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Alan Oscroft

Alan is a freelance writer who began writing for The Motley Fool in the late 1990s. He has been a private investor for more 30 years, and has explored a number of strategies, settling on high-yielding blue-chip shares.

Recent Articles

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Investing Articles

With 7%+ yields, which of these FTSE 100 dividend stocks should I buy?

| Alan Oscroft

When the Footsie's packed with high-yield dividend stocks, how can we decide which ones to buy next? I'd like to…

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Warren Buffett at a Berkshire Hathaway AGM
Investing Articles

Here’s why I use the Warren Buffett approach to try to beat the stock market

| Alan Oscroft

I reckon the Warren Buffett approach to stock market investing might be more important than ever, in these times of…

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Finger clicking a button marked 'Buy' on a keyboard
Investing Articles

New dividend policy sends the Phoenix Group share price up 10%. Time to buy?

| Alan Oscroft

A progressive and sustainable dividend policy, with a 10%+ yield? No wonder the Phoenix Group Holdings share price climbed on…

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Investing Articles

The FTSE stocks with free-cash-flow magic

| Alan Oscroft

It can often be hard to value FTSE shares, with all those figures. But in the end, it's all down…

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Businessman use electronic pen writing rising colorful graph from 2023 to 2024 year of business planning and stock investment growth concept.
Investing Articles

Prudential share price falls on FY results. Time to buy for growth?

| Alan Oscroft

Prudential returns to profit, as new business in Hong Kong booms. But the share price has responded weakly as new…

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Business man pointing at 'Sell' sign
Investing Articles

If the Lloyds share price doesn’t pick up soon, will I sell? No!

| Alan Oscroft

I've been losing money on the Lloyds share price for years. So is it time to sell and run now?…

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Finger clicking a button marked 'Buy' on a keyboard
Investing Articles

Is this the best chance to buy cheap FTSE 250 shares in a decade?

| Alan Oscroft

Could we be in for a new golden age for smaller-cap FTSE 250 stocks? I think I see some great…

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Finger clicking a button marked 'Buy' on a keyboard
Investing Articles

Is this the best chance to buy cheap FTSE 100 shares in a generation?

| Alan Oscroft

I want to buy shares when they're cheap, and sell... never, just keep taking the dividends. And the FTSE 100…

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Man putting his card into an ATM machine while his son sits in a stroller beside him.
Investing Articles

Could NatWest shares be 2024’s number one buy for passive income?

| Alan Oscroft

For those of us looking to earn some long-term passive income, how does NatWest's 7% dividend yield sound? It sounds…

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Close-up of a woman holding modern polymer ten, twenty and fifty pound notes.
Investing Articles

Vodafone was the FTSE 100’s top dividend stock. Should we buy after the cut?

| Alan Oscroft

There's always a risk when buying a dividend stock that the cash payout could be cut. That's what just happened…

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Bearded man writing on notepad in front of computer
Investing Articles

Why dividend yields are more important than ever

| Alan Oscroft

What's the best way to deal with a rocky stock market? For me, I watch dividend yields and cash flow,…

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Modern suburban family houses with car on driveway
Investing Articles

The Berkeley Group share price is steady after a trading update. Time to buy?

| Alan Oscroft

In what looks like another tough year for the housing market, the Berkeley Group Holdings share price is holding up.…

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Market Movers

Can this new £1bn buyback send the Scottish Mortgage share price climbing?

| Alan Oscroft

The Scottish Mortgage share price fell when the Nasdaq slumped. Yet now that the tech index is up again, the…

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Close-up of a woman holding modern polymer ten, twenty and fifty pound notes.
Investing Articles

The Rolls-Royce share price rise could have made me this much in just a year

| Alan Oscroft

The Rolls-Royce share price gain of the past year made some nice cash for smart investors. But the big question…

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Businessman use electronic pen writing rising colorful graph from 2023 to 2024 year of business planning and stock investment growth concept.
Investing Articles

This trading update makes me think the Halma share price could be set to climb

| Alan Oscroft

Halma has been on a strong earnings growth spell for the past few years. The share price has lagged a…

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Finger clicking a button marked 'Buy' on a keyboard
Investing Articles

The low Vodafone share price and 10% dividend mean I just might buy

| Alan Oscroft

The Vodafone share price has been on a long, slow and painful slide. But it must surely come to a…

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A couple celebrating moving in to a new home
Investing Articles

Persimmon share price falls on FY results. A new chance to buy cheaply?

| Alan Oscroft

The Persimmon share price fell, as the firm warned of another year just like the last one. So we can…

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Investor looking at stock graph on a tablet with their finger hovering over the Buy button
Investing Articles

I just can’t believe how cheap Lloyds shares are!

| Alan Oscroft

If we think Lloyds Banking Group shares look cheap now, why isn't everyone rushing for the buy button and pushing…

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Young brown woman delighted with what she sees on her screen
Investing Articles

5 secrets of Stocks and Shares ISA millionaires

| Alan Oscroft

How do we learn the investing secrets that have helped create more than 4,000 Stocks and Shares ISA millionaires in…

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A senior group of friends enjoying rowing on the River Derwent
Investing Articles

£10k savings? I’d buy these FTSE 100 shares today to help fund my retirement

| Alan Oscroft

Do we see FTSE 100 stocks as perpetual underperformers, or are they long-term bargain buys? The glass looks more than…

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Concept of two young professional men looking at a screen in a technological data centre
Investing Articles

This FTSE 250 firm could double its revenue

| Alan Oscroft

There's a FTSE 250 company I really think could double its revenue in the next few years. It's Darktrace, so…

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One English pound placed on a graph to represent an economic down turn
Investing Articles

How many dirt cheap Barclays shares must I buy for a £100 monthly passive income?

| Alan Oscroft

Can I set up a nice monthly passive income from a few well-chosen dividends stocks like Barclays? With a long-term…

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A couple celebrating moving in to a new home
Investing Articles

A housing recovery will likely drive long-term growth for Lloyds shares

| Alan Oscroft

Lloyds is the biggest UK mortgage lender, so its shares must surely benefit from any upturn in the housebuilding business,…

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Hydrogen testing at DLR Cologne
Investing Articles

Rolls-Royce shares? I’d buy this overlooked FTSE 250 stock instead

| Alan Oscroft

Are too many eyes focused too closely on Rolls-Royce shares since their dramatic rise? Here's a stock I think is…

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Aviva logo on glass meeting room door
Investing Articles

As the Aviva share price rises on strong results, should I buy more?

| Alan Oscroft

With FY 2023 coming in better than most of us expected, is the Aviva share price set for further gains?…

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Investor looking at stock graph on a tablet with their finger hovering over the Buy button
Investing Articles

I think they can: 3 FTSE 100 stocks that can keep chugging higher

| Alan Oscroft

These three FTSE 100 stocks have been gaining of late. But I reckon 2024 could mark just the beginning of…

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Businesswoman calculating finances in an office
Investing Articles

3 cheap FTSE 100 stocks to consider buying before the ISA deadline

| Alan Oscroft

With so many FTSE 100 share prices so low, I think we could be seeing the best Stocks and Shares…

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Calendar showing the date of 5th April on desk in a house
Investing Articles

3 FTSE 250 stocks to consider buying before the ISA deadline

| Alan Oscroft

I think FTSE 250 stocks could come to the fore in 2024 and beat the FTSE 100. These three are…

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Close-up of British bank notes
Investing Articles

Here’s how many Lloyds shares I’d need for £100 a month passive income

| Alan Oscroft

I reckon FTSE 100 dividend shares are the best way to invest for long-term passive income. Here's how I'd use…

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happy senior couple using a laptop in their living room to look at their financial budgets
Investing Articles

Could the Lloyds share price double in the next 12 months?

| Alan Oscroft

I don't want the Lloyds share price to double in a year, because I want the chance to keep buying…

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Young happy white woman loading groceries into the back of her car
Investing Articles

Should I buy, as the Ocado share price perks up on FY results?

| Alan Oscroft

The Ocado share price is steady, as the online retail giant reports a big fall in 2023 losses. Is it…

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Young Asian woman with head in hands at her desk
Investing Articles

Why has the St. James’s Place share price crashed 30%, after FY results?

| Alan Oscroft

The St. James's Place share price has just fallen off a cliff. What could have gone wrong in 2023 that's…

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A couple celebrating moving in to a new home
Investing Articles

Taylor Wimpey share price dips on FY results. Time to buy?

| Alan Oscroft

Despite a strong cash position and a 6.8% dividend yield, the Taylor Wimpey share price fell a few percent after…

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Shot of a young Black woman doing some paperwork in a modern office
Investing Articles

Smith & Nephew share price: an overlooked buy on 2023 results?

| Alan Oscroft

Smith & Nephew's share price has been falling, on weaker global demand. But 2023 saw a rise in earnings and…

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Passive income text with pin graph chart on business table
Investing Articles

With a 9% dividend yield, will the abrdn share price turn around after FY results?

| Alan Oscroft

The abrdn share price has slumped, but does its 9% dividend yield make it one of the FTSE's best passive…

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Investor looking at stock graph on a tablet with their finger hovering over the Buy button
Investing Articles

Does the Barclays share price make it a no-brainer buy for 2024?

| Alan Oscroft

The Barclays share price gained a little ground on February's FY2023 results. Here's why I think there could be a…

Read more »

Mature Caucasian woman sat at a table with coffee and laptop while making notes on paper
Investing Articles

As the Bunzl share price wobbles on FY results, do I see a top passive income buy?

| Alan Oscroft

The Bunzl share price fell 5% on FY2023 results, but margins are up and the dividend's now been lifted for…

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Business man pointing at 'Sell' sign
Investing Articles

Here’s why the Rolls-Royce share price scares me

| Alan Oscroft

The Rolls-Royce share price has been one of the big FTSE 100 success stories of the past year. But here's…

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'2024' art concept overlaid on a stock screener
Investing Articles

3 reasons to buy cheap FTSE 100 shares in 2024

| Alan Oscroft

When it comes to FTSE 100 shares, I'm an eternal optimist and always see bargain buys. But in 2024, I'm…

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Aviva logo on glass meeting room door
Investing Articles

Aviva share price: 3 reasons to consider buying for 2024

| Alan Oscroft

The Aviva share price is still lower then when I bought some nearly a decade ago. Here's why I'm thinking…

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