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Investors looking to get the biggest returns without taking outsized risks have a few options for next year, according to pros on Wall Street. Market strategists expect stocks to move higher in 2025, but anticipate a turbulent year, according to the CNBC Market Strategist Survey released Dec. 13. The S & P 500 is projected to end 2025 at 6,630, according to the average forecast in the poll. Meanwhile, bonds are heading into the new year with elevated yields. Schwab recently said it is also expecting a bumpy year for fixed income, but sees an opportunity to lock in returns. So, where are the best opportunities to put $50,000 to work with some risk involved? CNBC Pro spoke with strategists and investment advisors to get their advice. Selective tech stocks, lock in bond yields A 60/40 portfolio with a selective approach to equities is an investment Anthony Saglimbene, chief market strategist at Ameriprise Financial, likes in this scenario. Investors should look at industry groups instead of sectors, he noted. For instance, while tech stocks had a good run in 2024, he would bypass the larger information technology sector and look at software companies that have not kept pace with artificial intelligence leaders. He also likes financials for 2025, which should benefit from strong earnings growth and the potential of less regulation from the Trump administration. Within the sector, he would focus on companies associated with capital markets. “If we have lower regulation, more [initial public offerings], and more M & A, then those investment banks will see their profits accelerate more than insurance companies or other financials that might not perform as well,” Saglimbene said. Investors should also take advantage of attractive yields right now in high-quality government and corporate bonds, he added. “Lock in, extend duration and take advantage of some of the income opportunities that are still there in fixed income,” advised Saglimbene, who likes duration around the five- to seven-year time frame. For investors who want to allocate less to bonds, instead of just adding to equities, he said a 5% to 10% allocation to alternative strategies or dividend-paying stocks makes sense. “If you want to take a little bit more risk in equities, I would do it in a smart way. Be selective, be diversified, and also add in equity income strategy,” Saglimbene said. “That would give you exposure to equities but do it in a less volatile, less risky way and add some income to the portfolio.” Build a portfolio of equity ETFs James Humphries, founder and managing partner at Mindset Wealth Management, suggests building a portfolio of equity exchange-traded funds to capture the best returns with moderate risk. He is not associated with any of the ETFs mentioned. His largest allocation is $20,000 to the Vanguard Growth ETF (VUG), which has a 0.04% expense ratio and has returned about 37% year to date. “It gives you that traditional S & P 500 exposure to the big companies in the domestic U.S. market but it does it with a growth bent,” Humphries said. It has outperformed the S & P 500 over the course of the last 10 years without adding much more market risk, he added. Humphries would then put $10,000 to the Invesco QQQ Trust ETF , which tracks the Nasdaq 100 index. That will give investors access to the “Magnificent Seven” tech growth stocks, he said. It has a 0.2% expense ratio and is up about 29% year to date. QQQ YTD mountain Invesco QQQ Trust ETF Another $10,000 goes specifically to the AI theme with the WisdomTree Artificial Intelligence and Innovation Fund (WTAI). It has a 0.45% expense ratio and is up more than 10% so far this year. “That gives you access to someone who is making decisions based on what they see in the AI field,” Humphries said. As protection against anticipated tariffs from the incoming administration, Humphries would invest $5,000 in the Vanguard Small-Cap Growth ETF (VBK). The fund has a 0.07% expense ratio and has gained about 18% year to date. “Should we get into some sort of tariff war, trade war, typically domestic-based small caps can be the benefactors,” Humphries said. “Even leveling trade-playing fields will be good for small-cap companies in general.” His last $5,000 would go directly into crypto, especially since the new administration appears to be crypto-friendly. Bitcoin is the popular choice, although those who want to speculate can put $1,000 of that allocation into ethereum or other coins, he said. Humphries would invest directly in a crypto wallet. However, if new investors are not comfortable holding it directly, they can access it through an ETF, he said. Look to dividend growers Another way to nab some good returns by taking some risk is investing in dividend appreciation stocks, which have lagged the overall S & P 500 and Nasdaq this year, said Mitchell Goldberg, president of ClientFirst Strategy. The Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG) has a total return of 17.2% year to date, compared with the 26.6% the S & P has gained so far this year. VIG YTD mountain Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF “Stocks that continuously raise their dividend year after year often reflect earnings and cash flow growth,” Goldberg said. “It is a sign of good corporate health when a company can raise its dividend.” Those that pay large dividends without growth could be signaling they are not growing their earnings and revenue anymore. It can also occur because the stock fell a lot, he said. Sell options For those who have $50,000 to put to work outside of their immediate cash flow needs and retirement investments, certified financial planner Chuck Failla, founder of Sovereign Financial Group, suggests selling a covered short put. The options strategy involves writing an out-of-the-money or at-the-money put option, while at the same time setting aside enough money to buy the stock. The seller receives the put premium in exchange for agreeing to buy a certain ticker symbol for a certain price for a specific period of time, he explained. “The covered short put strategy is a way of reducing the risk-return profile in an investment you want to make anyway,” Failla said. “The covered short strategy only makes sense if you are willing to own that underlying investment.” He suggests a covered short put on the SPDR S & P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) for those with a moderate risk appetite and at least a five-year time horizon. For someone who wants a little more risk, he would look to apply the strategy on the iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT). Correction: Mitchell Goldberg is president of ClientFirst Strategy. An earlier version misstated the name of the firm.
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