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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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Investing Articles

Up 37% in 6 months, this is my favourite FTSE 100 share

| Cliff D'Arcy

This 'secret' FTSE 100 share has beaten the market over one month, six months, a year and five years. But…

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A handsome mature bald bearded black man in a sunglasses and a fashionable blue or teal costume with a tie is standing in front of a wall made of striped wooden timbers and fastening a suit button
Investing Articles

Which should I buy, the FTSE 250 or the FTSE 100?

| Cliff D'Arcy

Both the mid-cap FTSE 250 and the blue-chip FTSE 100 have lagged far behind the US stock market in recent…

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Young mixed-race woman looking out of the window with a look of consternation on her face
Investing Articles

The 6 big problems with dividend shares

| Cliff D'Arcy

In theory, buying high-yielding dividend shares can deliver superior investment returns over time. In practice, these six issues can get…

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Investing Articles

How we’re building passive income of £100k a year

| Cliff D'Arcy

In my search for passive income, I'm always on the lookout for high-yielding shares. Even after rising 16.4% in a…

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Investing Articles

These 3 FTSE 100 shares pay 9.6%+ a year in cash!

| Cliff D'Arcy

These high-yielding FTSE 100 shares offer dividend yields as high as 11.6% a year. However, such hefty cash yields can…

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Investing Articles

Up 23% in a month, this FTSE 250 share is flying

| Cliff D'Arcy

Since 28 February, this FTSE 250 share has soared by more than 30%. But even after this comeback, it still…

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Investing Articles

The Barclays share price soars 23% in a month. What next?

| Cliff D'Arcy

The Barclays share price has leapt by more than a fifth in the last month. It's trading 38% above its…

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'2024' art concept overlaid on a stock screener
Investing Articles

This FTSE 100 super-share keeps on thrashing the stock market!

| Cliff D'Arcy

This little-known FTSE 100 share has absolutely trounced major stock markets in the past 12 months and over five years.…

Read more »

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Investing Articles

These 3 stocks pay me huge passive income. But is there a catch?

| Cliff D'Arcy

I own these three cheap UK shares for their powerful passive income. Together, they pay out 9.9% a year. But…

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

Up 23% in a week, this FTSE 250 stock looks cheap to me

| Cliff D'Arcy

After two pieces of good news, this FTSE 250 has soared by almost a quarter since 28 February. Yet I…

Read more »

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Investing Articles

I asked an AI about the Lloyds share price. Oh dear!

| Cliff D'Arcy

After leaping by almost 15% in a month, the Lloyds share price is showing strength. But check out the madness…

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Fireworks spelling out the numbers '2024'
Investing Articles

These were the FTSE 100’s dogs and stars in February

| Cliff D'Arcy

The FTSE 100 limped along last month, but some Footsie shares soared while others slumped. Here are February's winners and…

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Investing Articles

This £43bn of passive income is up for grabs today!

| Cliff D'Arcy

As a lover of passive income, I'm always on the lookout for extra cash. The good news is that these…

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Investing Articles

Direct Line shares soar 25% on takeover bid!

| Cliff D'Arcy

Direct Line shares surged by a quarter on Wednesday, after receiving a takeover bid from a Belgian rival. But the…

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

Could this FTSE 250 firm’s earnings fall by 70%?

| Cliff D'Arcy

This FTSE 250 stock has had a tough few years, falling by 10.3% over one year and 56.2% over five…

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Investing Articles

These are the FTSE’s biggest dogs over the last year!

| Cliff D'Arcy

The FTSE 100 has fallen far behind other major market indices over the past 12 months. However, these three sliding…

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

These 3 FTSE 100 stocks deliver massive dividend yields

| Cliff D'Arcy

These three FTSE 100 firms offer dividend yields of up to 11.6% a year. And while some high yields may…

Read more »

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

These super shares pay passive income of £27bn a year!

| Cliff D'Arcy

In my relentless search for growing passive income, I've found five stocks paying bumper dividends. For example, one sends over…

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'2024' art concept overlaid on a stock screener
Investing Articles

2 FTSE 100 powerhouses for passive income

| Cliff D'Arcy

In my search to replace all of my earnings with passive income, I've found two FTSE 100 firms that are…

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Fireworks spelling out the numbers '2024'
Investing Articles

This unloved FTSE 250 stock is set to soar!

| Cliff D'Arcy

This FTSE 250 company's share price has fallen by almost two-thirds in the past five years. The firm is now…

Read more »

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

Barclays shares have been a disaster, but I’m not selling

| Cliff D'Arcy

Barclays shares have been a rubbish investment, losing almost 18% of their value in the past 12 months. But maybe…

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

2 FTSE dividends that could be cut

| Cliff D'Arcy

While most FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 companies are in good shape, some struggle with falling profits. Hence, these two…

Read more »

Close-up of a woman holding modern polymer ten, twenty and fifty pound notes.
Investing Articles

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

| Cliff D'Arcy

Since the global financial crisis of 2007-09, the S&P 500 index has blown away the FTSE 100. So why do…

Read more »

Investing Articles

2 cheap shares paying huge passive income

| Cliff D'Arcy

For lovers of powerful passive income, these two FTSE 100 shares pay out cash of 9% and 10.4% a year.…

Read more »

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

Down 20% in a year, is the Lloyds share price a value trap?

| Cliff D'Arcy

The Lloyds share price is down a fifth in 12 months and 26% over five years. So am I a…

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

Down 46% in 12 months, could this FTSE 100 share be a steal?

| Cliff D'Arcy

While the FTSE 100 has dropped 2.5% over the past year, this Footsie stock has crashed by 46%. But is…

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Black father and two young daughters dancing at home
Investing Articles

2 shares for powerful passive income

| Cliff D'Arcy

In my ongoing plan for plenty of passive income, I keep buying high-yielding shares. For example, these two stocks pay…

Read more »

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

Could these 4 events crash the stock market?

| Cliff D'Arcy

After a great start to this year, global stock markets are looking rosy. But I worry that investors may be…

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

3 easy ways I find cheap stocks to buy

| Cliff D'Arcy

Finding attractive stocks to buy is as much of an art as it is a science. That said, I do…

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Photo of a man going through financial problems
Investing Articles

These 5 stocks are wrecking the whole FTSE 100!

| Cliff D'Arcy

The FTSE 100 is down nearly 3% in 2024 to date and around the same over the past year. What's…

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

If I’d invested £5k in Lloyds shares 5 years ago, here’s what I’d have now

| Cliff D'Arcy

Lloyds shares have had a tough start to 2024, losing 13.4% since 29 December. They are also down 18.3% over…

Read more »

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

These 5 cheap shares are boosting my second income!

| Cliff D'Arcy

In my search for a substantial second income, I need high levels of regular cash. The delightful dividends from these…

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

After diving 25%, this FTSE 250 share’s dividend yield is 11%

| Cliff D'Arcy

This FTSE 250 stock has crashed by almost a quarter since the turn of the year. Its shares now offer…

Read more »

Edinburgh Cityscape with fireworks over The Castle and Balmoral Clock Tower
Investing Articles

Down 36% in 11 months, is the Vodafone share price set to soar?

| Cliff D'Arcy

The Vodafone share price has crashed by more than a third in under a year. But after a brutal 2023,…

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

These are the dogs of the FTSE 100 this week!

| Cliff D'Arcy

The FTSE 100 has dropped 1.6% over the last five days, continuing earlier weakness. Meanwhile, these five Footsie stocks have…

Read more »

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

2 FTSE 100 stocks with dividend yields above 10% a year!

| Cliff D'Arcy

After steep price falls in 2023, these two FTSE 100 shares now offer double-digit dividend yields. While one may be…

Read more »

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

My 2 FTSE 100 stocks to consider buying in 2024

| Cliff D'Arcy

Shares in these two FTSE 100 giants had a tough 2023, driven lower by the cost-of-living crisis. Still, I'm expecting…

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

This FTSE 100 share keeps on thrashing the market!

| Cliff D'Arcy

The FTSE 100 has lagged behind the American market for many years. But this Footsie stock has easily thrashed both…

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

Lloyds shares are my bargain buy for 2024

| Cliff D'Arcy

After a bumpy 2023, Lloyds shares are down 1.7% over the past 12 months. But big news may arrive on…

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Investing Articles

FTSE shares: a lifetime’s chance to get rich?

| Cliff D'Arcy

FTSE shares have underperformed their US counterparts for many years. However, that pattern has changed since early 2022, yet UK…

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