Finding high-quality companies is of course not only important; it is essential. These are the stocks that can grow faster than the broader market, better protect your capital during periods of increased volatility and, most importantly, give you the confidence to hold them in any economic climate.
But as important as business quality is, the valuation you pay also matters a lot more than many investors realize.
High quality stocks almost never trade cheaply. In fact, they typically trade at a premium due to their growth potential and reliability. That’s why when these stocks periodically fall out of favor and trade below their fair value, a real opportunity is created.
If you truly believe in a company’s long-term potential, it should be easier to buy when the stock is under pressure, not harder. It’s the same company with the same long-term prospects, just available at a more attractive price. These are often the moments that yield the best long-term returns.
That’s exactly why two of the stocks I zeroed in on in 2025 weren’t just high-quality companies capable of creating long-term wealth; they were high-quality companies trading well below their fair value.
So, with that in mind, here’s why easy (TSX:GSY) and Aritzia (TSX:ATZ) were two of my biggest purchases in 2025, which is why I believe they are ideal for long-term wealth.
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Why I bought Aritzia when it was cheap
There’s no doubt that Aritzia is one of the best growth stocks for Canadian investors to buy and hold for the long term. It has built a premium brand and has an extremely loyal customer base, strong pricing power and a proven ability to grow both sales and profits over time.
In fact, sales have increased by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.8%.
But despite that rapid growth, consistent execution and long-term potential, Aritzia’s shares trade cheaply from time to time, such as in early 2025, when shares traded below $50.
At the time, higher inflation provided headwinds for discretionary retail stocks, putting pressure on Aritzia’s share price, along with much of the sector.
However, that was a short-term macro problem and not a company-specific problem. And Aritzia has proven time and time again that its loyal customer base and products that consistently resonate with consumers should not be underestimated.
So, less than a year later, as Aritzia continues to grow and expand its operations and profitability, and with its shares more than doubling from last year, it’s a reminder that high-quality stocks should be held for the long term, but also bought as cheaply as possible when the opportunity arises.
The fact that the market temporarily discounts a stock is not automatically an indictment of the company. In fact, these are often the ways that create the best opportunities to build long-term wealth.
Why goeasy is one of the best stocks to buy now for long-term wealth
goeasy was the other stock I loaded in 2025, and for similar reasons. It is one of the most consistent growth stocks in the world TSX has been managing its risks well for years and generating significant profit margins.
However, when economic uncertainty peaked last year and interest rates had yet to meaningfully decline, the market was nervous about a goeasy and stocks were trading ultra-cheap.
And the good news for investors is that goeasy is once again trading at a significant discount, creating huge long-term opportunities.
Goeasy is not only trading at just 6.4 times forward earnings, which is not only significantly lower than the five-year average price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 10.2 times, but it is also even cheaper than last year, when the forward P/E ratio fell to a low of 7.5 times.
Since going on sale a few months ago, this is basically as cheap as goeasy has been trading since the pandemic.
Furthermore, with the stock trading at bargain basement prices and after goeasy’s dividend increased by more than 120% over the past five years, it offers investors a yield of more than 4.6% today.
So if you’re looking for high-quality stocks to build long-term wealth, goeasy is one of the best to buy, and it’s trading incredibly cheaply right now.
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