Motley Fool Premium
  1. Authors
    2. /
  2. Cliff D'Arcy
    3. /

Cliff D'Arcy

My first loves were Maths and Physics. After studying Maths, Stats and Computer Science in the late 80s, I worked in the financial sector from 1987 to 2002. I then joined The Motley Fool's writing team in January 2003 and left in November 2005. Since then, I have been a freelance financial writer. My primary goal is to help people manage their money better by making sensible financial decisions!

Recent Articles

BUY AND HOLD spelled in letters on top of a pile of books. Alongside is a piggy bank in glasses. Buy and hold is a popular long term stock and shares strategy.
Investing Articles

I see Barclays shares as buying £1 coins for 49p!

| Cliff D'Arcy

Barclays shares have gone nowhere over the past five years and are down 5% over 12 months. But I'm hoping…

Read more »

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

What next for the Vodafone share price in 2024?

| Cliff D'Arcy

The Vodafone share price has dived by 19% over one year. And it's been rubbish over five and 10 years.…

Read more »

2024 year number handwritten on a sandy beach at sunrise
Investing Articles

My plan for powerful passive income in 2024

| Cliff D'Arcy

I'm very keen to boost my passive income for 2024 above last year's total. Hence, here are two ways I'm…

Read more »

Asian man looking concerned while studying paperwork at his desk in an office
Investing Articles

Here’s why I see stock markets struggling in 2024, but would still buy

| Cliff D'Arcy

The UK stock market had a weak 2023, with the FTSE 100 only 3% higher. Meanwhile, the US S&P 500…

Read more »

Photo of a man going through financial problems
Investing Articles

These were the FTSE 100’s biggest fallers in 2023

| Cliff D'Arcy

With the final trading session over, the FTSE 100 is up by under 3% in 2023. However, these Footsie stocks…

Read more »

Businesswoman analyses profitability of working company with digital virtual screen
Investing Articles

Could the Barclays share price hit £2 in 2024?

| Cliff D'Arcy

The Barclays share price has leapt by 20% since slumping to its 2023 low in October. I'm optimistic that shareholders…

Read more »

Playful senior couple in aprons dancing and smiling while preparing healthy dinner at home
Investing Articles

Here’s why I see the FTSE 100 as a screaming buy today

| Cliff D'Arcy

The FTSE 100 has been a poor performer over the past five years, gaining just 3% annually. But I have…

Read more »

Group of friends celebrating together the end of 2022 and the new beginning in 2023.
Investing Articles

These are the FTSE 100’s best-performing shares in 2023

| Cliff D'Arcy

The FTSE 100 index is up less than 3% in the last 12 months. Meanwhile, these star stocks have thrashed…

Read more »

2024 year number handwritten on a sandy beach at sunrise
Investing Articles

Is the Lloyds share price a big recovery play for 2024?

| Cliff D'Arcy

The Lloyds share price price has gone nowhere since the end of 2018, losing 6% in five years. But I…

Read more »

Businesswoman analyses profitability of working company with digital virtual screen
Investing Articles

1 FTSE 100 share to help ride out the next recession!

| Cliff D'Arcy

The price of this FTSE 100 share has gone nowhere over the past 12 months. But its near-8% cash yield…

Read more »

Asian man looking concerned while studying paperwork at his desk in an office
Investing Articles

This FTSE 250 stock looks wildly mispriced to me

| Cliff D'Arcy

Her's a FTSE 250 share that has almost halved over five years. However, with a cash yield of nearly 8%…

Read more »

British Airways cabin crew with mobile device
Investing Articles

Could I get £50k a year from a second income?

| Cliff D'Arcy

With many households hit by the rising cost of living, lots of us are looking for a second income. Here's…

Read more »

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

I’ve grabbed my share of this £83.7bn of passive income!

| Cliff D'Arcy

I love passive income -- the 'free' earnings I get outside of work. That's why I'm keen to grab an…

Read more »

Man writing 'now' having crossed out 'later', 'tomorrow' and 'next week'
Investing Articles

This share could crush the FTSE 100 in 2024

| Cliff D'Arcy

At the very end of 2021, this FTSE 100 share was hitting record highs. But after a tough 2023, this…

Read more »

Portrait of elderly man wearing white denim shirt and glasses looking up with hand on chin. Thoughtful senior entrepreneur, studio shot against grey background.
Investing Articles

Do I sell if the Lloyds share price hits £1 in 2024?

| Cliff D'Arcy

After peaking in February, the Lloyds share price has had a weak 10 months. But what if it surged to…

Read more »

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

These are the FTSE 100’s 5 biggest stars in a month

| Cliff D'Arcy

The FTSE 100 is up 2.2% in the last 30 days. Meanwhile, the share prices of these five Footsie stars…

Read more »

Investing Articles

How I’m building passive income of £100k a year

| Cliff D'Arcy

By creating two powerful, self-sustaining money machines, I'm closing in on a passive income of £2,000 a week. Here's how…

Read more »

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

2 growth stocks that are booming right now

| Cliff D'Arcy

These two star growth stocks have both soared since I bought them in November 2022. But after such steep gains,…

Read more »

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

2 FTSE dividend shares paying cash of up to 11.6% a year

| Cliff D'Arcy

While the FTSE 100 offers a cash yield of 4% a year, these two dividend shares both offer double-digit yields.…

Read more »

Middle-aged white man pulling an aggrieved face while looking at a screen
Investing Articles

These are the FTSE 100’s 5 biggest flops in a month

| Cliff D'Arcy

The FTSE 100 is up 1.6% over the past month. Meanwhile, the share prices of these five Footsie flops have…

Read more »

Emma Raducanu for Vodafone billboard animation at Piccadilly Circus, London
Investing Articles

After hitting a record low, is the Vodafone share price a binary bet?

| Cliff D'Arcy

After falling more than a fifth in the past year, the Vodafone share price is hitting new lows. So do…

Read more »

Smiling young man sitting in cafe and checking messages, with his laptop in front of him.
Investing Articles

Could the Lloyds share price double in 2024?

| Cliff D'Arcy

The Lloyds share price has had a weak 2023, rising by just 2% as we almost reach year end. What…

Read more »

Young black colleagues high-fiving each other at work
Investing Articles

My five favourite forms of passive income

| Cliff D'Arcy

I've been looking for ways to pump up my passive income, so I can retire richer. But which of these…

Read more »

Mindful young woman breathing out with closed eyes, calming down in stressful situation, working on computer in modern kitchen.
Investing Articles

My 12 fears for the stock market in 2024

| Cliff D'Arcy

After a terrific year for global stock markets in 2023, what can I look forward to in 2024? As a…

Read more »

Young woman working at modern office. Technical price graph and indicator, red and green candlestick chart and stock trading computer screen background.
Investing Articles

2 income shares for bumper dividends in 2024

| Cliff D'Arcy

I own these two income shares for their outstanding ability to deliver billions of pounds of cash dividends each year…

Read more »

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

Why the FTSE 250 looks an incredible bargain

| Cliff D'Arcy

While all the attention is on the elite FTSE 100, the mid-cap FTSE 250 index looks unbelievably cheap. I don't…

Read more »

Playful senior couple in aprons dancing and smiling while preparing healthy dinner at home
Investing Articles

Up 27% in 2023, what next for the Tesco share price in 2024?

| Cliff D'Arcy

The Tesco share price has had a great 2023, rising 27% while the FTSE 100 was flat. But what might…

Read more »

Mindful young woman breathing out with closed eyes, calming down in stressful situation, working on computer in modern kitchen.
Investing Articles

While the US stock market booms, the FTSE 100 lags behind. Or does it?

| Cliff D'Arcy

In November, global stock markets had their best month in over three years. Meanwhile, the UK's Footsie keeps falling further…

Read more »

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

What should I buy for my Stocks and Shares ISA in 2024?

| Cliff D'Arcy

From 6 April 2024, UK adults qualify for a new Stocks and Shares ISA allowance of £20,000. But what assets…

Read more »

Young woman working at modern office. Technical price graph and indicator, red and green candlestick chart and stock trading computer screen background.
Investing Articles

Where will the FTSE 100 finish 2023?

| Cliff D'Arcy

After hitting record highs in February, the FTSE 100 is down around 1% over six months and one year. But…

Read more »

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

Up 10%, the Barclays share price has a long way to go

| Cliff D'Arcy

The Barclays share price has rebounded by a tenth from its 30 October low. Despite this, it's nowhere near the…

Read more »

Lady taking a bottle of Hellmann's Real Mayonnaise from a supermarket shelf
Investing Articles

Bargain buy? The Unilever share price just hit a 52-week low!

| Cliff D'Arcy

Earlier today, the Unilever share price dropped to a one-year low. The shares are now bouncing back but nowhere near…

Read more »

Exterior of BT Group head office - One Braham, London
Investing Articles

Down 27%, the BT share price looks a bargain to me

| Cliff D'Arcy

The BT share price has plunged by more than a quarter after peaking earlier in 2023. Is BT a classic…

Read more »

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

2 FTSE 100 shares I’d love to buy in December

| Cliff D'Arcy

Though the FTSE 100 is up 1.4% in a month, these two Footsie heavyweights have lost ground lately. I'm very…

Read more »

Ice cube tray filled with ice cubes and three loose ice cubes against dark wood.
Investing Articles

One struggling FTSE 100 stock I’d love to buy

| Cliff D'Arcy

While the FTSE 100 is down 0.3% in 12 months, this heavyweight stock has crashed by more than a quarter.…

Read more »

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

Which is the better buy, the S&P 500 or FTSE 100?

| Cliff D'Arcy

The US S&P 500 index has absolutely thrashed the UK's Footsie over one, five, 10 and 15 years. So should…

Read more »

Photo of a man going through financial problems
Investing Articles

I can’t believe how far these FTSE 100 shares have fallen!

| Cliff D'Arcy

While the FTSE 100 is up 0.7% over six months, these five Footsie flops have collapsed 26% to 40%. But…

Read more »

Fans of Warren Buffett taking his photo
Investing Articles

4 ways Warren Buffett has made me a better investor

| Cliff D'Arcy

After 80 years of investing, 93-year-old legend Warren Buffett has a $121bn fortune. Here are four of his lessons that…

Read more »

Young black colleagues high-fiving each other at work
Investing Articles

These are the stars of the FTSE over 12 months

| Cliff D'Arcy

The FTSE 100 is up just 0.2% over the past 12 months. Meanwhile, these five super-shares have soared by between…

Read more »

Entrepreneur on the phone.
Investing Articles

Down 15%, the BP share price looks crazy to me!

| Cliff D'Arcy

The BP share price has crashed by 15% since hitting an eight-month high five weeks ago. What's gone wrong for…

Read more »