It’s Not Too Late To Invest
Some may call partaking in the stock market a glorified form of gambling. While there may be a kernel of truth to that, looking at popular stocks from past and present can paint a broader picture of society's general arc and give some good investment tips.
Coca-Cola
There have been some bumps in the road for the Coca-Cola brand, if you remember the disastrous New Coke experiment for example. Yet, the soft drink company has remained a highly dependable stock in which to invest through the decades.
Coca-Cola
After all, still one of the most recognizable brands in the world, it shouldn’t be surprising that the company has produced around $300 billion in wealth. Probably the only thing they have to worry about is public health officials trying to put the kibosh on soft drinks.
Altria
Some may argue that tobacco was a fad that came to dissipate with more public awareness about its detriments to our health. But the wealth of Marlboro parent company Altria says very much otherwise, with it being a highly reliable stock to invest in.
Casseb, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Altria
What’s Altria’s trick for still generating so much in the way of revenue even in this hyper-health-conscious day and age? It’s so simple you won’t even believe it: they just raise prices on their products!
Amazon
Nothing has come to represent America’s wealth disparity and monopolistic business practices in recent years more than Amazon. So, props to anyone who had the financial acumen to get in on the ground floor of buying that stock during its launch in the mid-1990s.
Amazon
Constantly jockeying for the position of richest person in the world with Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos began his book-selling business in his garage. So, never be afraid to invest in that one dreamer operating his or her own one-person business.
SounderBruce, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Walmart
Here’s a secret: Low, low prices can still translate to high, high profits. Just look at the fact that the American chain Walmart has generated over $500 billion in wealth since it began in the early 1960s.
Walmart
It’s additionally impressive that Walmart has maintained its hold on the market considering the affordability and convenience of Amazon. Seeing a threat on the horizon, Walmart made sure to appropriately step up its e-commerce services in order to compete.
Apple
The largest publicly traded company in the world, Apple has created almost $3 trillion—yes, trillion—in wealth since its inception in the mid-1970s. After all, people worship its late founder, the visionary Steve Jobs, for a reason.
Newport Coast Media, Adobe Stock
Apple
While the MacBook and the iPod were beloved consumer products, the game changed when Apple introduced the iPhone in 2007. You can say the entire concept of a smartphone has almost completely reinvented the brain fabric of society.
Alphabet
It’s possible you forgot, but Google actually changed its name to Alphabet in 2015. Ever since that change, the company’s value has been able to walk past the market value of a trillion dollars.
Sundry Photography, Adobe Stock
Alphabet
Likely you’ve been using Google for your searches instead of Yahoo for a while now, but that function is just a slice of the business. For example, the company has been innovating in the self-driving car space with WAYMO.
Microsoft
Microsoft founder Bill Gates was the face of 90s wealth, first earning the title of the world’s richest man from Forbes in 1995. But even with a slight bump in the road during the 2000s, he’s maintained his business acumen, helping Microsoft remain one of the most valuable companies in the world.
Microsoft
Microsoft’s trick seems to be focusing on things like cloud computing, which has been the major technological game-changer of the past decade or so. It’s likely the company will make breakthroughs with the grand new technological terrain of artificial intelligence in the future.
Walt Disney
Despite a rocky 2023 that saw multiple expensive films tank at the box office, Disney is still far and away the giant of American entertainment. A very strong 2024 which saw them have the two highest-grossing films of the year proved they weren’t going away anytime soon.
Walt Disney
One of the keys to Disney’s success has been focusing heavily on other forms of revenue beyond just box office receipts. Just consider their streamer Disney+, their famed theme parks, or even the Disney cruise ships.
LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton
The expensive price tags of the nicest fashion has gotta pay off into market value, doesn’t it? The Louis Vuitton brand, with all the fancy bags and whatnot, is proof of this, having produced over $300 billion in market value.
UHF, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton
It may surprise you to find this out, but fashion is actually a relatively recession-proof business. This is why the fashion house has managed to be so successful even during a rocky couple of decades in the global economy.
Tencent
The true triumphant story of the 21st-century global economy has undoubtedly been the rise of China. Much of this had to do with their innovation in the field of technology, which the success of the Shenzen-based Tencent heavily displays.
Tencent
With Tencent having a hand in video games, social media, and multiple forms of e-commerce, they’ve come to understandably dominate in the tech sector. It’s at the point where they’ve delivered investors an average annual return of 48%.
Charlie fong, CC BY-SA 4.0, Charlie fong
Alibaba
Do you remember a trend of Hollywood blockbuster films in the mid-2010s having the Alibaba logo before them? It was truly a sign of how much impact this Chinese company had made on the global economy.
Alibaba
The American company that Alibaba has most frequently drawn comparisons to is undoubtedly Amazon. Without a doubt the e-commerce giant of China, they’re currently worth nearly $400 billion and don’t show signs of slowing down.
Visa
Credit card giant Visa had the misfortune of going public during the global financial crisis of 2008. Yet in the time since, the company has had the great luck of only growing in market value.
Visa
Case in point, Visa has returned 861% to investors over the past decade. With an increasingly cash-free, digital payment society coming upon us, they’re sure to only thrive even more.
Home Depot
While Home Depot had always been a giant in the stock market, two recent, if unfortunate, global developments actually came to their benefit in growing even more. It might not even be that hard for you to guess what they were.
Home Depot
The two things in question were the high costs of housing and the global pandemic. Both made people stay in their homes and, for different reasons, focus on renovation, which of course drove them to buy the tools Home Depot specializes in.
JPMorgan Chase
Still the United States’ largest banking institution, JPMorgan Chase proves that traditional Wall Street companies can remain a giant even in the financial landscape of Big Tech. To date, their market value is hovering around $300 billion.
JPMorgan Chase
A big turning point for the JPMorgan brand was its merger with Chase Manhattan at the very end of the year 2000. From there, a financial juggernaut was out and out formed over the scope of the globe.
CrossingLights, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Procter & Gamble
Toothpaste, razors, and laundry detergent are things every human being will still need for decades to come. This is why Procter & Gamble remains a considerable force on the stock market, even if it’s a less glamorous business than tech or finance.
Derek Jensen, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Procter & Gamble
Again, if you’re looking for a company to invest in, you can’t forget consumer goods. The company is worth around $200 billion for a reason and isn’t the kind of thing that sees any threat from artificial intelligence.
Taiwan Semiconductor
This company set an important milestone by becoming the first Taiwanese company to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange during the 1990s. Ever since then, there’s only been considerable amounts of growth for this tech giant.
Taiwan Semiconductor
Taiwan Semiconductor’s biggest rival was Nvidia, but with that company’s stock recently plummeting, new opportunities are emerging for investors. It might be best to invest in this company right now before it’s too late.
Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson is a jack of all trades in the healthcare industry. This multinational company handles everything from pharmaceuticals to biotechnology, and various other forms of medical innovation.
Johnson & Johnson
The company is currently reinventing its business practices to a slight degree, shedding its consumer health side that produces things like Tylenol and Band-Aids. Judging by the value of their stock over the past 30 years though, we can assume it’s a safe business decision and you should invest.
Samsung Electronics
There’s a good chance that in your household, both your 4K television and dryer belong to the Samsung brand. This is a sign of the South Korean company’s ever-growing dominance in the world of technology.
Eirik Solheim, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Samsung Electronics
While Samsung’s market value has dipped a bit in the past year, it’s a sign that you should jump on stocks now. The excellence of their products means they’re bound to come roaring back and pay off for you.
Hans Olav Lien, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Exxon Mobil
A giant in the much-dreaded world of fossil fuels, Exxon Mobil has had a considerable presence on the stock market since 1990. Since the very concept of fossil fuels has been reconsidered in the wake of climate action, some wonder how valuable the stock will remain, though. And their concerns have not been assuaged by the company's denial of climate change, which has seen them weathering lawsuits in several states.
Exxon Mobil
Returning United States President Donald Trump has pledged to ramp up fossil fuel activity in the United States, which is music to the ears of the Exxon Mobil executives. Their former CEO did serve as his Secretary of State for a year, after all.
Tesla
No matter how toxic their CEO publicly remains, Tesla still seems to be a force of nature on the market. I guess the real question is, how comfortable do you feel jumping in a self-driving car?
Tesla
Tesla’s latest gamble, the Cybertruck, has earned some guffaws and comparisons to the goofy car Homer invents on that one episode of The Simpsons. But don’t doubt that you might be seeing more and more of them on the road in the future.
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