What should I invest in right now?

It's one of the most-Googled investing questions — and the honest answer isn't a hot tip. It's a method that works in any market: build a solid base, then add quality businesses trading below what they're worth.

By Nathan Wickham-Hurd · Founder, Oak Growth · First-class Economics & Finance, MBA · Last reviewed July 2026

Why "what's hot right now" is the wrong question

Chasing whatever's rising is how most people buy high and sell low. The value-investing answer flips it: instead of asking what's popular, ask what's underpriced relative to its worth. Markets change constantly; that principle doesn't.

Start with a diversified base

For most people, the foundation is a low-cost, broad index fund or ETF — instant diversification across hundreds of companies, so no single stock can sink you. It's the calm, proven core. See how to start investing.

Then add undervalued quality

On top of that base, value investors add individual companies that are both high quality and trading below their intrinsic value. Not what's trending — what's genuinely cheap relative to the cash the business generates, with a margin of safety for protection.

No one can honestly tell you the single best thing to buy today — and anyone who does should be treated with suspicion. What they can give you is a repeatable way to judge whether any given investment is worth its price.

The question worth asking instead

Rather than "what's hot?", ask "is this trading below what it's worth, and is it a business I understand?" That question works today, next year, and in every market condition.

Find what's genuinely undervalued right now

Instead of guessing what's hot, Oak Growth shows you which quality stocks are trading below their worth today — across US, UK and global markets.

Explore Oak Growth

Common questions

What should a beginner invest in right now?

A common starting point is a low-cost, diversified index fund or ETF as a base, then — once you can judge value — individual quality companies trading below their intrinsic value. Avoid chasing whatever is currently trending.

Should I invest when the market is high?

Value investing focuses on individual companies rather than timing the whole market. Even when an index is high, some quality businesses trade below their worth. The discipline is to buy those at a margin of safety, not to guess the market's direction.

Is it a good time to invest right now?

For long-term investors, time in the market usually matters more than timing it. The more useful question is whether a specific investment is trading below its intrinsic value — that's answerable, whereas predicting the market isn't.