The last thing any retiree would want to do is to sit around and fret about their portfolio. After all, they’ve worked hard to try to enjoy life as a senior and to not worry about their financial position. The best way to solve this problem is a well-rounded portfolio with the right balance of dividend, growth and value stocks. This article specifically focuses on the growth stocks to buy and how they can super-charge your retirement portfolio.

Growth stocks typically belong to those companies that are growing at an above-average rate in their respective industries. Moreover, these companies are poised to expand over a long-term horizon thanks to their ability to innovate and reinvent themselves. Growth investors look at forward profitability and cash flow metrics when picking out the best growth stocks to buy.

With that being said, this list below covers seven of the most promising growth stocks to buy, which will deliver returns across several markets.

• Cloudflare (NYSE:NET)
• Shopify (NYSE:SHOP)
• Square (NYSE:SQ)
• Snap (NYSE:SNAP)
• Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA)
• Etsy (NASDAQ:ETSY)
• Roku (NASDAQ:ROKU)

Growth Stocks To Buy: Cloudflare (NET)

Cloudflare has arguably one of the most active companies in the past year, launching more than 550 new products. The cloud platform has been growing rapidly and has expanded its total addressable market to over $70 billion. Additionally, it plans to spread into other profitable areas apart from its traditional content delivery services. Moreover, NET stock’s 12-month returns are at a staggering 180%.

Earnings in the past year have been nothing short of amazing, with double-digit growth in revenues for the past three quarters. Year-over-year revenue growth is at a healthy 51%, with forward estimates at 42%.  As it looks to expand its product suite into large TAM areas such as cybersecurity and MPLS/SD-WAN, it will continue to post strong sales numbers for the foreseeable future.

Shopify (SHOP)

Shopify is a leading merchant platform that has consistently delivered for its long-term investors. With businesses having to close down during the pandemic, Shopify became a beacon of hope for small merchants starting their online businesses. As a result, its year-over-year revenue growth is dumbfounding 99.6%, which dwarfs its competition. Hence, with a wide moat and the ability to constantly evolve more than justifies SHOP stocks lofty valuation.

2020 was another stellar year for the company, but it looks like it still has multiple chapters to write in its growth story.  Its fulfillment center strategy is one of them, giving Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) a run for its money. Moreover, its Payments division and international markets are two major catalysts for future growth. The company expects to grow its revenues by $5 billion by 2023 and take a larger bite out of the e-commerce market.

Square (SQ)

Square has turned into a new-age financial services juggernaut. It has posted stellar growth rates, delivering monster quarterly results and outperforming its already high expectations. It continues to expand its distinct ecosystems, which includes its and Seller and Cash App. Both ecosystems exhibit a $160 billion addressable market opportunity collectively. Moreover, SQ stock has generated over 130% returns in the past 12-months.

The Cash App platform has been a key driver of the company’s growth. Its monthly active users have grown by 50% to over 36 million in 2020.  Through its Bitcoin (CCC:BTC-USD)  functionalities and the impact of the Cash Card, it creates several monetization opportunities. Additionally, the re-opening of the U.S. and the worldwide economy will propel the stock further as more small and medium-sized enterprises regain their footing.

Snap (SNAP)

Social media giant Snap was in a tough spot a couple of years ago, as its user base stagnated considerably. However, it is now back in the game with improvements in monetization, augmented reality and unique content. Analysts point towards multiple years of double-digit revenue growth ahead, and its high long-term margin structure makes SNAP stock a highly attractive investment.

Daily Active Users (DAUs) for the company increased on a year-over-year basis in each of the four quarters last year. The trend continued in the first quarter, where its DAUs grew by a healthy 22%.  Moreover, revenues in the quarter were up 66% year-over-year to $170 million. It has multiple monetization avenues left to explore, including Maps, Spotlight, Stories and others.  Hence, with forward revenue estimates of roughly 50%, the company is in pole position to deliver strong returns for the foreseeable future.

Alibaba Group (BABA)

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has been one of the fastest-growing companies in the past several years. In the past seven years, its business has grown at a spectacular 23.8% CAGR and is still growing at an impressive pace. Year-over-year revenue growth has been at a remarkable 41%, with forward estimates over 35%. Analysts believe that BABA stock could generate over 300% returns in the next five years.

Alibaba has gone a great job of diversifying its income streams from its traditional retail business. Some of these include cloud computing, entertainment, digital media and others. Cloud computing, in particular, is an area where Alibaba will look to invest heavily in the coming years. The high-margin business will help narrow down its losses and open up new opportunities in adjacent areas.

Etsy (ETSY)

Etsy is an online niche marketplace with a wide and sustainable moat. It has witnessed massive growth during the pandemic, as its revenues increased by triple-digit percentages in the past four quarters. Its gross merchandise value (GMV) and revenues increased by roughly 106% and 111%, respectively, in 2020. Moreover, its EBITDA growth on a year-over-year basis is at a stunning 391%. No wonder ETSY stock has surged over 78% in the past 12 months.

With last year’s blow-out performance, investors are worried about whether the company can continue its progress. Etsy is expanding its business through some smart acquisitions. It recently acquired Reverb and Depop to expand its music and fashion recommerce expertise. These acquisitions will also facilitate the company’s global outreach. Etsy posted a 141% year-over-year growth in its first quarter, which suggests that it isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

Roku (ROKU)

Streaming giant Roku has been on a roll in the past year, with its revenues and subscribers fueled by the pandemic. It gained an unbelievable 16.7 million new users during the pandemic and now has 53.6 million users. It is likely to achieve a record 65 million users by the conclusion of this year. With strong user monetization and active user growth, ROKU stock could potentially surge to new heights.

Looking ahead, the company has multiple growth drivers which could push its stock price higher in the future. Its CTV ad segment, in particular, could pay a lot of dividends with the gradual shift from linear to CTV. Moreover, it continues to invest heavily in its content library, with its recent launch of Roku Originals and its acquisition of Saban Films. Hence, it has an incredible growth runway ahead and should continue posting strong top and bottom-line numbers.

On the date of publication, Muslim Farooque 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

Muslim Farooque is a keen investor and an optimist at heart. A life-long gamer and tech enthusiast, he has a particular affinity for analyzing technology stocks. Muslim holds a bachelor’s of science degree in applied accounting from Oxford Brookes University.