Hello, Reader.
In a future defined by AI, the greatest and most dependable returns may come from the companies that remind us of what intelligence can never reproduce…
The simple, sensory, irreplaceable pleasure of being human.
Many of the most enduring and prosperous businesses will thrive instead in the non-digital realms of gardens and gatherings, of drinks poured and songs performed, of motion, laughter, and luxury – the spaces where people still go to feel something real.
Most of the companies that provide non-digital products or services belong to the category of enterprises I call the “AI Survivors.”
So, in today’s Smart Money, I’ll share three different companies that highlight the range of opportunities this category offers. To be clear, I have not made official “Buy” recommendations on these companies. I am merely highlighting them to illustrate the broad range of “AI Survivors” that trade in the markets.
Now, with that said, I did recently make a new “AI Survivor” recommendation in my Fry’s Investment Report service. So, I’ll also share more about that company after we take a look back at what we covered here at Smart Money last week.
3 AI Survivors
1. Diageo plc (DEO) – This London-based spirits giant behind Guinness stout, Don Julio tequila, and Johnnie Walker scotch reigns over the world’s most enduring celebrations. At the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, tourists trace the scent of roasted barley up seven floors before reaching the Gravity Bar, where they may savor a pint above the city skyline. The pour itself is a ritual: 119.5 seconds of anticipation.
Across the Atlantic, Don Julio 1942 turns a tequila shot into a ceremony, sipped slowly, not tossed back. In my household, my wife invites 1942 to every important celebration.
In essence, the famous brands of Diageo transform barley, agave, and oak into shared experiences. The drink is less the product and more of the ritual that turns a moment into memory.
2. Krispy Kreme Inc. (DNUT) – Born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in 1937, Krispy Kreme built its empire on a timeless sensory symphony: the red “Hot Now” sign glowing in a window, the hiss of dough hitting oil, the scent of caramelized sugar wafting through a parking lot at dawn. One bite of a warm Original Glazed doughnut captures that entire symphony.
For many Krispy Kreme lovers, the company’s inimitable donuts conjure the joy of childhood or the shared smiles of a weekend morning. That’s why this company endures. It feeds humanity’s appetite for something real, warm, shared… and sweet!
3. Six Flags Entertainment Corp. (FUN) – This owner and operator of amusement and water parks is a leading curator of adrenaline. At the company’s Cedar Point property in Ohio, a rapid plunge on the Steel Vengeance ride sparks a chaotic chorus of screams. That moment of weightlessness and terror is the opposite of digital comfort.
On the west coast at Knott’s Berry Farm, the company’s oldest park and the birthplace of the boysenberry, has more subdued thrills. Families line up for fried chicken at Mrs. Knott’s, the same recipe served since the 1930s, before boarding the Timber Mountain Log Ride, a relic of hand-carved Americana.
In a world obsessed with screen-based encounters, Six Flags devotes itself to analog, non-digital encounters – the kind that sends you plunging 200 feet in seconds or sends a wave of water splashing over you and your family.
Smart Money Roundup
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By betting on their grandfather’s racehorses with just $2, LikeFolio co-founders Landon and Andy Swan discovered their passion for risk versus reward, statistics, probabilities, and forecasting… and applied it to the stock market. Their new system spots the products, brands, and companies gaining momentum on Main Street before they become news on Wall Street. Read more about it – and legendary investor Louis Navellier’s involvement – here.
The Trick That Could Haunt Your Portfolio – and the Treat to Buy Instead
October 30, 2025
We may only hear the words “trick or treat” once a year, but tricks and treats exist in the investment world, too. We call it risk versus reward. You cannot have investment success without risk. The key, and difficulty, is taking smart risks. Click here to learn the difference between a bad risk – a trick – and a good one – a treat – and what companies fall under each category.
Microsoft Just Bet $135 Billion on AGI… but You Shouldn’t Follow Them
November 1, 2025
No individual or company has achieved AGI yet… but after this week, OpenAI could be one step closer. The company announced changes to its structure and new provisions to its partnership with Microsoft. And it has big implications for the future of AGI. Find out more about OpenAI’s latest news, and what it tells us about the best ways to invest and prepare for AGI’s arrival.
Nvidia Hit $5 Trillion This Week… and This New Strategy Could Find the Next Big Winner
November 2, 2025
From AI chips to autonomous cars, healthcare, and 6G networks, Nvidia has become the backbone of the next-gen tech economy. Now, while Nvidia’s sky-high valuation makes it a risky bet, and not one that I recommend taking, InvestorPlace Senior Analyst Louis Navellier offers a different, valuable perspective. Louis joins us to share what pushed Nvidia past $5 trillion, and how his new system, in collaboration with Andy and Landon Swan, could help you catch the next big winner.
The Ultimate Non-AI Stock
As the examples above demonstrate, the AI Survivorcompaniesform a counterpoint to the digital age. They thrive because they offer what technology cannot: a shared drink with friends or family… a roller coaster’s drop that steals your breath. The scent of donuts in the morning air.
And now, I’ve identified what may be the ultimate non-AI stock.
It is a brand that celebrates everything AI cannot replicate: the physical, the analog, the sensory, the real.
This company doesn’t make chips or code. Instead, each of its products is a passport to a world beyond screens.
This AI Survivor has a stated plan of expanding internationally, widening its product canvas, rebuilding gross margins, and monetizing its new partnerships. As it executes this plan, the earnings power embedded in the business could surprise to the upside, making it a timely, underappreciated opportunity.
Regards,
Eric Fry
