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Ben McPoland

Ben is an investment writer who has contributed more than 1,800 articles for The Motley Fool UK. He has been managing his own ISA and SIPP portfolios for over a decade, focusing on high-quality companies benefitting from powerful growth trends. His favourite investing quote comes from Peter Lynch: “The real key to making money in stocks is not to get scared out of them.”

Recent Articles

Hand is turning a dice and changes the direction of an arrow symbolizing that the value of an ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) is going up (or vice versa)
Investing Articles

2 top-notch ETFs to consider right now for a Stocks and Shares ISA

| Ben McPoland

One of these EFTs offers a chunky 6.1% dividend yield, while the other gives deep exposure to perhaps the most…

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A rear view of a female in a bright yellow coat walking along the historic street known as The Shambles in York, UK which is a popular tourist destination in this Yorkshire city.
Investing Articles

How big would your ISA need to be to earn £100,000 a year in passive income?

| Ben McPoland

Ben McPoland explores the huge income potential of ISAs and highlights a FTSE 100 stock that has made investors wealthier…

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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

Down 73%! 2 moves I just made in my Stocks and Shares ISA

| Ben McPoland

Find out why our writer added these two names to his Stocks and Shares ISA despite them being absolutely hammered…

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

Dear Greggs shareholders, mark your calendar for 3 March

| Ben McPoland

Greggs shares have served up a nasty surprise over the past couple of years. But might the worst be over…

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Man thinking about artificial intelligence investing algorithms
Investing Articles

Want to invest in SpaceX and Anthropic? Consider this top FTSE 100 stock

| Ben McPoland

Claude AI bot maker Anthropic and rocket pioneer SpaceX are two of the most disruptive firms on Earth. This FTSE…

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British Pennies on a Pound Note
Investing Articles

I was a fan of this 9p penny share until Donald Trump did this…

| Ben McPoland

Despite rocketing almost 100% since December, this penny stock remains over 65% below where it traded when President Trump made…

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Middle-aged white male courier delivering boxes to young black lady
Investing Articles

£1,000 buys 481 shares in this fantastic FTSE 100 REIT

| Ben McPoland

This 6.3%-yielding REIT from the FTSE 100 could turn £20k into a £104 monthly passive income. Ben McPoland explains why…

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

Meet the S&P 500 stock that Michael Burry says could crash 50% (or more) 

| Ben McPoland

The investor depicted in The Big Short film reckons this amazing artificial intelligence (AI) stock from the S&P 500 is…

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Investing Articles

£15,000 invested in Diageo shares at the start of 2026 is now worth

| Ben McPoland

Diageo shares have crashed 55% in the FTSE 100 since the start of 2022. Yet the Guinness maker is off…

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

The stock market might be ready for a crash!

| Ben McPoland

The massive software and data company sell-off in 2026 means there's a growing number of opportunities in the stock market…

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Investing Articles

£1,000 buys 15,900 shares in this penny stock that’s been smashing Greggs

| Ben McPoland

This intriguing penny stock has surged since this time last year. Should adventurous investors consider it today while it's at…

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piggy bank, searching with binoculars
Investing Articles

Down 37%, is there a once-in-a-decade chance for me to buy this FTSE 100 stock?

| Ben McPoland

Ben McPoland reckons this excellent FTSE 100 stock, having now fallen 37% since January 2025, is currently on sale at…

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Man riding the bus alone
Investing Articles

Here’s why the Greggs share price slumped 5% in the FTSE 250 today

| Ben McPoland

Greggs has already lost half its value in the space of 18 months. Ben McPoland explains why the stock is…

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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

Is the Aston Martin share price going to 0p?

| Ben McPoland

Year after year, the Aston Martin share price just keeps shedding more value. Might the James Bond carmaker disappear altogether?

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View of Tower Bridge in Autumn
Investing Articles

Here’s a 5-stock portfolio that pays passive income every single month

| Ben McPoland

Ben McPoland reveals a quintet of FTSE 100 dividend stocks that together would pay income all year round. Which one…

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UK financial background: share prices and stock graph overlaid on an image of the Union Jack
Investing Articles

Dear Rolls-Royce shareholders, mark your calendars for 26 February

| Ben McPoland

Rolls-Royce shares have lagged the FTSE 100 in recent months. But there could be a big catalyst coming soon for…

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Rear View Of Woman Holding Man Hand during travel in cappadocia
Investing Articles

How passive income streams can be built in an ISA with £75 a week

| Ben McPoland

You don't have to be a millionaire to start investing in an ISA. Even modest sums can snowball into something…

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

Dividend yields of 6.3%! Here are 2 stocks to consider buying for passive income

| Ben McPoland

Hunting for top-notch dividend stocks to buy? Ben McPoland highlights one idea from the FTSE 100 and another from the…

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Investing Articles

2 battered growth stocks down 45% to consider buying right now

| Ben McPoland

These growth stocks have crashed more than 40% inside 12 months. Our writer reckons the sell-off's left both looking very…

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ISA coins
Investing Articles

How to transform an empty Stocks and Shares ISA into a £15,000 second income

| Ben McPoland

Ben McPoland explains how a UK dividend portfolio can be built from the ground up inside a Stocks and Shares…

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Thoughtful man using his phone while riding on a train and looking through the window
Investing Articles

Is Palantir still a millionaire-maker S&P 500 stock today?

| Ben McPoland

Palantir has skyrocketed in recent years, making savvy investors a fortune. With the S&P 500 stock down 32% since November,…

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UK supporters with flag
Investing Articles

The red-hot FTSE 100 index just did this for the first time ever

| Ben McPoland

The FTSE 100 index has risen in eight out of the past 10 years, and is off to a flying…

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Young Black woman looking concerned while in front of her laptop
Investing Articles

Here’s why Experian, RELX, and LSEG just crashed up to 16% in the FTSE 100

| Ben McPoland

Software stocks across the FTSE 100 index got absolutely hammered today. What on earth has happened to cause this sudden…

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Road trip. Father and son travelling together by car
Investing Articles

How much would an investor need in Aviva shares for a £147 monthly passive income?

| Ben McPoland

Ben McPoland shows how an ISA portfolio could eventually throw off a decent amount of income each year, with help…

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National Grid engineers at a substation
Investing Articles

How many National Grid shares are needed for £1,000 a year in passive income?

| Ben McPoland

National Grid shares have been on a strong rally over the past 12 months. How has this left the forward-looking…

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Portrait of pensive bearded senior looking on screen of laptop sitting at table with coffee cup.
Investing Articles

Might AI cause a massive stock market crash? 

| Ben McPoland

The stock market is rapidly turning away from AI uncertainty and towards surer bets. Here's one 'boring' share to check…

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Night Takeoff Of The American Space Shuttle
Growth Shares

Is SpaceX a stock to buy for my ISA in June?

| Ben McPoland

This writer doesn't normally buy into new IPO stocks. Will he make an exception in 2026 if SpaceX makes its…

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Silhouette of a bull standing on top of a landscape with the sun setting behind it
Investing Articles

1 luxury stock I’m doubling down on in my SIPP in February

| Ben McPoland

This stock in my SIPP portfolio has crashed over 30% inside a year. Investors are bearish. So why am I…

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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

I asked ChatGPT for a penny stock that could make me rich and it said…

| Ben McPoland

Ben McPoland turned to artificial intelligence (AI) to pick out a UK penny stock that might help him quit the…

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Young female analyst working at her desk in the office
Investing Articles

2 FTSE 100 shares tipped to grow 50% (or more) by 2027

| Ben McPoland

The market is extremely bearish on these two high-quality FTSE 100 shares. Yet City analysts reckon they can mount a…

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Front view of aircraft in flight.
Investing Articles

The good, the bad, and the unknown for Rolls-Royce shares

| Ben McPoland

It has been up, up, and away for Rolls-Royce shareholders over the past few years. But what challenges might be…

Read more »

Playful senior couple in aprons dancing and smiling while preparing healthy dinner at home
Investing Articles

This UK penny stock could rocket 47%, says 1 broker

| Ben McPoland

According to one analyst team in the City, this unique UK small-cap stock is undervalued today. Is it worth a…

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piggy bank, searching with binoculars
Investing Articles

Is this $3.9bn-cap stock the next Nvidia?

| Ben McPoland

This asset manager identified Nvidia stock early and made amazing returns. Here's a new under-the-radar growth share it's excited about…

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

Down 50%, is this growth stock in my ISA doomed?

| Ben McPoland

I was bullish on this growth firm in my ISA, but it's quickly turned into a nightmare. What on earth…

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Female student sitting at the steps and using laptop
Investing Articles

Here’s how to invest £7,000 in an ISA for a £500 passive income

| Ben McPoland

Ben McPoland picks out a cheap dividend stock from the FTSE 250 that could generate chunky passive income in an…

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Man riding the bus alone
Investing Articles

Down 85%, is this famous FTSE 250 stock set for a roaring comeback?

| Ben McPoland

This FTSE 250 company makes iconic boots and is in the early innings of a turnaround attempt. Does the stock…

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The flag of the United States of America flying in front of the Capitol building
Investing Articles

1 top FTSE 250 investment trust to consider in February

| Ben McPoland

Despite solid long-term gains, this FTSE 250 investment trust is trailing the S&P 500. But now it's tweaked its strategy,…

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Portrait Of Senior Couple Climbing Hill On Hike Through Countryside In Lake District UK Together
Investing Articles

2 FTSE 100 stocks to consider for passive income in 2026

| Ben McPoland

Ben McPoland highlights a pair of dividend shares that rarely attract as much attention as other names from the FTSE…

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Investing Articles

$18.9bn! This British billionaire just smashed the S&P 500 with these stocks

| Ben McPoland

This top investor easily beat the S&P 500 index in 2025, recording the largest hedge fund gain in history. How…

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Investing Articles

Diageo shares: a once-in-a-generation chance to get rich?

| Ben McPoland

Diageo shares have shed 59% of their value in just over four years. But might this simply be a chance…

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