THE MONEY IDEA💡
4 Core Stocks to Buy and Hold in 2026
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After a volatile 2025 and a strong finish, the setup for 2026 looks less like a trend and more like a year where discipline wins. The market is not screaming cheap, valuations are higher in key pockets, and the next real edge will come from owning businesses you can hold through noise while you wait for better entry points to appear.
These are not quick victories, They are core holdings built to compound through multiple market cycles.
Market Mood: Disciplined and Opportunistic 🔍
Conviction Level: ●●●●○ (4/5)
A good core portfolio makes volatility feel smaller.
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Core holdings are the stocks you buy more of as the headlines get louder.
THE MONEY IDEA💡
4 Core Stocks to Buy and Hold in 2026
Bottom Line: A wide moat platform with durable cash flows and strong AI leverage that can compound even when the market gets choppy.
Wide Moat: Switching costs and ecosystem lock in keep Microsoft embedded across enterprises.
AI Flywheel: Azure and Copilot deepen customer spend while expanding the total addressable market.
Balance Sheet: A fortress profile gives Microsoft flexibility in any environment.
Capital Return: Buybacks and dividends support long term shareholder compounding.
Valuation Angle: A discount to fair value creates a cleaner risk reward than most mega cap peers.
Do This Next: Treat MSFT as a core position you add to on pullbacks, not a stock you chase on headlines.
Bottom Line: A category leader in a non optional spending market where consolidation favors the strongest platforms.
Structural Demand: Cyber risk keeps rising, so budgets rarely get cut for long.
Platform Advantage: Customers prefer fewer tools that integrate cleanly across security needs.
Sticky Revenue: Switching costs increase as workloads and policies consolidate into one vendor.
Balance Sheet: No debt gives flexibility to invest and acquire through cycles.
Growth Setup: Cybersecurity can stay a double digit growth market even in slower economies.
Do This Next: Use PANW as your long term cybersecurity exposure and size it for patience, not perfection.
Bottom Line: A regulated utility with steady cash flows, a dependable dividend, and a profile that can benefit if long term rates ease.
Financial Stability: Regulated returns make earnings more predictable than most sectors.
Dividend Strength: A healthy yield supports total return even when markets stall.
Low Uncertainty: Utilities tend to hold up better when growth expectations reset.
Rate Sensitivity: Falling long term yields can lift valuation multiples for the sector.
Growth Plan: Ongoing investment supports steady earnings expansion over time.
Do This Next: Hold DUK as the ballast in your portfolio and reinvest dividends when volatility spikes.
Bottom Line: A wide moat staple with pricing power, low uncertainty, and rare undervaluation for a defensive franchise.
Moat Strength: Iconic brands and global scale support durable market share that is difficult to disrupt.
Pricing Power: Everyday products allow Colgate to pass through pricing increases without significant demand loss.
Balance Sheet: Strong credit quality and conservative leverage add resilience during slowdowns.
Dividend Discipline: A long history of consistent dividends rewards patient shareholders.
Defensive Fit: Consumer staples help smooth portfolio volatility while still compounding over time.
Do This Next: Layer into CL when it trades below intrinsic value and treat it as a hold forever style position.
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Quick Money: Core holdings are not about being exciting, they are about being there when the market gives you a better price.
$MSFT ( ▲ 0.25% ): Add on dips and let the AI productivity flywheel compound quietly over time.
$PANW ( ▼ 0.93% ): Hold as your long term cybersecurity exposure and avoid overthinking quarterly noise.
$DUK ( ▼ 0.44% ): Use as defensive income ballast and reinvest dividends when markets get shaky.
$CL ( ▲ 0.75% ): Accumulate when undervalued and treat it as a sleep well compounder.
If you’re looking for more smart, actionable ideas beyond this week’s picks, we’ve gathered a short list of other high-quality newsletters worth your time.
See our curated picks here — practical insights on money, work, and life from trusted sources.
Optional Deep Dive
For those looking for a longer-term framework to navigate pullbacks, rate cycles, and uncertainty, The Money Path breaks down the process step by step.
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