The Best Stocks to Buy With $500 Right Now

If you have $500 available to invest, the market is your oyster. There are plenty of fantastic stocks you can buy for that price that have tons of long-term opportunity, and as the S&P 500 continues to rise, you can still buy into its gains. However, I am going to recommend three stocks that can withstand market pressure, if that comes to pass, over time. Consider Dutch Bros (NYSE: BROS), SoFi Technologies (NASDAQ: SOFI), and MercadoLibre (NASDAQ: MELI).

Image source: Dutch Bros.

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1. Dutch Bros

Dutch Bros is a small coffee shop chain with huge opportunities. It currently has just over 1,000 stores nationwide, but that's double the amount it had when it went public about four years ago. It's aiming to double again over the next four years or so, and the company sees the opportunity for 7,000 stores.

Its same-shop sales are also growing at a healthy pace, up 5.7% year over year in the 2025 third quarter, giving it more growth avenues. Dutch Bros recently rolled out mobile ordering across its store fleet, feeding into its membership program, and it's constantly innovating with its exclusive beverage menu, as well as a food menu that complements its drinks.

There's so much to like about this stock, and shareholders are likely to reap strong benefits over the next few years.

2. SoFi Technologies

SoFi is an up-and-coming online bank that's attracting customers at a rapid pace. In fact, it keeps breaking its own quarterly record for new customer add-ons, with 905,000 in the third quarter. Adjusted net revenue growth accelerated in the quarter to 38% year over year, and earnings per share (EPS) climbed from $0.05 last year to $0.11 this year.

Customers are loving its easy-to-use platform that's all digital and its innovative, value-driven services. It has low fees and high rates, and it offers a large assortment of products all available on its app, including cryptocurrency trading, and, launching soon, global remittances (international wire transfers) on a blockchain.

As it gains customers and deposits, SoFi is moving up on the list of the largest banks in the U.S., and it's aiming to get into the top 10.

3. MercadoLibre

MercadoLibre isn't a household name in the U.S., but it's a powerhouse e-commerce giant in Latin America, where it's the biggest company of its kind. Its region is still underpenetrated in e-commerce, and and its other segment, fintech, leaving it plenty of room to grow.

Total revenue increased 49% year over year (currency neutral) in the third quarter, with a 35% increase in gross merchandise volume and a 54% increase in total payment volume. These are typical increases for the company, and it's also highly profitable, with a 9.8% operating margin.

There's so much opportunity for MercadoLibre as it continues to develop its markets and its value proposition, and although $500 will only get you a fractional share, it's a good idea to get a piece of this wonderful stock.

Jennifer Saibil has positions in Dutch Bros, MercadoLibre, and SoFi Technologies. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends MercadoLibre. The Motley Fool recommends Dutch Bros. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.