If you’re lucky enough to have $50,000 sitting in your investment account, you’re not just in the game—you’ve got a decent-sized play. And in this market, that kind of money can go a long way, if you know where to look.
Let’s not kid ourselves: you want growth, but you don’t want a heart attack from volatility every other day. And that sweet spot—strong upside without nosebleed risk—is where these two names shine. Meta and Axon might just be the smartest plays for smart money right now.
Meta Platforms Keeps Printing Money Even While Spending It
Meta’s been around the block. It’s taken hits, brushed off lawsuits, swallowed regulation drama, and yet—it keeps getting stronger.
You’d think torching over $60 billion on an experimental “metaverse” project would be enough to tank a company. Nope. Meta didn’t even flinch. That’s how much firepower its ad empire has.
In Q1 of 2025, Meta posted $42.3 billion in revenue. That’s not small money. Operating profit? A jaw-dropping $17.5 billion. And the margins? 41%, thank you very much.
That’s more than a flex. That’s a fortress.
-
3 billion+ people use Meta apps every single day
-
Its ad business is basically a license to print cash
-
AI is boosting both ad performance and user stickiness
-
Meta AI chatbot now has nearly 1 billion users—largest base in the space
One billion users on a single AI product. That’s not just scale—it’s leverage. And Meta’s betting big on it. The company’s recent tie-up with Scale AI signals it’s not slowing down in this space. Meanwhile, Alphabet is still trying to get its footing with Gemini.
Meta’s also trading at a forward P/E of 27. Not dirt cheap, but not crazy expensive either—not for a company growing like this. Especially when you consider it’s outpacing Alphabet in ad revenue growth.
Why Meta Might Be the Best “Boring” Bet Around
This isn’t some sexy new stock that just IPO’d. It’s not chasing moonshots every quarter. But that’s kind of the point.
Meta is now comfortably part of a rare breed: high-growth tech stocks that somehow feel… stable. Like you could park serious money there and sleep okay at night.
And don’t forget, they’ve turned Reels—once a response to TikTok—into a major engagement machine. Instead of being killed off, Instagram just evolved.
Here’s how Meta stacks up in the numbers department:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Market Cap | $1.7 Trillion |
| Gross Margin | 81.75% |
| Operating Margin | 41% |
| Dividend Yield | 0.30% |
| YTD Performance | Strong double-digit gain |
Investors aren’t buying into the metaverse anymore. They’re buying into Meta’s ability to keep monetizing human attention better than anyone else on Earth.
Axon Enterprise Is Quietly Becoming a Monster Stock
You might not know Axon by name, but odds are you’ve seen what it makes—Tasers, bodycams, and digital evidence systems for police.
The company’s been on a quiet tear. The stock has skyrocketed more than 2,000% over the last 10 years. Yes, two thousand. That’s not a typo.
Lately, Axon’s expanding outside of law enforcement. Delivery companies are signing deals to use Axon’s camera systems for security. That’s not a pivot—that’s smart horizontal growth.
The company’s Draft One AI, which auto-generates police reports from bodycam footage, is saving time and money for departments. Officers love it because it lets them skip paperwork and focus on actual police work.
In Q1 2025:
-
Revenue jumped 31% to $604 million
-
Adjusted net income hit $115 million
-
Gross margin hovered around 60%
Even better? They just raised full-year revenue guidance to between $2.6 and $2.7 billion. That’s a confident move in an uncertain economy.
The Market’s Quiet AI Winner
While all the hype is going to flashy AI names, Axon is actually using AI in a way that’s practical—and profitable.
Most folks missed it, but Draft One isn’t just a gimmick. It’s already operational in dozens of cities. And early feedback from agencies says it’s saving upwards of 30% of officer report time.
That’s a big deal. Because time is money, and in law enforcement, it’s also safety.
Unlike a lot of tech companies, Axon doesn’t have a “maybe” path to monetization. It builds hardware, sells software, and signs long-term contracts with agencies that desperately need both.
It also has minimal direct competition. No one’s coming close to the level of integration Axon has across its ecosystem. Cameras, Tasers, cloud platforms—it’s all connected. Sticky customers are just part of the deal.
Investing $50K: Why These Two Make Sense
You’ve got options with $50,000. But if you’re looking for stocks that won’t give you ulcers and still have the potential to beat the market, Meta and Axon hit the sweet spot.
They’re not in the same business, but they share a few key things:
-
Wide moats
-
Recurring revenue
-
Real-world products (and profits)
-
Smart use of AI that actually works
They’re also not hype plays. These are real companies with real earnings and real growth. Meta has the scale. Axon has the niche. Together, they give you a balance of tech dominance and innovative disruption.
That’s the kind of combo investors dream of when they’re thinking long-term.
