Back to Blog
A futuristic scene showing an AI robot standing in shadow as a spotlight illuminates alternative investments, including gold bars, a glowing globe, and icons for healthcare, software, and global markets.

Five Smart Alternatives to Betting Everything on AI Stocks

Andrew Izyumov, Founder & CEO of 8FIGURES, professional portrait
By Andrew Izyumov, CFA
Founder of 8FIGURES
Portfolio Allocations
November 17, 2025
5
min read

AI stocks have powered much of the market's excitement over the past two years. But with volatility picking up again, even long-term investors are asking the same question: What else is worth owning right now?

Below are five sensible alternatives for U.S. investors who want to reduce concentrated risk and build a more resilient portfolio. These options leverage sector investing strategies and diversification to potentially lower standard deviation and improve risk-adjusted returns.

1. Equal-Weight Index Funds

Traditional S&P 500 funds lean heavily on a small number of tech giants, meaning your portfolio may be more dependent on a handful of companies than you realize. Equal-weight ETFs—such as the Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF (RSP)—give each of the 500 stocks the same proportional weight, offering an alternative to the standard market cap weighting approach.3 This equal weight S&P strategy can help mitigate concentration risk in mega-cap stocks.

Why the 8FIGURES AI Advisor considers this attractive:

Equal weighting in the S&P 500 naturally limits concentration risk and forces periodic rebalancing, pushing investors toward undervalued names and away from overheated mega-caps. This approach can potentially lead to improved earnings growth across the portfolio.

2. Healthcare Sector Stocks and ETFs

A reliable defensive anchor during market turbulence, healthcare stocks and healthcare ETFs offer attractive investment opportunities. The healthcare sector tends to be less sensitive to the economic cycle. From pharmaceutical companies to insurers to biotech innovators, the sector offers consistent demand and often resilient cash flows.

Why it's attractive now:

Historically, the sector has outperformed during uncertain or stagflationary periods. Health care equipment and managed healthcare companies remain relatively steady even in economic slowdowns. Some of the best healthcare ETFs, such as those in the iShares Core series, provide exposure to this defensive sector while offering diversification benefits.

Healthcare won't offer the same upside as high-flyer growth stocks, but it can add stability, dividend yield, and diversification to a portfolio that may be overly skewed toward volatile sectors. The sector's defensive characteristics make it an appealing choice for investors looking to balance their portfolios.

Factors driving growth in the healthcare sector include:

  • Aging populations and demographic trends
  • Advancements in drug development and genetic research
  • Expansion of healthcare services in emerging markets
  • Innovation in the medical devices sector and life sciences tools

Investors should be aware of potential risks such as FDA regulation, patent disputes, and potential Medicaid cuts. However, the long-term outlook for healthcare remains positive due to ongoing demographic shifts and technological advancements.1

3. International (Non-U.S.) Equities

When U.S. stocks are richly valued, venturing overseas through foreign stock ETFs can open up value and diversification opportunities in international equity markets. A well-designed foreign stock strategy can help investors access growth potential in developed international markets and emerging economies.

  • Global flows into funds excluding U.S. stocks recently surged, indicating investors are looking abroad for opportunity. Fund flow information suggests increasing interest in overseas developed markets.
  • Some non-U.S. indices have posted impressive results: for example, South Korea's KOSPI or Germany's DAX have outpaced many domestic benchmarks in certain periods. (Note: these are illustrative and past performance does not guarantee future results.)

Takeaway: International markets, including both developed markets and emerging markets, bring added currency, political risk, and economic exposures—but also a chance to access growth and valuations different from the U.S. scene. Investors may want to consider ETFs tracking the MSCI IMI (Investable Market Index) for broad international exposure.

When investing internationally, it's important to consider currency hedging strategies to manage foreign exchange risk. Additionally, analyzing historical return data can help set realistic expectations for performance in different market environments.

4. Software & Subscription-Model Companies

Amid volatility, companies built on subscription models (software-as-a-service, cloud tools) may behave differently than high-beta AI plays.

  • The logic: recurring revenue streams, high retention rates, and secular growth trends (e.g., digital transformation) can provide more stability than one-off AI hype plays.
  • For example, an ETF such as iShares Expanded Tech‑Software Sector ETF is tracking this niche. When evaluating such ETFs, consider factors like total expense ratio and Morningstar medalist rating.

Takeaway: Rather than betting on the next AI breakout, consider companies with more predictable business models. They may ride out turbulence better while still offering growth potential. Analyze EPS growth expectations for these companies to gauge their future prospects.

5. Gold (and Broad Precious-Metals Exposure)

The classic hedge is having a modern moment.

Gold recently hit new all-time highs as investors sought protection from inflation, rate uncertainty, and geopolitical risk.2 Gold-backed ETFs and mining stocks have surged in response. When evaluating gold ETFs, look for those with a strong gold rating from reputable sources.

Why the 8FIGURES AI Advisor includes it:

Gold remains one of the few assets consistently uncorrelated with equities, providing valuable protection when markets turn choppy.

Takeaway: Gold may not pay dividends, but as a non-correlated asset it can act as ballast in turbulent markets. It's a meaningful option if you believe risks (inflation, central-bank policy, global tensions) are skewed to the upside.

Putting It All Together: Portfolio-Level Thinking

These five ideas aren't about abandoning AI, they're about building a diversified portfolio that doesn't depend entirely on one theme. Here's how you might think about blending these ideas as part of your investment strategy:

  • If your portfolio is heavily skewed to big tech / AI leaders, consider trimming and reallocating a portion into these alternative frameworks.
  • Example allocation: 30% equal-weight S&P (reducing mega-cap risk), 15% healthcare, 15% international equities, 20% software/subscription-model companies, 10% gold, 10% cash or bonds. (Actual allocation should always reflect your risk tolerance, time horizon and tax situation.)
  • Regularly rebalance: A key benefit of the equal-weight strategy is built-in rebalancing (typically quarterly), which helps avoid letting profits run away and over-concentrate. This approach also facilitates sector rotation, allowing you to capitalize on different market cycles.
  • Monitor valuations and economic backdrop: For instance, if interest rates are high and growth expectations are pressured, lean into defensive sectors (healthcare, gold). If global growth is accelerating, international and software may shine.

When implementing this strategy, pay attention to the assets under management of the ETFs you choose, as this can impact liquidity and tracking error. Also, consider the ETF database category to ensure you're selecting funds that align with your investment goals.

For biotech equities and other specialized sectors, it may be worth consulting with institutional investors or financial advisors who have expertise in these areas. They can provide insights on product liability risks, potential patent disputes, and other sector-specific concerns.

If you want an exact, personalized list of the best non-AI assets that fit your risk tolerance, goals, and portfolio structure, you can simply ask the 8FIGURES AI Investment Advisor. It analyzes market conditions, analyzes your portfolio and risk tolerance in real time, and produces tailored investment ideas to help you achieve optimal investment results.

REFERENCES

  1. McKinsey & Company. (2025, January 10). What to expect in U.S. healthcare in 2025 and beyond. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare/our-insights/what-to-expect-in-us-healthcare-in-2025-and-beyond McKinsey & Company
  2. World Gold Council. (2025, October 30). Gold Demand Trends: Q3 2025. Retrieved from https://www.gold.org/goldhub/research/gold-demand-trends/gold-demand-trends-q3-2025 World Gold Council+1
  3. Zacks Investment Research. (2025, September 15 approximate). Should Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF (RSP) be on your investing radar?https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/2751207/should-invesco-sp-500-equal-weight-etf-rsp-be-on-your-investing-radar
See also

Try it now!

Managing your investments has never been easier!

Link to App Store
QR Code to App Strore
Link to Google Play
QR Code to Google Play
Encrypted
We keep your data safe. Always.
Industry-leading privacy & bank-level security are at the heart of 8FIGURES.