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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

Jumbo jet preparing to take off on a runway at sunset
Investing Articles

After climbing 20% in March, what next for the IAG share price?

| Alan Oscroft

Warren Buffett has bought airline stocks and sold them too. Looking at the IAG share price, should investors consider buying…

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Aviva logo on glass meeting room door
Investing Articles

Here’s why the Aviva share price climbed 10% in March

| Alan Oscroft

The Aviva share price is off to a good 2024 so far, after posting some upbeat 2023 results. I think…

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Workers at Whiting refinery, US
Investing Articles

ISA millionaires think the share price makes BP a buy. Are they right?

| Alan Oscroft

A few years ago, most investors seemed to think the BP share price was heading for the floor. And they've…

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

Which is better for our wealth, the BT or Vodafone share price?

| Alan Oscroft

The BT Group share price has moved neck-and-neck with Vodafone in the past five years. But which might make more…

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Nottingham Giltbrook Exterior
Investing Articles

If I’d put £10k into Marks & Spencer shares in October 2022, here’s what I’d have now

| Alan Oscroft

It took a long time for the Marks & Spencer recovery to happen, but the shares have soared in the…

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

I think these 3 cheap FTSE 250 stocks could start climbing in April

| Alan Oscroft

If 2024 is the year the FTSE 250 storms ahead, can these three stocks lead the way? There's news from…

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

Don’t make these last-minute Stocks and Shares ISA mistakes!

| Alan Oscroft

The Stocks and Shares ISA deadline is almost upon us again. Hands up all those who haven't got round to…

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

Here’s why I think the Vodafone share price could double in five years

| Alan Oscroft

The Vodafone share price has lost half its value in the past five years. I think it might be on…

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Person holding magnifying glass over important document, reading the small print
Investing Articles

3 cheap FTSE 100 dividend stocks to consider buying in April

| Alan Oscroft

I'm after dividend stocks for my Stocks and Shares ISA. These three are on my radar, and there's a fourth…

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Diverse group of friends cheering sport at bar together
Investing Articles

No savings in the bank? Here’s how I’d aim for £10k annual passive income as quick as I can

| Alan Oscroft

The sooner we start investing for passive income the better, but what if we've already left it a bit late?…

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

How I’d invest my first £20k ISA to target £4,900 a year from dividend shares

| Alan Oscroft

Looking for dividend shares in a new Stocks and Shares ISA, and want diversification too? Here's how I'd go about…

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

3 things that could push the Lloyds share price to 60p and beyond

| Alan Oscroft

The Lloyds share price has broken through 50p. Next step 60p? And then what? Here are some thoughts on what…

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

£1,000 in Rolls-Royce shares a year ago would be worth this much now

| Alan Oscroft

Rolls-Royce shares have posted one of the best stock market gains of the past 12 months. But what might the…

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

Just how high can the Phoenix Group share price go now?

| Alan Oscroft

After a big confidence boost for the dividend, can the Phoenix Group Holdings share price get started on the recovery…

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

3 things that could send the Rolls-Royce share price higher in 2024, and why I worry about them

| Alan Oscroft

Who'd have thought, a year ago, that the Rolls-Royce share price would turn into a quick six-bagger? What might another…

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Percy Pig Ocado van outside distribution centre
Investing Articles

As strong trading pushes the Ocado share price up, is it now time to buy?

| Alan Oscroft

An early 8% rise in the Ocado share price after the latest news? Could forward-looking shareholders finally be set to…

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

Here’s why strong investor sentiment could send the FTSE 100 soaring past 8,000 points

| Alan Oscroft

Upbeat FTSE 100 results have been coming in, and interest rates must surely fall this year. Investors could be smiling…

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

After FY results, the Kingfisher share price might mean a cheap passive income buy

| Alan Oscroft

We have a good dividend yield, and a new share buyback, even in a down year. It make me think…

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Shot of a young Black woman doing some paperwork in a modern office
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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Close-up of a woman holding modern polymer ten, twenty and fifty pound notes.
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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Electric cars charging in station
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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