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Ben McPoland

Ben is an investment writer. As well as contributing more than 1,700 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

The Troat Inn on River Cherwell in Oxford. England
Investing Articles

1 unloved AIM stock worth checking out for an ISA or SIPP

| Ben McPoland

Shares of this well-known drinks maker are down 70% since Christmas 2021. So why does this writer think they have…

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Smiling family of four enjoying breakfast at sunrise while camping
Investing Articles

1 top FTSE 100 share I keep buying for my kid’s ISA

| Ben McPoland

Find out why this high-quality FTSE 100 investment trust made the cut for inclusion in my daughter's Junior Stocks and…

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Road 2025 to 2032 new year direction concept
Investing Articles

Forecast: in 12 months, £7,000 invested in Nvidia stock could be worth…

| Ben McPoland

With fears rising over a potential artificial intelligence bubble, do Wall Street analysts still see any value in Nvidia stock…

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Investing Articles

This 34p penny share could rocket 117%, says 1 broker

| Ben McPoland

While this UK penny share is down 91% since 2021, one analyst team thinks it's now far too cheap at…

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Businessman with tablet, waiting at the train station platform
Investing Articles

£5,000 invested in Greggs shares 1 week ago is now worth…

| Ben McPoland

After a year to forget for Greggs shareholders, there was finally some good news for this unloved FTSE 250 stock…

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Smiling family of four enjoying breakfast at sunrise while camping
Investing Articles

How much do you need in an ISA to target a £5,333 monthly passive income?

| Ben McPoland

Our writer highlights a bargain FTSE 250 stock trading at an 11-year low -- one that could help supercharge an…

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

Here’s why Palantir stock dropped 16% in the S&P 500 in November 

| Ben McPoland

Artificial intelligence stock Palantir just had its worst month since August 2023. At $168, is it now cheap enough for…

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Caerphilly Castle, and reflection in the moat.
Investing Articles

I asked ChatGPT for the most powerful monopoly growth stock on Earth and it said…

| Ben McPoland

The world-class company behind this growth stock is the only one providing the equipment needed to make all advanced AI…

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Close up of a group of friends enjoying a movie in the cinema
Investing Articles

This FTSE 250 trust down 50% is under attack by an activist investor!

| Ben McPoland

An activist hedge fund wants the entire board gone from this FTSE 250 investment trust. What on earth's going on?…

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

Billionaire Bill Ackman is hunting for bargains for his FTSE 100 trust

| Ben McPoland

This star hedge fund manager is known for snapping up bargains, and he recently said he's got his eye on…

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

Is ITV’s 6.1% dividend yield a tempting passive income opportunity?

| Ben McPoland

This well-known FTSE 250 stock is trading cheaply and sporting a market-beating dividend yield. Should I snap it up while…

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Girl buying groceries in the supermarket with her father.
Investing Articles

Here are the 2026 and 2027 dividend forecasts for Tesco shares

| Ben McPoland

Tesco shares have been on fire over the past couple of years. But after the rise, does this FTSE 100…

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

I asked ChatGPT if I made a big mistake buying this 10p penny stock

| Ben McPoland

Is a 24% fall in this penny stock anything to worry about? Or should I use this dip to buy…

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The Mall in Westminster, leading to Buckingham Palace
Investing Articles

3 FTSE 100 stocks pumping out passive income for over 10 years

| Ben McPoland

This trio of FTSE 100 stocks sport dividend yields between 4.6% and 9%. But are they worth considering for their…

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Happy young plus size woman sitting at kitchen table and watching tv series on tablet computer
Investing Articles

Up 57% in a day! Is Boohoo now a no-brainer value stock at 18p?

| Ben McPoland

It seems strange calling Boohoo a value stock given its past as a high-growth online retailer. But it's dirt cheap…

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Elevated view over city of London skyline
Investing Articles

I asked ChatGPT how long it could take to become a Stocks and Shares ISA millionaire…

| Ben McPoland

Is it realistic to aim to become one of the 5,000+ investors who have successfully built seven-figure Stocks and Shares…

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British union jack flag and Parliament house at city of Westminster in the background
Investing Articles

Will Rachel Reeves’ £8,000 Cash ISA cut boost UK stocks?

| Ben McPoland

Our writer highlights a UK stocks index tracker that has absolutely wiped the floor with cash returns over the past…

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Surprised Black girl holding teddy bear toy on Christmas
Investing Articles

2 cheap FTSE 250 stocks to consider putting under the Christmas tree

| Ben McPoland

Looking for cheap dividend stocks for an ISA in December? Ben McPoland highlights two passive income ideas from the FTSE…

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

£5,000 in a SIPP? Here’s how it could snowball into £360k

| Ben McPoland

Ben McPoland shows how taking advantage of the SIPP tax relief with modest monthly contributions can build towards an attractive…

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Young Woman Drives Car With Dog in Back Seat
Investing Articles

Here’s why Pets at Home stock topped the FTSE 250 today (then didn’t)

| Ben McPoland

Could Pets at Home be a lucrative turnaround stock in the making? Our writer looks at the reason for its…

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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

Is the Aston Martin share price a generational bargain at 59p?

| Ben McPoland

Ben McPoland is wondering whether there's an outside chance that the bullet-riddled Aston Martin share price will do a Rolls-Royce.

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Red briefcase with the words Budget HM Treasury embossed in gold
Investing Articles

The Autumn Budget looms — but this FTSE 250 stock could be a quiet winner

| Ben McPoland

Grim sentiment around the Autumn Budget isn’t helping UK firms. But one firm is quietly getting stronger, and its share…

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Mature black couple enjoying shopping together in UK high street
Investing Articles

Yields above 5%! Here are my 2 favourite FTSE 100 dividend stocks 

| Ben McPoland

See why this pair of UK dividend stocks from the financial sector are my top picks to aim for steady…

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The Mall in Westminster, leading to Buckingham Palace
Investing Articles

Is ITM Power stock the next Nvidia?

| Ben McPoland

Nvidia stock has minted many millionaires over the past two decades. Might this UK small-cap at 72p be a future…

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Mother and Daughter Blowing Bubbles
Investing Articles

I asked ChatGPT if we’re in an AI bubble that might crash the stock market and it said…

| Ben McPoland

Ben McPoland reckons this leading FTSE 100 property portal will bounce back, despite stock market jitters about an AI bubble.

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Close-up of children holding a planet at the beach
Investing Articles

Meet the top growth stock down 63% that experts think will crush the S&P 500

| Ben McPoland

Roughly 88% of Wall Street analysts rate this growth stock a buy, with most of them seeing it as having…

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Friends at the bay near the village of Diabaig on the side of Loch Torridon in Wester Ross, Scotland. They are taking a break from their bike ride to relax and chat. They are laughing together.
Investing Articles

How the GLP-1 weight-loss boom could lift these FTSE 100 stocks

| Ben McPoland

If millions more people in the UK start taking weight-loss medications, this pair of FTSE 100 retailers should enjoy a…

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Road 2025 to 2032 new year direction concept
Investing Articles

2 growth stocks down 23% or more to consider for an ISA right now

| Ben McPoland

Ben McPoland spotlights two interesting growth stocks with the potential to become far bigger businesses over the next decade.

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

With an AI bubble inflating, should I sell Nvidia in my Stocks and Shares ISA?

| Ben McPoland

I recently trimmed my Nvidia stake above $200. But with stock market crash fears now swirling, should I dump the…

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Close-up image depicting a woman in her 70s taking British bank notes from her colourful leather wallet.
Investing Articles

This FTSE 100 income machine yielding 5.5% keeps pumping out dividends

| Ben McPoland

Imperial Brands has been dishing out dividends for decades. But after a strong share price run and with its current…

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

Thank goodness I own this FTSE 100 share that’s up 13% today!

| Ben McPoland

Just 91 words was all it took to send this excellent FTSE 100 company's share price soaring 13% to another…

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photo of Union Jack flags bunting in local street party
Investing Articles

Down 43% and on a P/E of 10, this FTSE 250 stock looks like an absolute bargain

| Ben McPoland

Following a 43% nosedive since mid-December, Ben McPoland is stunned at how cheap this FTSE 250 technology stock has become.

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Black woman using smartphone at home, watching stock charts.
Investing Articles

I asked ChatGPT to build an ISA that pays me £1,000 a month in passive income

| Ben McPoland

ChatGPT can do many things really well, but what's it like at creating a top-notch passive income portfolio? Ben McPoland…

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Happy woman commuting on a train and checking her mobile phone while using headphones
Investing Articles

No savings at 35? Here’s how investing £500 a month could unlock a big second income

| Ben McPoland

Our writer shows how consistent investments each month in a Stocks and Shares ISA could lead to a £50,000+ annual…

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Front view of aircraft in flight.
Investing Articles

Rolls-Royce shares just got an Outperform rating

| Ben McPoland

A 10% dip in Rolls-Royce shares since September hasn't deterred one analyst team from giving the FTSE 100 stock a…

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Businessman hand stacking money coins with virtual percentage icons
Investing Articles

1 high-quality FTSE 250 investment trust to consider for growth

| Ben McPoland

Alphabet's CEO says artificial intelligence is the most profound technology humans are working on. This FTSE 250 investment trust offers…

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

1 top brand I’m buying in my Stocks and Shares ISA for the next 5 years 

| Ben McPoland

Ben McPoland reveals why he’s ready to pump more cash into this rising sportswear powerhouse inside his Stocks and Shares…

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

Is Raspberry Pi stock the next Nvidia?

| Ben McPoland

This interesting FTSE 250 tech stock has crashed 56% since January. Ben McPoland wonders whether it has any similarities with…

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

This growth stock down 50% reminds me of Netflix in 2009

| Ben McPoland

Netflix has been one of the best growth stocks of the past two decades. This writer sees some similarities in…

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

Can my favourite UK stock soar 47% in my ISA by 2026? This top broker thinks so

| Ben McPoland

Of the 18 analyst teams covering this growth stock in my ISA, over 70% rate it as a Buy, with…

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