The Best Financials Stocks to Buy With $500 Right Now
Key Points
Investors who are starting out today should look beyond the headline tech stocks to other sectors such as financials and banks.
SoFi is a fast-growing U.S. online bank that is now highly profitable.
Nu Holdings is a gigantic mobile bank in Latin America with plenty of room to keep growing.
You don't need to have millions of dollars to start investing. You also don't need to always chase the hottest investing theme at the moment, such as artificial intelligence (AI).
With just $500, you can buy two of the best financial stocks -- Nu Holdings (NYSE: NU) and SoFi Technologies (NASDAQ: SOFI) -- for your portfolio. And yes, they are still growing quickly despite being in an industry like banking that gets little attention from the financial media.
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Here's why these banking stocks could be great buys right now.
SoFi's dipping share price
Sofi began its journey on Stanford University's campus in 2011 as a student loan lender. It has since evolved into a full online banking application, with the goal of being a one-stop shop for your financial needs.
An easy-to-use mobile app and a wide breadth of products -- along with smart marketing -- have enabled SoFi to keep attracting new customers. Customer count totaled 13.7 million at the end of 2025, growing 35% year over year.
As more customers join SoFi, more of them try out revenue-generating products such as personal loans, credit cards, or investing. During the past five years, SoFi's revenue rose 2,900%, reaching $4.77 billion in the past 12 months, with plenty of room to keep growing. The business is now profitable, with more $500 million in pretax income in 2025.
Image source: SoFi Technologies.
Nubank's growing hold on Latin America
It took a little longer than in the U.S., but mobile banking is spreading like wildfire across Latin American countries, led by Nu Holdings, the parent company of Nubank.
Nubank is available in its home market of Brazil, as well as Mexico and Colombia. It strategy is similar to SoFi's. Instead of relying on stodgy and costly branch offices, high-interest rate loans, and forcing customers to line up to get services, Nubank customers can get everything they need through a mobile app and debit and credit cards.
This better value proposition is why customers are flocking to Nubank -- 106 million active ones, as of the 2025 third quarter. It has quickly grown into one of the largest banking companies in the world by customer count, which gives it a runway to keep increasing its revenue for years to come.
Last quarter, Nubank's revenue rose 42% year over year to $4.2 billion, while net income increased to $783 million. Its ability to grow so quickly while still generating a profit is impressive and indicates that even greater profit growth will come at a larger scale.
Nubank and SoFi are two of the fastest-growing banks in the world and deserve a spot in your portfolio today.
Should you buy stock in SoFi Technologies right now?
Before you buy stock in SoFi Technologies, consider this:
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*Stock Advisor returns as of February 19, 2026.
Brett Schafer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Nu Holdings. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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