It’s the Final Countdown: 3 Stocks to Buy Before We Wrap Up 2025

As we near the end of 2025, plenty of investors will undoubtedly be looking at ways to rebalance or reallocate funds within their portfolios. Indeed, for those looking to harvest some tax losses, or reposition one’s holdings for the New Year, now would be the time to do so. After all, we only have a few days left in this fiscal year. 

The thing is, I think it’s important for most investors to not get pigeon-holed into one investing style. Holding a broad range of securities (dividend stocks, growth stocks, or companies with better valuations or in the alternative assets space), can provide much better long-term risk-adjusted returns. 

As such, here’s my list of three top stocks to consider buying before we wrap up this year and turn the page to 2026. 

Alphabet (GOOG)

As far as world-class mega-cap tech is concerned, Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG | GOOG Price Prediction) remains one of my top picks for investors thinking about how to position their portfolios for the coming year. 

With one of the strongest growth profiles of its peers, thanks to the company’s recent investments in its core AI LLM platform (Gemini), Alphabet has found a way to embed its core AI tools within its dominant ecosystems, driving outsized efficiencies. These efficiencies have shown up in the company’s results, with Alphabet posting more than $100 billion in quarterly revenue for the first time in Q3. With revenue growing at a 16% year-over-year rate, but earnings surging 33% (reflecting higher margins and improved operating efficiency), Alphabet is among the leading ways to play mega-cap tech in a defensive manner.

That’s because the company’s core search and media businesses are excelling, and only likely to get more profitable in the age of AI. For those thinking long-term, I think Alphabet’s future earnings should reflect a continued shift toward greater demand for cloud storage, search, and AI efficiency generation, all three of which this company provides in spades. 

Restaurant Brands (QSR)

For investors looking for a little more defensive positioning within their portfolios, Restaurant Brands (NYSE:QSR) is an excellent choice. 

This fast food giant has been quietly compounding in recent years via its quick service restaurant portfolio. With some of the most recognizable banners under its umbrella (Burger King and Tim Horton’s being the two main offerings Restaurant Brands touts), investors looking to play a continued weakening in the economy, with softer jobs market data expected in 2026, can benefit from owning QSR stock.

I have this view simply because my overarching thesis for 2026 includes trade-down from consumers in most major spending categories. Those looking to eat food away from home are likely to seek out the best value possible. These are trends similar to what I’d expect we’ll see in the grocery and rental markets as well.

With the company’s recent revenue coming in around 7% higher year-over-year, and earnings surging by a similar amount, there’s a lot to like about how Restaurant Brands is positioned moving forward. 

With an attractive dividend profile, and a management team that’s signaled its intent on returning more capital back to shareholders, this company remains a top defensive pick of mine moving forward. 

iShares 20+ Year Treasury ETF (TLT)

Last, but certainly not least on this list of three stocks that can provide portfolio diversification and plenty of upside in 2026, we have the iShares 20+ Year Treasury ETF (TLT). 

This could be the ultimate defensive play, particularly for those ultra-cautious investors out there who believe that we’re ultimately due for some sort of meaningful drawdown next year. Indeed, even some of the most bullish analysts and commentators on the market believe we could be due for a meaningful drawdown at some point next year, regardless of where benchmark indexes end the year. 

If that’s the case, owning some portfolio protection in the form of exchange traded funds (ETFs) like the TLT that provide exposure to the safest bonds out there (U.S. Treasurys) can be an excellent choice.

In my view, TLT is a great pick not only for this ultra-conservative exposure, providing a risk profile for a portfolio that’s probably more closely aligned to where individual investors’ risk preferences are, but this is an investment that can gain in value considerably if interest rates do come down, and/or economic growth expectations slow.