Investing behind broad secular trends can prove to be a lucrative strategy. By owning some of the leading businesses that are taking a bigger share of rapidly growing industries, investors can hopefully see their portfolios values soar.

Without a doubt, Mastercard (NYSE: MA) falls into this category thanks to its focus on facilitating cashless transactions. It has been a hugely successful stock for shareholders over the years. And it could continue being a winner. 

If you had invested $1,000 in Mastercard 10 years ago, you would be sitting on $6,980 today. That translates to a monster return of 598%. This gain not only exceeds the 459% return of Mastercard's chief rival, Visa, but it absolutely trounces the 221% total return of the S&P 500 and the 304% total return of the Nasdaq Composite Index.

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Source Fool.com