Investors should focus on the long term when considering stocks they want to own. But they also can't ignore the realities of what's happening around the economy right now.

Take artificial intelligence (AI) lender Upstart (NASDAQ: UPST), for example. There are several reasons to like the stock as an investment over the next five years and beyond. But investors should pump the brakes and avoid buying the stock today. I'll walk you through why below.

I'm a fan of Upstart's long-term potential -- I own shares. The company uses AI to analyze credit risk, attempting to displace the traditional credit score as the tool that determines whether consumers are creditworthy for loans. The company makes money primarily from the fees it gets for referring successful loan applicants to its network of 100 partner banks and credit unions.

Continue reading

Source Fool.com