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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

The Darktrace share price just surged 20%. Time to buy?

| Alan Oscroft

The Darktrace share price is way down from its early soaring peaks, as the cybersecurity firm has faced plenty of…

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

The BAE share price is down 11% in 3 months. Time to buy?

| Alan Oscroft

I kicked myself when I saw the BAE share price soar in 2022, having watched the stock for years. Is…

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Investing Articles

Which is better value, the BT or Vodafone share price?

| Alan Oscroft

I've found the both the Vodafone and the BT share price to be frustrating over the years. Today, I put…

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Investing Articles

Are National Grid shares a no-brainer buy for dividend investors?

| Alan Oscroft

Investors often rate National Grid shares very highly for building up a long-term passive income portfolio. Are they right to…

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Investing Articles

A once-in-a-decade opportunity to buy dirt cheap LSE shares?

| Alan Oscroft

Since investors dumped LSE shares in the wake of the Covid crisis, the London stock market has looked very sick…

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Investing Articles

Are Oxford Nanopore shares set to soar?

| Alan Oscroft

Oxford Nanopore shares have fallen since IPO just a couple of years ago. But this medical tech pioneer might have…

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Investing Articles

5 reasons why dividend shares can be good for our wealth

| Alan Oscroft

Does it matter whether we invest in dividend shares or growth shares? I buy both, but I've come to like…

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

Are Tullow Oil shares a no-brainer buy at 30p?

| Alan Oscroft

Tullow Oil shares have crashed heavily since late 2019, but oil prices, profits and cash flow have been rising. Is…

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

Is Barratt Developments still my top UK stock for 2023?

| Alan Oscroft

How have the past six months affected the choice of my favourite UK stock in 2023? Halfway through the year,…

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Investing Articles

5 reasons why I think stocks and shares are best for passive income

| Alan Oscroft

More and more of us are realising that building up a bit of passive income for retirement is a very…

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A pastel colored growing graph with rising rocket.
Investing Articles

What might it take for the easyJet share price to fly again?

| Alan Oscroft

The easyJet share price has stalled since its big take-off in early 2023. But could it be preparing to climb…

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

I’d buy cheap dividend stocks now, for a lifetime of passive income

| Alan Oscroft

You can forget Cash ISAs as far as I'm concerned. My retirement cash is going into top UK dividend stocks…

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Investing Articles

Does the Aviva share price make it the FTSE 100’s best value buy?

| Alan Oscroft

The economy shrank in May, and the Aviva share price is down with the rest of the insurance sector. Time…

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Investing Articles

How quickly could I become a Stocks and Shares ISA millionaire?

| Alan Oscroft

Does anyone dream of joining the ranks of Britain's Stocks and Shares ISA millionaires? Here's how we might be able…

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Investing Articles

Will H1 results send Rolls-Royce shares flying higher?

| Alan Oscroft

Full-year results for 2022 gave Rolls-Royce shares a big boost. As we approach the end of the first half in…

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

3 reasons to buy cheap Lloyds shares today

| Alan Oscroft

Lloyds Banking Group shares look cheap to me right now. But I reckon it takes a lot more than that…

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Investing Articles

How to pocket a share of £120bn from FTSE 100 stocks

| Alan Oscroft

Think FTSE 100 stocks are set for a tough year with dividends under pressure in 2023? It might just be…

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

My top FTSE 100 stocks to buy in July

| Alan Oscroft

We're heading into first-half results season for top FTSE 100 stocks. Here's a couple of my top picks, plus a…

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Investing Articles

Why the Glencore share price could be set for a new bull run

| Alan Oscroft

Cyclical trends have helped push the Glencore share price down in 2023. Here's why I think that's a good thing…

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Investing Articles

Why the Taylor Wimpey share price could be set for a second-half surge

| Alan Oscroft

The Taylor Wimpey share price has headed down again as interest rates are soaring higher than we'd feared. I say…

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British bank notes and coins
Investing Articles

The Legal & General share price makes it one of my top buys for big dividends

| Alan Oscroft

How can the Legal & General share price possibly stay so low, when the FTSE 100 insurer offers a big…

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

Does the Ocado share price make it too cheap to ignore?

| Alan Oscroft

The Ocado share price is staying up, despite no further word on any possible buyout approach. Is there a big…

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2023 concept with upwards-facing arrows overlaid on a hand with one finger raised, pointing up
Investing Articles

3 reasons why the FTSE could be set for a second-half surge

| Alan Oscroft

Despite the global 2023 gloom, the FTSE is actually holding up pretty well. What might it take to turn back…

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

How to turn a £20k ISA into a £750 monthly second income

| Alan Oscroft

It can take a while to build a second income from shares in an ISA. But starting early and staying…

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Investing Articles

The best chance in a decade to buy UK shares for passive income!

| Alan Oscroft

Passive income investors might be wary of purchasing stocks and shares in today's gloom. But we could be heading for…

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Young Woman Drives Car With Dog in Back Seat
Investing Articles

Time to buy after the Aston Martin (AML) share price just jumped?

| Alan Oscroft

The Aston Martin (LON: AML) share price has been climbing in 2023, and just jumped again. Is the long-awaited growth…

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Stack of British pound coins falling on list of share prices
Investing Articles

End of the line for Cineworld shares: what we can learn

| Alan Oscroft

It seems the last few chapters in the Cineworld shares sage are about to be written. It's been painful, but…

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Young female couple boarding their plane at the airport to go on holiday.
Investing Articles

Two things that could soon give the Rolls-Royce share price a boost

| Alan Oscroft

After the aero engine firm delivered on its 2022 promises, the Rolls-Royce share price has been looking good. There could…

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

How many Lloyds shares would I need to stop work and live on dividends?

| Alan Oscroft

Would I ever put all my money in a single stock, especially if it's in Lloyds shares, which are among…

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

Here’s why the Hammerson share price could be set to climb

| Alan Oscroft

The Hammerson share price has collapsed since the start of the pandemic and soaring inflation is hurting. What's the bright…

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

How I’d invest £20k in this FTSE 100 stock, to build a £10k annual income

| Alan Oscroft

What's the best way to lock in a lifelong second income? For me, it's high-dividend FTSE 100 stocks, plus the…

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Investing Articles

Would I invest a £20k ISA allowance in this FTSE 250 stock today?

| Alan Oscroft

It's easy to get hung up on safer blue-chip shares at times like these. But we could be missing some…

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Stacks of coins
Investing Articles

How to make a fortune from penny shares… or how to lose one

| Alan Oscroft

Penny shares have a greater chance of making money than those priced much higher, don't they? Please don't fall for…

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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

3 reasons to buy National Grid shares right now?

| Alan Oscroft

National Grid shares might not be the cheapest on the UK stock market at the moment. But I think they…

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Arrow symbol glowing amid black arrow symbols on black background.
Investing Articles

UK investor sentiment is storming back. Time to buy shares?

| Alan Oscroft

Poor investor sentiment has kept shares down for years, hit by the pandemic, inflation, and interest rates. But Alan Oscroft…

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

Turning a £20k Stocks and Shares ISA into a £20k annual income

| Alan Oscroft

By investing regularly over the long term, it can be surprising just how much income we could generate from a…

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

Are Vodafone shares a no-brainer buy for their huge 10% dividend yield?

| Alan Oscroft

I love a juicy dividend yield, and Vodafone shares offer a fat one right now. But will it be paid,…

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Investing Articles

3 reasons to buy GSK shares right now?

| Alan Oscroft

GSK shares are on a fairly modest valuation at the moment, even though City forecasts for profits and dividends are…

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

3 of the best UK stocks to buy right now?

| Alan Oscroft

Whatever investing strategy we choose, be it growth, income, or value, I think there are some great FTSE stocks to…

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Fans of Warren Buffett taking his photo
Investing Articles

Some tips from Warren Buffett for investing when inflation is high

| Alan Oscroft

Should we do anything different when we invest in times of high inflation? Here are a few of the things…

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