While there’s always a time and place to play it safe, investors at some point will likely need to consider the best growth stocks to buy to retire early. As the most recent World Cup demonstrated, some teams can successfully deploy defensive counterattacking strategies to win. However, as the tournament progresses, those teams that take the initiative usually perform the best.

And really, that’s what the best growth stocks to buy comes down to: moving into the wind and taking risks on potentially significant upside opportunities. However, the current circumstances don’t necessarily support going completely contrarian. Despite earlier positive signs regarding monetary policy, the Federal Reserve remains committed to attacking inflation. Therefore, recession concerns ring loudly.

Therefore, investors seeking early retirement should seek out the best growth stocks to buy – but among established blue chips. Here are some of the top enterprises that still offer plenty of room to run.

Nvidia (NVDA)

One of the top semiconductor specialists, Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) carries an unparalleled reputation for developing high-end graphics processing units. In particular, these GPUs power advanced gaming applications. As well, their ability to clock in outrageous performance stats makes them an excellent source for cryptocurrency-mining equipment. While the latter segment currently faces a bit of a crisis, the former enjoys a much more auspicious framework.

According to Grand View Research, the global video game market reached a valuation of $195.65 billion in 2021. Further, experts in the field project that this sector will expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.9% from 2022 to 2030. At the end of the forecasted period, the gaming ecosystem could command revenue of $583.69 billion.

Now, what fundamentally makes NVDA one of the best growth stocks to buy to retire early centers on brand power. While its rivals continue to build competing GPUs, Nvidia remains the performance benchmark for professional gamers. With the underlying industry poised to rise higher, the math just seems to work out quite nicely.

Adobe (ADBE)

A software technology firm, Adobe (NASDAQ:ADBE) arguably generates the most attention for its Photoshop application. Fundamentally, then, Adobe represents one of the best growth stocks to buy for early retirement due to the gig economy. As white-collar workers discovered during the coronavirus shutdown, working from home facilitates certain benefits in terms of time freedom. However, those freedoms could be going away.

As Resume Builder reported this past September, 90% of companies it surveyed will require their employees to return to the office at least part of the week beginning in 2023. Further, the study noted that “21% of companies will fire workers who do not return to the office.” Should the economy slip into recession as mentioned above, employees will naturally lose bargaining power.

Of course, many if not most will acquiesce. However, a brave few will venture on their own, thus bolstering the gig economy. And since this segment encompasses myriad categories including creatives, Adobe appears to have a cynically bright future.

Lam Research (LRCX)

Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) is an American supplier of wafer fabrication equipment and related services to the semiconductor industry. Per its public profile, Lam’s products are used primarily in front-end wafer processing, which involves the steps that create the active components of semiconductor devices and their wiring.

As with other tech firms, Lam disproportionately suffered from the global supply chain disruption. On a year-to-date basis, LRCX stock suffered a steep decline of 38.5% of equity value. While certainly concerning, the back half of 2022 has been much better for Lam Research. In the trailing six-month period, LRCX gained almost 7%.

What should really attract investors to the enterprise, though, is the underlying profitability profile. Currently, the company commands (on a trailing-12-month basis) a net margin of nearly 27%. This ranks better than 88.5% of the competition. As well, its three-year revenue growth rate stands at 26.6%, making it one of the best growth stocks to buy to retire early.

Veeva Systems (VEEV)

Headquartered in Pleasanton, California, Veeva Systems (NYSE:VEEV) is a cloud-computing company focused on pharmaceutical and life sciences industry applications. In other words, Veeva structures itself as a Software as a Solution enterprise for life science applications. Currently, the company commands a market capitalization of $26.45 billion.

As with other tech-related entities, 2022 has not been kind to VEEV stock. Since the start of the year, shares gave up nearly 34% of equity value. However, the business mitigated most of the pain in the second half. For example, in the trailing six months, the market loss pings at 4%.

To be fair, Veeva doesn’t present the most encouraging picture right now. However, if you’re looking for the best growth stocks to buy for early retirement, it’s difficult to overlook VEEV. Presently, the company features a three-year revenue growth rate of 27.3%, beating out nearly 83% of its peers. In addition, Veeva enjoys excellent stability in the balance sheet (with a cash-to-debt ratio of nearly 49 times) and strong profit margins.

Meta Platforms (META)

Without a doubt, mentioning Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) as one of the best growth stocks to buy to retire early raises eyebrows. In particular, the only “growth” that the company sees centers on a negative trajectory. Since the start of the year, META gave up almost 66% of equity value. During the market fallout on Dec. 15, shares plunged 4.5% for the day.

It stinks. I get it. Of course, the caveat is caveat emptor. However, if you are willing to take the risk, Meta may present an intriguing long-term opportunity. Fundamentally, the company still owns the world’s largest social media network in Facebook. And while digital advertising sentiment fell into the toilet this year, businesses must still market their products and services.

Cynically, with certain social networks becoming toxic – no names shall be mentioned – Facebook presents an advertiser-friendly platform. As well, Meta apparently accepted certain harsh realities, particularly given its cost-reduction initiatives. Again, META could be interesting for speculators looking for the best growth stocks to buy.

Netflix (NFLX)

One of the riskiest names among the best growth stocks to buy to retire early, Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) presents many frustrations. Look, on one side of the equation, you can point to the chart and recognize NFLX’s implosion. Since the January opener, NFLX cratered more than 51%. But on the other hand, Netflix killed it in the back half of 2022. In the trailing six months, shares gained a whopping 67.5%.

Will the real Netflix please stand up? Well, a wrinkle to this rags-to-riches-to-rags-back-to-riches tale materialized. It turns out that the streaming giant’s advertisement-supported subscription tier isn’t doing that well. That’s very disappointing because it appeared that entertainment trends were heading back to the living room following the revenge travel phenomenon.

For speculators seeking the best growth stocks to buy, they may want to exercise patience with NFLX. The company’s three-year revenue growth rate stands at 23.1%, beating out 88% of the competition. Plus, macro headwinds imply that consumers will continue to tighten their discretionary spending. However, streaming offers excellent entertainment dollar for value, potentially keeping Netflix in the game.

Tencent (TCEHY)

To be quite blunt, I was hesitant to include Tencent (OTCMKTS:TCEHY) on this list of best growth stocks to buy for early retirement. Mainly, the pensiveness centered on Tencent’s native China market. While the country recently relaxed its super strict zero-Covid policy, Chinese stocks still present geopolitical jitters. After all, President Xi Jinping secured a historic third term, which is really unprecedented.

With President Xi’s yes men and yes women occupying the seats of power, China lost the pretense that it wasn’t an authoritarian state. When dealing with free markets, authoritarianism should never be part of the discussion.

Nevertheless, the hard numbers from Tencent command respect. Currently, the company features a three-year revenue growth rate of 24%. This stat beats out over 74% of its rivals. In addition, Tencent delivers on the profitability front, which then leads to its return on equity of 22.6%. Such a high ROE indicates superior capacity to convert equity financing into profits, reflecting a high-quality business.

On the date of publication, Josh Enomoto did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.