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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

Forget a Cash ISA, here’s why I’d use a Stocks and shares ISA to aim for a million

| Alan Oscroft

A maxed-out Cash ISA could be worth a quarter of a million pounds now. Here's how a Stocks and Shares…

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Investing Articles

Learn the secrets of the UK’s SIPP millionaires

| Alan Oscroft

Don't think it's possible to accumulate a million pounds in a SIPP? Thousands of UK investors have already done exactly…

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Investing Articles

Here’s how £10k a year in high-yield financial stocks could get me a £2,800 a month income

| Alan Oscroft

Investing in high-yield stocks has always been a popular strategy for securing long-term income. Is this the perfect time for…

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Investing Articles

As the easyJet share price falls, is it a no-brainer buy?

| Alan Oscroft

The easyJet share price has been volatile, affected by so many things. Even a good trading update has just sent…

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Investing Articles

The Darktrace share price falls 5%! Is it time to buy the dip?

| Alan Oscroft

The Darktrace share price is recovering well from its big crash, as annual revenues are growing nicely. But the rise…

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Investing Articles

Should I buy Rolls-Royce shares at £2 today?

| Alan Oscroft

Rolls-Royce shares have stormed ahead in 2023, and there are profit rises on the cards for the next few years.…

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Investing Articles

Here’s why I’d buy FTSE 100 financial stocks right now, to target long-term income

| Alan Oscroft

Among FTSE 100 financial stocks, banks and insurers have taken a hammering. But that can often be the best time…

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Investing Articles

I’d buy 9,300 shares of this FTSE 100 financial stock to aim for £1,000 a month second income

| Alan Oscroft

With stocks down, some Footsie dividend yields look unmissable right now. Sounds like a perfect time to invest for a…

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Smart young brown businesswoman working from home on a laptop
Investing Articles

Should I buy more Lloyds shares to target an 8% dividend yield?

| Alan Oscroft

The dividend yield from Lloyds shares could reach as high as 8% in the next few years. That sounds great,…

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Young Black man sat in front of laptop while wearing headphones
Investing Articles

A FTSE 100 dividend stock I’d steer clear of right now

| Alan Oscroft

I like a good high-yield dividend stock. But not all high yields are equal, and some long-term outlooks are riskier…

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Mature couple at the beach
Investing Articles

3 top investment trusts to consider for a SIPP right now

| Alan Oscroft

Looking for SIPP investments to buy now and then sit back and forget for decades? These three could be worth…

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Investing Articles

Here’s why I rate National Grid shares as a top buy for my SIPP

| Alan Oscroft

National Grid shares just keep on delivering cash to shareholders year after year. And the forecast dividend yields are growing.

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Investing Articles

As the Metro Bank share price crashes, is it a penny stock to buy?

| Alan Oscroft

The Metro Bank share price has dropped 70% so far this year. Eek! Now the headlines say there's a financial…

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Girl buying groceries in the supermarket with her father.
Investing Articles

Will it soon be too late to buy Tesco shares cheaply?

| Alan Oscroft

Tesco shares have had a good year so far in 2023, and they got an extra boost from rising first-half…

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Businesswoman calculating finances in an office
Investing Articles

Here’s how I’d get my Stocks and Shares ISA ready for a stock market crash

| Alan Oscroft

Stocks and Shares ISA took a pounding in 2020? I'm thinking about how to prepare in case UK share prices…

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Investing Articles

I rate the Persimmon share price as dirt cheap, but for how long?

| Alan Oscroft

The Persimmon share price has fallen by more than half over five years now. But forecasts show earnings and dividends…

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Investing Articles

I’d buy 17,000 shares of this FTSE 100 dividend stock to aim for £602 a month passive income

| Alan Oscroft

Share prices are low, and forecasts say dividends could hit a new record high in 2024. I'd invest for passive…

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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

Here’s how I’d invest for the great 2024 stock market rally

| Alan Oscroft

Is a stock market rally coming, or a new crash? Some top investors are betting on share prices falling. But…

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

Here’s how I’d use the Warren Buffett method to target lifetime passive income

| Alan Oscroft

Warren Buffett follows the age-old value investing approach. And I say it's still the best way for long-term investors to…

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Young female business analyst looking at a graph chart while working from home
Investing Articles

5 dirt cheap shares to buy before the stock market recovers?

| Alan Oscroft

2023 has been tough in many ways. But this might be one of the best times for buying cheap shares…

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Investing Articles

If I’d put £10k in Rolls-Royce shares 10 years ago, I’d have this much now

| Alan Oscroft

Long-term investing is all about probabilities, not certainties. Let's see what it would have done for Rolls-Royce shares.

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Young Caucasian woman with pink her studying from her laptop screen
Investing Articles

£20k in a Stocks and Shares ISA? Here’s how I’d aim to turn it into £200k

| Alan Oscroft

There's no better way I know to try to get rich than to put as much as I can in…

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Investing Articles

Should I rush to buy this high-yield FTSE 100 giant for its huge 10% dividend?

| Alan Oscroft

We don't see high yields quite as high as this very often. But should I invest in this one, or…

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Affectionate Asian senior mother and daughter using smartphone together at home, smiling joyfully
Investing Articles

8% dividend yield! Is the Aviva share price the FTSE 100’s best bargain?

| Alan Oscroft

The Aviva share price remains low, and the latest acquisition news hasn't moved it. But just look at the size…

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Group of young friends toasting each other with beers in a pub
Investing Articles

If I’d put £10k into Tesla stock 5 years ago, I’d have this much now

| Alan Oscroft

Tesla stock is on the way back up after falling in 2022. Could we be in for another great five-year…

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Investing Articles

3 cheap LSE dividend shares to consider buying in October

| Alan Oscroft

Income investors will be eagerly awaiting news from a number of top dividend shares in October. I think these could…

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

3 cheap FTSE 100 stocks to consider buying in October

| Alan Oscroft

I'm looking forward to October, and updates from some of the FTSE 100 stocks that I think could prove to…

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Investing Articles

Buying 8,770 shares of this FTSE 100 dividend stock could get me a second income of £3,844 a year

| Alan Oscroft

Will 2023 turn out to be the best year ever for investing in stocks to bag a second income? I…

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Investing Articles

Should I rush to buy these penny stocks with big dividend yields today?

| Alan Oscroft

Investors typically look for FTSE 100 shares when they want dividend income. But overlooking these penny stocks could be a…

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Happy young plus size woman sitting at kitchen table and watching tv series on tablet computer
Investing Articles

I’d buy 10,000 shares of this FTSE 100 financial stock to aim for £1,000 a month passive income

| Alan Oscroft

UK share prices are still low and dividend yields are high. That sounds like paradise for passive income investors.

Read more »

Three signposts pointing in different directions, with 'Buy' 'Sell' and 'Hold' on
Investing Articles

Lloyds shares continue to fall. Are they a no-brainer buy now?

| Alan Oscroft

At 45p, Lloyds shares look like they could be the buy of the year right now. But can one Fool…

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Three signposts pointing in different directions, with 'Buy' 'Sell' and 'Hold' on
Investing Articles

Should I rush to buy more of these FTSE 100 shares near 52-week lows?

| Alan Oscroft

What should we do when we buy FTSE 100 shares and they turn into lemons? It's a problem I'm sadly…

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Investing Articles

Does the 9.7% dividend yield make Vodafone shares a no-brainer buy?

| Alan Oscroft

The Vodafone dividend yield is one of the biggest in the FTSE 100. So shouldn't the shares be a great…

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Investing Articles

With a 9.6% yield, are M&G shares the FTSE 100’s best income buy?

| Alan Oscroft

M&G shares gain a little after H1 figures beat expectations, and the interim dividend rises by 5%. Forecasts say there's…

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Investing Articles

9% yields! 3 FTSE 100 dividend stocks to buy while they’re cheap?

| Alan Oscroft

These dividend stocks offer the biggest cash payments in the whole of the FTSE 100. But their share prices are…

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Young Black man sat in front of laptop while wearing headphones
Investing Articles

Are Rolls-Royce shares the FTSE 100’s best buy?

| Alan Oscroft

Even after their surge, Rolls-Royce shares still look cheap by growth stock standards. Should I buy some before they climb…

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A pastel colored growing graph with rising rocket.
Investing Articles

Why I’d buy dirt cheap income shares for a 2024 stock market recovery

| Alan Oscroft

I'm on the lookout for cheap long-term income shares. And never mind what the bears say, I don't want to…

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Three signposts pointing in different directions, with 'Buy' 'Sell' and 'Hold' on
Investing Articles

I’d buy these cheap FTSE 100 shares in any new stock market crash

| Alan Oscroft

The secret to long-term investing success is surely to buy our favourite shares when they're cheap. Will my top FTSE…

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Young mixed-race woman jumping for joy in a park with confetti falling around her
Investing Articles

Should I buy Phoenix Group shares for the massive 9.7% dividend?

| Alan Oscroft

Phoenix Group shares have had a poor few years. But after H1 results, are shareholders now in line for years…

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Long-term vs short-term investing concept on a staircase
Investing Articles

3 things every Stocks and Shares ISA investor needs to know

| Alan Oscroft

Want to get the best out of a Stocks and Shares ISA? Here are three of the most important things…

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