The Best Stocks to Invest $1,000 in Right Now for 2026 and Beyond
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By Geoffrey Seiler – Dec 14, 2025 at 3:15PM ESTKey PointsNvidia remains the leader of AI infrastructure.Alphabet is one of the best-positioned companies for the future of AI.TSMC is set to benefit from increasing AI chip demand.These 10 Stocks Could Mint the Next Wave of Millionaires ›NASDAQ: NVDANvidiaMarket Cap$4.3TToday's Changeangle-down(-3.30%) $5.97Current Price$174.96Price as of December 12, 2025 at 3:59 PM ETNvidia, Alphabet, and TSMC are all tech leaders you can buy right now heading into 2026.You don't need a lot of money to start investing. With $1,000, you can start dipping your toe into the stock market and buy some great tech stocks. Let's look at three stocks to buy right now for 2026 and beyond. Image source: Getty Images. Nvidia Nvidia (NVDA 3.30%) remains one of the best ways to play the current artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure boom. The company's graphics processing units (GPUs) have become the primary chips used for powering AI workloads, given their ultra-fast processing speeds. The company's CUDA software platform has helped create a wide moat, given that most foundational AI code has been written on its platform and optimized for its chips. This has helped the company command a more than 90% market share in the GPU data center space. ExpandNASDAQ: NVDANvidiaToday's Change(-3.30%) $-5.97Current Price$174.96Key Data PointsMarket Cap$4.3TDay's Range$174.62 - $182.8152wk Range$86.62 - $212.19Volume6.2MAvg Vol191MGross Margin70.05%Dividend Yield0.02% As spending on AI infrastructure continues to ramp up, Nvidia is well-positioned to continue reaping the benefits from higher GPU sales. The company has seen explosive growth, with its revenue soaring 62% last quarter and up more than threefold over the past two years. The company recently received approval from the U.S. government to begin selling certain chips to China, which adds another potential growth driver. Alphabet Alphabet (GOOGL 1.03%) (GOOG 1.03%) is laying the foundation to be one of the biggest winners in AI. The company has the most complete AI tech stack of any company, highlighted by its world-class Gemini large language model (LLM) and well-regarded custom AI chips, called Tensor Processing Units (TPUs). Controlling the entire AI tech stack gives Alphabet a structural cost advantage and allows it to capture more AI revenue streams that it can then incorporate through its entire business. This creates a powerful virtuous cycle, as it can then pump this revenue and cost savings into making its products even better.Advertisement ExpandNASDAQ: GOOGLAlphabetToday's Change(-1.03%) $-3.21Current Price$309.22Key Data PointsMarket Cap$3.7TDay's Range$305.57 - $314.8652wk Range$140.53 - $328.83Volume939KAvg Vol37MGross Margin59.18%Dividend Yield0.27% Its cloud computing business is currently seeing both robust revenue growth and strong operating leverage. Last quarter, Google Cloud revenue jumped 34%, while the segment's operating income surged 85%. Meanwhile, Google Search revenue has begun to accelerate, powered by new AI features such as AI Overviews, AI Mode, Lens, and Circle to Search. As AI chatbots and search meld more into discovery, Alphabet has a big advantage by being the default search engine on most phones and computers through its ownership of the Chrome browser, Android smartphone operating system, and a search revenue-sharing deal with Apple.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing As more and more chips are needed for AI infrastructure, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM 4.20%) is another company set to prosper. It is the largest semiconductor contract manufacturer in the world, and the company that makes most of the world's advanced chips. For companies like Nvidia and Alphabet to continue to advance their AI chips, they need node sizes (transistor density) to shrink. The reason is that this leads to more powerful chips that are more energy efficient. TSMC is the only chip manufacturer that has shown the ability to consistently produce chips at small node sizes in mass quantities at high yields (few defects). This has made it an invaluable part of the semiconductor supply chain and an important partner for chip designers. ExpandNYSE: TSMTaiwan Semiconductor ManufacturingToday's Change(-4.20%) $-12.81Current Price$292.04Key Data PointsMarket Cap$1.5TDay's Range$290.98 - $304.2852wk Range$134.25 - $313.98Volume19MAvg Vol13MGross Margin57.75%Dividend Yield1.26% TSMC is working with all the top AI chipmakers on their chip roadmaps, as it builds out capacity to meet their needs. It sees AI chip demand growing at a mid-40% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the next few years. Its position has also given it strong pricing power, and it is expected to raise prices on its services once again in 2026. Between growing chip demand and strong pricing power, TSMC is a top stock to own right now.About the AuthorGeoffrey Seiler is a contributing Motley Fool stock market analyst covering technology, consumer goods, healthcare, energy, and materials stocks. Prior to The Motley Fool, Geoffrey was a senior equity analyst at Raging Capital Management, a $600 million long-short hedge fund. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Haverford College.TMFFindProfitRead NextDec 14, 2025 •By Adria CiminoCould Nvidia Become the First $10 Trillion Company?Dec 14, 2025 •By Rich Smith1 Reason I'm Never Selling Nvidia StockDec 14, 2025 •By Keithen DruryHere Are My Top 4 Nasdaq Stocks to Buy in 2026Dec 14, 2025 •By Anthony Di PizioBetter Buy in 2026: Nvidia Stock or Bitcoin?Dec 14, 2025 •By Trevor JennewineNvidia Stock vs. Broadcom Stock: Wall Street Says This AI Stock Is the Best BuyDec 14, 2025 •By Danny Vena, CPAPrediction: 1 Unstoppable Stock to Buy Before It Soars 369%, According to a Certain Wall Street Analyst