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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

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Dividend Shares

Can Unilever shares break their 5-year curse?

| Cliff D'Arcy

Bad news for British investors: Unilever shares have gone nowhere for the past five years. However, their dividend yield looks…

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Investing Articles

How Diageo shares became the laughing stock of the FTSE 100

| Cliff D'Arcy

Diageo shares have lost 26% of their value in just 12 months. With sales slipping and no permanent CEO, this…

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Investing Articles

7.5% dividend yield! But is this FTSE 250 share a value trap?

| Cliff D'Arcy

This well-known FTSE 250 share offers a juicy dividend yield of nearly 7.5% a year. But is this stock a…

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Dividend Shares

I gobbled up Greggs shares. Was I a silly sausage?

| Cliff D'Arcy

Due to slower sales growth and higher costs, Greggs shares have almost halved in 2025. So far, buying this FTSE…

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Investing Articles

Up 50% in 2025, this ‘dull’ FTSE 100 share is beating Tesla stock!

| Cliff D'Arcy

While Tesla is the #1 meme stock among many global investors, returns have cooled over the last five years. Even…

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Investing Articles

Will Rachel Reeves crash the Lloyds share price on 26 November?

| Cliff D'Arcy

The Lloyds share price has had a fantastic run since 2020, soaring by 213% over five years. However, there may…

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Dividend Shares

These 3 FTSE 100 super-shares pay £18.6bn a year in passive income!

| Cliff D'Arcy

These three mega-cap stocks are set to pay £18.6bn in share dividends for 2025. The only way to collect some…

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Investing Articles

US stocks look bubbly. Will the stock market crash in 2025?

| Cliff D'Arcy

After hitting 30+ new record highs in 2025, the US stock market looks pretty pricey. The risk of a crash…

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Investing Articles

Up to £1,711 a year in passive income from £20k and just 3 FTSE 100 shares? It’s possible

| Cliff D'Arcy

These three FTSE 100 shares offer some of the highest dividend yields around. Investing £20k in them produces a passive…

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Investing Articles

Here’s why the FTSE 100 is my #1 pick in global markets

| Cliff D'Arcy

Since the financial crisis of 2007/09, US stocks have thrashed UK shares. Though this trend has recently reversed, the FTSE…

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Investing Articles

Over 5 years, this ‘boring’ FTSE 100 share has thrashed Tesla stock!

| Cliff D'Arcy

In recent years, Tesla stock has been one of the wonders of the US stock market. However, this dull FTSE…

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Dividend Shares

When will the Diageo share price stop diving?

| Cliff D'Arcy

The Diageo share price has been a disaster for shareholders, plunging by 29% over one year and 30% over five…

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Investing Articles

Are the fears about Alphabet stock finally over?

| Cliff D'Arcy

As the US stock market hits fresh all-time highs, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite look pretty pricey. Meanwhile, Alphabet…

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Man thinking about artificial intelligence investing algorithms
Dividend Shares

Is this S&P 500 stock far too cheap to ignore?

| Cliff D'Arcy

After hitting record high after record high in 2025, the S&P 500 looks very pricey indeed. However, there are still…

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Investing Articles

The FTSE 100 is paying out £130bn this year. Where’s your share?

| Cliff D'Arcy

Analysts predict that FTSE 100 shareholders will collect £130.4bn in cash dividends and share buybacks in 2025. Here's how we…

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Investing Articles

Legal & General wasted £500m on its own shares. Or did it?

| Cliff D'Arcy

Legal & General spent £500m of shareholders' money to buy shares now worth just £488m. Was this a big mistake,…

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Google office headquarters
Investing Articles

Is Alphabet stock worth buying at its all-time high?

| Cliff D'Arcy

Alphabet stock has skyrocketed since the lows of November 2022, when I bought the shares. But after rebounding from April's…

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Investing Articles

How to claim your share of £80bn in passive income from FTSE 100 shares

| Cliff D'Arcy

Analysts expect FTSE 100 shares to pay out £80.4bn in dividends this year. Here's how my family grabs our share…

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Investing Articles

Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway are selling more Apple stock

| Cliff D'Arcy

After building a massive stake in Apple stock, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway has been selling down its holding. What's the…

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Investing Articles

The world’s largest investor loves this FTSE 250 share!

| Cliff D'Arcy

The world's largest investor controls a vast fund worth £1.42trn ($1.92trn). This fund invests heavily in UK shares, especially this…

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Investing Articles

This is nuts. When’s the stock-market crash?

| Cliff D'Arcy

Share prices keep hitting record highs in 2025. The bad news for investors is that asset prices look inflated, which…

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Investing Articles

After surging 72% in a year, are Barclays shares worth buying?

| Cliff D'Arcy

Barclays shares have staged a remarkable recovery since October 2023. And, over five years, they have beaten Tesla stock! But…

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Investing Articles

Is it better to invest in the FTSE 100 or S&P 500?

| Cliff D'Arcy

Over periods ranging from one year to 20 years, the S&P 500 index has thrashed the UK's FTSE 100. But…

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Investing Articles

Will Rachel Reeves rescue the Lloyds share price?

| Cliff D'Arcy

Chancellor Rachel Reeves and other lawmakers are worried about this compensation scheme harming banks. Might this be a boost for…

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Investing Articles

This passive income of 8.4% a year looks delicious to me!

| Cliff D'Arcy

My key goal is to retire early to travel and enjoy life after work. Hence, I'll need heaps of passive…

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Investing Articles

Down 51% from its high, the Diageo share price bounces back!

| Cliff D'Arcy

It's been steeply downhill for the Diageo share price since the all-time highs of late-2021. But maybe, just maybe, this…

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Dividend Shares

How £100 a week can turn into £47,065 a year in passive income

| Cliff D'Arcy

Could I really turn £400 a month into an income of over £47,000 a year? The secret involves mixing some…

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Investing Articles

These 3 FTSE 100 shares have crashed over 1 year!

| Cliff D'Arcy

These three FTSE 100 flops have had a torrid 12 months, with their share prices collapsing as much as 43%.…

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Investing Articles

It’s been a great 5 years for Lloyds shares. What next?

| Cliff D'Arcy

Lloyds shares have had a fantastic half-decade, easily beating the FTSE 100 index over this period. But are these good…

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Investing Articles

Is ‘SIMAGA’ the secret to avoiding stock market crashes?

| Cliff D'Arcy

Is there any way for investors to avoid stock market crashes? This method worked for centuries, but is now breaking…

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Middle-aged white man wearing glasses, staring into space over the top of his laptop in a coffee shop
Investing Articles

Greggs shares slump again, but could go on a (sausage) roll

| Cliff D'Arcy

After sales growth fell during the heatwave, Greggs shares were battered. But I suspect the bad news is fully baked…

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Investing Articles

What is passive income, anyway? And why do I love it so much?

| Cliff D'Arcy

A Russian proverb states, "Those who take no risks, drink no Champagne". So that's why I use these simple investments…

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Investing Articles

3 big issues for buyers of FTSE 100 dividend shares

| Cliff D'Arcy

My idol, US billionaire Warren Buffett, is a legend of value investing. Yet investing in FTSE 100 value shares for…

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Investing Articles

Which should I buy, the FTSE 100 or S&P 500?

| Cliff D'Arcy

The S&P 500 has absolutely thrashed the FTSE 100 over the past 15 years or so. But with US stocks…

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Investing Articles

2 cheap shares to consider for powerful passive income

| Cliff D'Arcy

These two FTSE 100 shares pay bumper dividend yields of 8%+ a year to patient investors. I own both stocks…

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Investing Articles

What will take the Lloyds share price beyond 80p?

| Cliff D'Arcy

The Lloyds share price has leapt by 40% in the last six months. It's also soared by 135% in five…

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Investing Articles

Down 25% and 33% in 6 months, are these 2 FTSE 100 fallers bargains?

| Cliff D'Arcy

Though the FTSE 100 is up almost 8% in six months, these two Footsie shares have crashed by 25% and…

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Investing Articles

This £12k ISA produces £989 a year in cash passive income

| Cliff D'Arcy

The great thing about passive income is I don't work to earn it. For example, investing £12,000 in this share…

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Investing Articles

Why buy UK shares when I can get 4.5% a year in cash?

| Cliff D'Arcy

Why take the risk of investing in UK shares when I can earn over 4.5% a year sitting in cash?…

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Investing Articles

This court case could hammer the Lloyds share price!

| Cliff D'Arcy

Many years ago, my actions cost British banks and other lenders almost £54bn in compensation. Now another financial scandal could…

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