Look, I’ve been trading volatile names for over fifteen years, and I’ve learned that the biggest winners often hide among the biggest losers. These seven stocks are financial dynamite – they could either blow up your account or make you rich enough to retire early.
September 2025 is shaping up to be a year where bold moves pay off. Interest rates are finally stabilizing after the Fed’s latest signals, AI is creating new trillion-dollar markets, and entire industries are getting disrupted faster than ever. But here’s the catch: for every Tesla that goes to the moon, there are ten Theranos that go to zero.
These aren’t your grandpa’s dividend stocks. These are companies betting everything on technologies and trends that might not exist in five years. But if they’re right, early investors could see returns that make traditional investing look like a savings account.
Why I’m Looking at Volatile Plays Right Now
The market has been schizophrenic lately. One day everyone’s terrified of recession, the next day they’re buying everything in sight because AI is going to save the world. This kind of volatility creates opportunities for investors willing to stomach the ride.
I’ve got about 10% of my portfolio in what I call “lottery tickets” – high-risk plays that could either triple or go to zero. The key is never betting money you need for rent, but when these work out, they can fund your entire retirement.
Fed Chair Powell’s recent comments about potential rate cuts have sparked a rally in risk assets, and that includes the names I’m about to share. But remember: when the tide goes out, you find out who’s been swimming naked.
My Current High-Risk Holdings
Palantir Technologies (PLTR) – The AI Data King
This one’s been a wild ride. PLTR gained 107.25% YTD and is up more than 350% over the past year, but it’s also dropped about 18% from its August highs. That’s Palantir for you – extreme volatility backed by extreme potential.
Here’s what most people miss: Palantir beat earnings and revenue in Q2, with EPS of 16 cents versus 14 cents expected, and revenue of $1 billion versus $940 expected. They crossed the billion-dollar revenue milestone for the first time, and revenue rose 48% YoY.
The company is basically the Pentagon’s favorite AI contractor, with long-term government contracts that provide stable cash flows. But they’re also expanding into commercial markets, where the real growth is. There’s hope for a more durable revenue stream than chasing AI in commercial applications given their intelligence community partnerships.
The risk? Forward price-to-earnings and price-to-sales ratios of more than 100 to 1, future success has already been priced in. If they miss even slightly on growth expectations, this stock could crater 50% overnight.
MicroStrategy (MSTR) – The Bitcoin Proxy Play
Now rebranded as “Strategy,” this company is essentially a leveraged Bitcoin ETF disguised as a software company. Strategy held 636,505 BTC on their balance sheet as of September 2nd, making them the largest corporate Bitcoin holder in the world.
The genius of Michael Saylor’s strategy is using corporate debt to buy Bitcoin, then using the appreciation to buy more Bitcoin. They’re increasing their 2025 “BTC Yield” target to 25% and their 2025 “BTC $ Gain” target to $15 billion.
Strategy’s stock has traded at an average premium of 54.28% to its Bitcoin holdings over the past four years. When Bitcoin runs, MSTR tends to run harder. MSTR is up about 140% in the past 12 months while Bitcoin is up “only” 75% or so.
The downside? If Bitcoin crashes, MSTR crashes harder. The stock has been on a two-month downtrend, falling nearly 30% from July peaks above $457. This is pure speculation disguised as corporate strategy.
Tesla (TSLA) – The Robotaxi Revolution
Everyone thinks they know Tesla’s story, but most investors are missing the real catalyst. This isn’t about selling more cars – it’s about turning every Tesla into a money-printing robotaxi.
Tesla said it has opened its robotaxi app to the general public, moving beyond the invite-only phase in Austin. Tesla secured regulatory approval in Texas through Tesla Robotaxi LLC, giving it a rideshare license under the state’s autonomous vehicle framework.
Musk has predicted Tesla could serve half of the U.S. population with robotaxi services by the end of 2025. If even 10% of that comes true, Tesla’s valuation makes sense. The software margins on autonomous rides are massive compared to manufacturing cars.
The reality check? Early trial data in Austin shows around one notable system failure per vehicle every 2–8 days, and 87% of drivers were unsure or afraid of self-driving vehicles according to recent AAA surveys. Plus, Tesla has shut down its Dojo supercomputer, a project once billed as essential for enabling full self-driving.
Coinbase Global (COIN) – The Crypto Infrastructure Play
Coinbase isn’t just riding crypto waves – they’re building the infrastructure for digital assets to go mainstream. The exchange is launching a new derivatives product that will offer exposure to leading US tech stocks and crypto exchange-traded funds on September 22nd.
Coinbase and Circle co-created the USDC stablecoin, and Coinbase shares in the revenue and promotes its use across its platform. With the recently-signed GENIUS Act regulating stablecoins, this could be a massive revenue driver.
The partnership with JPMorgan is also brilliant – Chase customers link their bank accounts to Coinbase and either through the linked account or a Chase credit card, fund a Coinbase account. That’s traditional banking meeting crypto in the best possible way.
But crypto is still a sentiment-driven market. Q2 2025 EPS at $0.12, 92.05% below $1.51 forecast; revenue $1.5B, missing $1.59B estimate. When crypto goes cold, so does Coinbase’s revenue.
The Momentum Plays
Rivian Automotive (RIVN) – The Electric Truck Dark Horse
While everyone’s focused on Tesla, Rivian is quietly building the best electric trucks and delivery vans in America. Amazon is their biggest customer, and that relationship gives them a built-in market for commercial vehicles.
The stock has been beaten down since its IPO disaster, but the fundamentals are improving. Production is ramping, quality issues are getting resolved, and the commercial vehicle market is just starting to electrify.
This is a long-term play on the electrification of delivery fleets. Amazon alone has ordered 100,000 delivery vans. If Rivian can execute on manufacturing, this stock could be a 10-bagger.
Unity Software (U) – The Metaverse Infrastructure
Unity powers more video games than any other engine, and now they’re becoming the backbone of the metaverse. Every virtual world, AR application, and interactive experience needs a game engine, and Unity dominates this space.
The shift to subscription revenue is working, and their real-time 3D platform is expanding beyond gaming into architecture, automotive, and industrial applications. As digital twins and virtual collaboration become normal, Unity’s technology becomes essential.
The risk is execution. They’ve had management turnover and struggled with monetization. But if the metaverse is real, Unity is the picks-and-shovels play.
DraftKings (DKNG) – The Sports Betting Expansion
Sports betting is legal in 38 states and counting. DraftKings has the best app, the strongest brand, and the most loyal customers. They’re also expanding into media and fantasy sports.
The total addressable market is massive – Americans bet over $100 billion annually on sports, and most of it’s still done illegally or overseas. As more states legalize, DraftKings should capture an outsized share.
But this is a capital-intensive business with thin margins. Customer acquisition costs are brutal, and they’re competing against FanDuel and BetMGM for the same users.
The Biotech Moonshot
Moderna (MRNA) – Beyond COVID Vaccines
Everyone thinks Moderna’s COVID story is over, but their mRNA platform is just getting started. They’re developing cancer vaccines, personalized treatments, and respiratory disease preventions.
The technology that created COVID vaccines in record time can be applied to dozens of diseases. Their cancer vaccine trials are showing promising results, and the respiratory vaccine pipeline could be massive.
The challenge is that their COVID revenue is declining, and new products are still in development. This is a bet on revolutionary medical technology with years of losses ahead.
The Risks Everyone’s Ignoring
These stocks aren’t just volatile – they’re existentially risky. Palantir could lose government contracts, Tesla’s robotaxis could kill someone, Coinbase could face regulatory shutdown, and biotech could fail in trials.
But here’s what most investors miss: the biggest risk isn’t losing money on these stocks. It’s missing the next technological revolution because you were too scared to take intelligent risks.
I size these positions knowing I could lose 100% on any of them. But I also know that if even two of these seven work out, they’ll more than make up for the losers.
My Position Sizing Strategy
I never put more than 2% of my portfolio in any single high-risk name. That means even if all seven go to zero, I lose 14% of my net worth – painful but not devastating.
The key is finding your personal risk tolerance and sticking to it. Some investors can handle 20% in speculation plays, others can’t sleep with 5%. Know yourself.
I also set stop-losses at 50% down and take profits at 100% up. This forces me to cut losers quickly and let winners run. Emotional discipline matters more than stock picking in this game.
The Bottom Line
High-risk investing isn’t about getting rich quick – it’s about positioning for paradigm shifts that happen slowly, then all at once. AI, crypto, autonomous vehicles, and biotech are reshaping entire industries.
The companies I’ve outlined are either going to be worth 10x more in five years or they’ll be footnotes in business history. The challenge is figuring out which ones survive and thrive.
Will every one of these stocks make money? Hell no. But the ones that work could fund your retirement. The question is whether you’re willing to take intelligent risks on technologies that could change the world.
I’ve been early before, and early looks a lot like wrong until it doesn’t. But this time feels different. The fundamentals are stronger, the technology is proven, and the demand is real.
The Fine Print
I’m a financial advisor, but I’m not YOUR financial advisor – there’s a difference. High-risk stocks are volatile, speculative, and dependent on technologies that might never work. These companies could go bankrupt, get regulated out of existence, or simply fail to execute on their ambitious plans.
Do your own research, talk to people smarter than me, and never bet money you need for rent. But if you believe the world is changing faster than ever, these companies are building the infrastructure to power that change.
Remember: fortunes aren’t made by playing it safe. They’re made by taking calculated risks on revolutionary technologies when everyone else is too scared to act.
