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You have $10,000 to invest. Where does it go?
Into the companies powering the artificial intelligence boom? Businesses using AI to transform their industries? Or a series of smaller, more aggressive trades?
In the first episode of The Investor Place, InvestorPlace’s new investing podcast, host Crystal Navellier puts that question to Louis Navellier, Eric Fry and Jonathan Rose.
Their answers take the conversation from AI chips and drug development to unusual options activity. Each expert names specific stocks he’s watching and explains how he would put that hypothetical $10,000 to work.
And when Crystal asks whether they’d rather hold cash or stocks, their differences become even clearer.
Click the image below to watch the debut episode of The Investor Place on YouTube.
Where Three Experts Would Invest $10,000
Louis Navellier: Follow the Earnings
Louis starts with the numbers. He looks for companies with dominant market positions, strong sales and earnings growth, expanding profit margins and growing order backlogs. Those backlogs help him judge whether demand can support the business over the next several quarters.
For his $10,000 portfolio, he chooses three companies tied to AI chips, memory and power. He explains how he would divide the money among them—and why he remains enthusiastic about the AI infrastructure boom.
Eric Fry: Look for AI’s Next Phase
Eric is looking closely at the next phase of AI investing: the companies applying the technology. He sees particular promise in biopharma and medical technology, where AI could help improve drug development and other healthcare applications.
He shares three stock ideas, including one that gives investors exposure to drug-development efforts across multiple companies. Louis pushes back on another of Eric’s picks, giving viewers a look at how two experienced stock pickers can reach different conclusions about the same company.
Jonathan Rose: Watch the Options 蜜桃传媒
Jonathan takes a more aggressive approach. He watches unusual options activity for clues about where big money may be moving, then looks for ways to participate. For the hypothetical challenge, he describes dividing $10,000 among 10 positions, with $1,000 committed to each.
He names four candidates across copper, cybersecurity, space technology and AI in healthcare, and discusses using options to pursue larger potential gains. He also makes the risk clear: an individual position could lose the full amount invested.
Cash or Stocks? Here’s Where They Disagree
Picking investments is only part of the discussion. How quickly should you put fresh money into the market?
Louis favors being fully invested, pointing to earnings strength and seasonal trends. Eric sees reasons for caution and patience with new money. Jonathan favors keeping some cash available to buy potential pullbacks, even while expressing a bullish longer-term outlook.
Eric and Jonathan also raise concerns about rising bond yields and the different signals coming from small-cap and large-cap stocks. They explain why those risks deserve attention alongside the opportunities they see.
The episode closes with advice for investors putting their first $10,000 to work. Eric’s message is especially practical: start slowly enough to learn how you react when your own money is on the line.
For the full stock picks, Louis’s exact allocation and the reasoning behind all three approaches, .
Learn More About This Episode’s Experts
Get to know Louis Navellier, Eric Fry and Jonathan Rose—and explore their investing strategies, free content and premium research services.
Louis Navellier: Meet the down-to-earth investor behind the candid market commentary—and explore the stock-picking strategies he’s honed over more than four decades.
Eric Fry: From AI to commodities, uncover the global shifts—and overlooked companies—at the heart of his search for the next big investment opportunity.
Jonathan Rose: See how a former options market maker tracks unusual options activity and pricing gaps to turn market signals into trade ideas.
