. and Europe. By comparison, CF – the indication where Vertex has made its fortune – affects roughly 109,000 people worldwide.
You might think that these opportunities are already largely baked into Vertex's share price with its forward earnings multiple of 25.4. However, I don't think that's the case. The biotech stock's PEG ratio, which is based on five-year earnings growth projections, is 0.58. I believe that Vertex, like Alphabet and Micron, has considerable room to run.
