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Cliff D'Arcy

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

Why I see ITV shares as a screaming buy

| Cliff D'Arcy

ITV shares took a beating in 2022, but have rebounded strongly since late September. Despite this comeback, this FTSE 250…

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Investing Articles

4 bargain shares I own for powerful passive income

| Cliff D'Arcy

I get almost all of my passive income from investing in shares paying high dividends. Here are four cheap stocks…

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Investing Articles

These 3 FTSE 100 firms are dividend dynamos!

| Cliff D'Arcy

These three FTSE 100 firms should pay out between £5.6bn and £6bn in cash to shareholders in 2023. I own…

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Investing Articles

3 reasons UK shares are crazily cheap!

| Cliff D'Arcy

In 2022, the UK's FTSE 100 index was the best performer among global stock indices. Yet I still believe that…

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Investing Articles

When dividend investing goes badly wrong!

| Cliff D'Arcy

I've been a big fan of dividend investing for several decades. This income-based investment strategy can go very wrong, but…

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Investing Articles

Which of these bargain bank shares would I buy?

| Cliff D'Arcy

UK bank shares look cheap to me today. These cheap stocks offer high dividend yields, plus recovery potential. I own…

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Investing Articles

How to target a £1m pension pot to retire early

| Cliff D'Arcy

By investing every month for decades, one can turn modest sums into big pension pots. Here's one way to build…

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Investing Articles

Here’s how my Lloyds shares will pay me 10%+

| Cliff D'Arcy

Lloyds shares dropped 3% this morning, after the bank released its 2022 results. But the stock rebounded, maybe because shareholders…

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Investing Articles

3 dirt-cheap shares I own for passive income

| Cliff D'Arcy

In my search for ever-rising passive income, I buy lots of shares for their dividend income. But I particularly like…

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Investing Articles

Which of these 4 FTSE mega-caps would I buy?

| Cliff D'Arcy

These FTSE mega-cap all have market valuations exceeding £100bn. But which of these four London whales would be my first…

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Investing Articles

Bank shares or savings accounts? I prefer these stocks!

| Cliff D'Arcy

While cash savings rates are only slowly creeping up, these four bank shares pay generous cash dividends to their shareholders.…

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Entrepreneur on the phone.
Investing Articles

Vodafone shares leap in 2023. Are they still a bargain?

| Cliff D'Arcy

Vodafone shares have soared by more than 20% so far in 2023. But after leaping above £1 last week, is…

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Investing Articles

Barclays shares look like a real bargain to me

| Cliff D'Arcy

Barclays shares took a beating last Wednesday, after investors took fright at its mixed 2022 results. But this FTSE 100…

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Investing Articles

The ITV share price is soaring. But I see higher highs

| Cliff D'Arcy

The ITV share price has surged by 65% since its September lows. But even after a strong start to 2023,…

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Investing Articles

Hargreaves Lansdown shares look too low to me

| Cliff D'Arcy

Hargreaves Lansdown shares have lost a third of their value in the past 12 months. They've also halved over the…

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Investing Articles

The FTSE 100 just hit 8,000. But it’s still cheap!

| Cliff D'Arcy

On Wednesday, the FTSE 100 broke past 8,000 points for the first time. It has now made gains over periods…

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Investing Articles

3 FTSE 100 shares paying very high yields

| Cliff D'Arcy

In my hunt for quality companies whose cheap shares offer high yields, I found these three Footsie firms. They offer…

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Warren Buffett at a Berkshire Hathaway AGM
Investing Articles

I got Warren Buffett to manage my money. Now I’m worried

| Cliff D'Arcy

Warren Buffett is a wildly successful investor, amassing a $110bn fortune and building a $695bn firm. But I have two…

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Dividend Shares

My 3 best forms of passive income for 2023

| Cliff D'Arcy

Although there are many different ways to earn extra passive income, I like these three best of all right now.…

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Investing Articles

This good news could boost Rolls-Royce shares

| Cliff D'Arcy

Rolls-Royce shares are up two-thirds since crashing below 65p in September. They are also up 25% over six months, but…

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Investing Articles

Ocado shares are looking lively. Do I buy now?

| Cliff D'Arcy

Ocado shares have been riding a roller coaster over the past six months. And after recent price falls, they've popped…

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Investing Articles

Was I dumb to sell my GSK shares?

| Cliff D'Arcy

After having a big holding of GSK shares, we sold out big-time in April 2021. Nearly two years later, should…

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Investing Articles

I’d buy cheap shares for a £10,000 second income!

| Cliff D'Arcy

Here's how I'd invest a lump sum in order to generate a second income of an extra £10,000 a year…

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Investing Articles

My Barclays shares are up 21%. Do I buy more?

| Cliff D'Arcy

Barclays shares have been volatile in 2022-23 and hit a one-year low in October. They have since bounced back strongly,…

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Investing Articles

I wish I’d never bought these 2 FTSE 250 shares!

| Cliff D'Arcy

I bought these two FTSE 250 shares for their juicy dividend yields. But earnings are being battered at both companies,…

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Investing Articles

At last, my Lloyds shares are up. But will it last?

| Cliff D'Arcy

Lloyds shares have jumped by almost 40% from their October lows. But after such a strong surge in their price,…

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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

3 cheap shares I bought for high passive income

| Cliff D'Arcy

My favourite form of passive income is share dividends. But while not all UK companies pay cash dividends, these three…

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Entrepreneur on the phone.
Investing Articles

2 UK stocks I own for big dividends

| Cliff D'Arcy

When looking for new stocks to buy, I'm often drawn to shares paying high dividends. These two big UK businesses…

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Investing Articles

The FTSE 100 is at a record high. So will I keep buying?

| Cliff D'Arcy

The FTSE 100 hit a record high on Friday, beating the previous peak of May 2018. The index looks cheap,…

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Young Caucasian man making doubtful face at camera
Investing Articles

When cheap shares go badly wrong!

| Cliff D'Arcy

I bought these two cheap shares for their high dividend yields and recovery potential. Sadly, both share prices slumped, leaving…

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Investing Articles

These were the FTSE 100’s biggest flops in January!

| Cliff D'Arcy

The FTSE 100 index had a good January, rising by 4.3%. While the shares of 86 Footsie firms rose last…

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

Lloyds shares are on a roll. Is this a trap?

| Cliff D'Arcy

Lloyds shares are up 12% in January and have jumped 17% in six months. After this recent strength, could the…

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Petrochemical engineer working at night with digital tablet inside oil and gas refinery plant
Investing Articles

My Rio Tinto shares are soaring, but are still cheap!

| Cliff D'Arcy

Rio Tinto shares have soared by more than 40% since hitting their 2022 low on 31 October. But even after…

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Investing Articles

I love these 5 forms of passive income

| Cliff D'Arcy

Passive income is a fantastic thing, because this money rolls in without work or effort. Here are my top forms…

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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

These 3 bombed-out FTSE 100 shares look grim

| Cliff D'Arcy

These three FTSE 100 shares are the index's worst performers over the past 12 months. I already own one of…

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Young Caucasian man making doubtful face at camera
Investing Articles

The Darktrace share price dives another 16%. What’s up?

| Cliff D'Arcy

The Darktrace share price has lost another 16% today, leaving it almost 80% below its peak. With the shares below…

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Investing Articles

Tesla stock is blowing another bubble. But so what?

| Cliff D'Arcy

Tesla stock has soared by 75% in just three weeks, after the group posted upbeat Q4 figures. But I see…

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

888 Holdings shares crash 25% on legal probe

| Cliff D'Arcy

888 Holdings shares crashed by a quarter on Monday morning, following two shock announcements. After falling 70% in a year,…

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Investing Articles

I deeply regret buying this FTSE 250 share!

| Cliff D'Arcy

Most of the shares I bought in 2022 have done well, but not this well-known FTSE 250 stock. It tumbled…

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

Rolls-Royce shares look toppy to me

| Cliff D'Arcy

Rolls-Royce shares have soared more than 70% since plunging below 65p in late September. But after surging so strongly, have…

Read more »