Will These Two Stocks Outperform the S&P 500 Over the Next Decade?

When it comes to long-term wealth building, most investors know that the broad market typically delivers solid returns over 10-year horizons. But beating that benchmark—outperforming the S&P 500—requires picking the right companies at the right time. Two stocks currently worth watching are SoFi Technologies (NASDAQ: SOFI) and Fiverr (NYSE: FVRR), each positioned to capitalize on distinct but powerful industry trends.

The Fintech Play: Why SoFi Could Win Big

SoFi Technologies has emerged as a rising fintech specialist, combining the advantages of digital-first banking with a rapidly expanding ecosystem of financial services. Here’s what makes it compelling for long-term investors:

Growing Member Base and Digital Advantages

The company continues to attract younger demographics who fundamentally prefer app-based solutions over traditional brick-and-mortar banking. As an entirely online bank, SoFi taps into a structural shift in how people manage their finances. Membership trends have remained positive, signaling that the core value proposition resonates with its target market.

Ecosystem Expansion as a Revenue Engine

Historically, SoFi has succeeded by layering new services onto its existing member base. Current initiatives include international money transfers and a return to cryptocurrency trading—areas with substantial growth potential. This strategy of cross-selling multiple products to the same customer base creates powerful unit economics and reduces acquisition costs.

The Recession Risk Factor

Of course, challenges exist. A downturn could pressure SoFi’s lending business, which remains a critical revenue driver. Despite this headwind, the structural tailwinds appear strong enough to justify holding through 2035.

The Gig Economy Play: Fiverr’s AI-Powered Opportunity

Fiverr operates the world’s largest freelance marketplace, connecting businesses with independent contractors. While the stock underperformed in recent years, several factors suggest a meaningful rebound ahead.

From Pandemic Deceleration to AI Acceleration

Revenue growth slowed as pandemic-era demand normalized. However, Fiverr has achieved consistent profitability—a hallmark of sustainable business models. More importantly, the platform is now seeing explosive demand for AI-related services as every organization races to adopt artificial intelligence.

Why Smaller Companies Choose Fiverr for AI Talent

Large enterprises can hire expensive AI specialists full-time. Smaller companies cannot. This is where Fiverr becomes invaluable—it offers cost-effective access to AI talent without long-term commitments. As AI adoption accelerates across industries, this use case will only expand.

The Dual Growth Engine

Fiverr rides two waves: the structural growth of the gig economy itself and the near-term explosive demand for AI services. These overlapping trends create a powerful scenario for outperforming the market through the next decade.

Comparing the Two: Different Paths, Same Outcome

SoFi benefits from fintech tailwinds and expanding financial services adoption, particularly among digital natives. Growth comes from deepening relationships with existing customers and capturing market share from traditional banks.

Fiverr, by contrast, taps into the gig economy’s maturation and the AI revolution’s beginning. Growth comes from rising transaction volumes and the monetization of emerging skillsets.

What they share: both companies are positioned in secular growth industries, both have genuine competitive advantages, and both could realistically deliver returns that beat the S&P 500 substantially over the next ten years.

The Historical Perspective: When Picking Winners Matters

Consider this: investors who bought Netflix on the recommendation list in December 2004 at $1,000 would have seen that investment grow to $513,353. Those who bought Nvidia in April 2005 at $1,000 saw returns of $1,072,908. These aren’t lottery tickets—they’re examples of what happens when you identify transformative companies early.

While past performance never guarantees future results, the historical average return of stock-picking strategies has reached 965%, significantly outperforming the S&P 500’s 195% return. The key is identifying companies genuinely positioned to disrupt their industries.

Neither SoFi nor Fiverr guarantees these outcomes. Both carry risks. But for investors willing to hold for a decade, both merit serious consideration as potential outperformers of the broader market.