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Alan Oscroft

Alan is a freelance writer who began writing for The Motley Fool in the late 1990s. He has been a private investor for more 30 years, and has explored a number of strategies, settling on high-yielding blue-chip shares.

Recent Articles

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Investing Articles

Will it soon be too late to buy cheap Barclays shares?

| Alan Oscroft

Barclays shares are on a low valuation right now. But dividends are rising, and we just saw a big jump…

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Investing Articles

Will it soon be too late to buy cheap easyJet shares?

| Alan Oscroft

easyJet shares have made a strong start to 2023. But might a real price surge just be holding off until…

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Investing Articles

3 cheap FTSE 100 shares to buy right now?

| Alan Oscroft

Associated British Foods might be an overlooked bargain among FTSE 100 shares these days. Here are some more I think…

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Group of young friends toasting each other with beers in a pub
Investing Articles

I’d buy 5,000 BP shares for £1,000 a year in passive income

| Alan Oscroft

What's the best way to earn passive income? Buying shares in companies that pay dividends can do it. Here's how…

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Investing Articles

Why time could be running out to buy cheap Rolls-Royce shares

| Alan Oscroft

Rolls-Royce shares spiked in response to positive free cash flow in 2022, but the long-term picture could look even better.

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Investing Articles

Why time could be running out to buy cheap Lloyds shares

| Alan Oscroft

Lloyds (LON:LLOY) shares keep trying to rise in 2023, but each time they fall short. I see reasons why this…

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Investor looking at stock graph on a tablet with their finger hovering over the Buy button
Investing Articles

Down 25% in 5 years, is the Centrica share price too cheap to ignore?

| Alan Oscroft

The Centrica share price is on the up right now, but its long-term valuation still looks good to me. And…

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Fans of Warren Buffett taking his photo
Investing Articles

No savings at 40? I’d use the Warren Buffett method to aim to get rich

| Alan Oscroft

What should folks reaching middle age without any savings to fund their later years do? I'd follow Warren Buffett and…

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Close-up of British bank notes
Investing Articles

How I’d use my ISA to target a £5k annual second income

| Alan Oscroft

How easy, or hard, is it to build a good second income for our retirement? I do some sums to…

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Couple working from home while daughter watches video on smartphone with headphones on
Investing Articles

3 cheap shares to buy now, before it’s too late?

| Alan Oscroft

I see many cheap shares around at the moment. But I expect market sentiment will improve in 2023, and the…

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Investing Articles

3 signs that FTSE 100 stocks could be set for a new bull run

| Alan Oscroft

Never mind the gloom and fear, here's why I think we could see the beginning of a new period of…

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

3 stocks I will ‘never’ sell

| Alan Oscroft

We should probably never say never. But out of the stocks I've bought in my ISA, these are the three…

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Young Asian man drinking coffee at home and looking at his phone
Investing Articles

Does the fall in IDS shares make them a no-brainer buy now?

| Alan Oscroft

International Distributions Services (LON:IDS) shares have crashed by more than 50% in five years. Is a recovery on the cards…

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

The FTSE 100 is heading for record dividends, and I want some

| Alan Oscroft

Think the FTSE 100 is having a bad time, with companies struggling to keep the cash coming in? That's not…

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Investor looking at stock graph on a tablet with their finger hovering over the Buy button
Investing Articles

5 no-brainer FTSE 100 dividend stocks to buy right now?

| Alan Oscroft

The latest 2023 dividend stocks roundup is out, and there are some big changes since last year. Are these the…

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

Are Rio Tinto and Glencore shares no-brainer buys now?

| Alan Oscroft

Rio Tinto and Glencore shares offer some of the biggest dividends in the FTSE 100 in 2023, and they show…

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Investing Articles

Why I’m bullish on the ASOS share price in 2023

| Alan Oscroft

The ASOS share price had a terrible time in 2022. But it's up nearly 50% so far in 2023, so…

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

How to build passive income from growth shares

| Alan Oscroft

Looking for retirement income needn't mean just sticking to dividend shares. Growth shares can help us reach our long-term goals…

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

These are the 10 biggest FTSE 100 dividend forecasts of 2023

| Alan Oscroft

The FTSE 100 (INDEXFTSE: UKX) is packed with stocks with big dividend forecasts. Do these 10 big yields make no-brainer…

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Close-up of British bank notes
Investing Articles

I’d buy 15,000 BT shares for £100 in monthly passive income

| Alan Oscroft

I see lots of good dividend shares in the FTSE 100 for netting some passive income. Today I wonder if…

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Investor looking at stock graph on a tablet with their finger hovering over the Buy button
Investing Articles

3 reasons to buy cheap Lloyds shares right now

| Alan Oscroft

At the moment, I think Lloyds shares offer one of the best buys on the FTSE 100, despite the short-term…

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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

The 10 best UK dividend shares for a 2023 ISA?

| Alan Oscroft

Looking for dividend shares to buy in a Stocks and Shares ISA? We just might have one of the best…

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Investing Articles

3 dirt cheap FTSE 250 stocks to buy for a 2023 ISA?

| Alan Oscroft

I wouldn't buy FTSE 250 stocks as my first ISA selections. But I would after I'd bought some bigger stocks…

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

5 dirt cheap FTSE 100 shares to buy in an ISA right now?

| Alan Oscroft

Looking for cheap FTSE 100 shares? I reckon that covers most of the index at the moment. Today, I examine…

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The words "what's your plan for retirement" written on chalkboard on pavement somewhere in London
Investing Articles

3 shares I bought for a second income when I retire

| Alan Oscroft

A second income is becoming a bit of a necessity for those of us looking forward to retirement these days.…

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

Should I buy J Sainsbury shares for long-term income?

| Alan Oscroft

While I've been watching Tesco, J Sainsbury shares have climbed this year. Is it too late for me to buy…

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Investing Articles

Is the Darktrace share price set to soar in 2023?

| Alan Oscroft

The Darktrace share price has crashed in the past two years. But the latest quarterly update doesn't look too bad…

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Investor looking at stock graph on a tablet with their finger hovering over the Buy button
Investing Articles

Here’s why I won’t buy Rolls-Royce shares right now

| Alan Oscroft

I see a lot that I like about Rolls-Royce shares at the moment, after a turnaround year in 2022. So…

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Investor looking at stock graph on a tablet with their finger hovering over the Buy button
Investing Articles

Is the THG share price too cheap to ignore?

| Alan Oscroft

The THG share price has been gaining ground in 2023, and I wonder if it might be a good time…

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Close-up of British bank notes
Investing Articles

I’d buy 10,000 Tesco shares for £100 in monthly passive income

| Alan Oscroft

I want to build up some long-term passive income by investing in FTSE 100 shares. Today, I'm looking at one…

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Young Black man sat in front of laptop while wearing headphones
Investing Articles

Should I buy Glencore shares before it’s too late?

| Alan Oscroft

Glencore shares are moving after merger plans were floated. Even after a strong bull run, I still think there could…

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Middle-aged black male working at home desk
Investing Articles

5 stocks I’d buy for a brand new 2023 Stocks and Shares ISA

| Alan Oscroft

The new Stocks and Shares ISA year is here. With that, we have a whole new contribution limit to use,…

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Close-up of British bank notes
Investing Articles

I’d buy 50,000 Lloyds shares for £100 in monthly passive income

| Alan Oscroft

What's the best way to fund our retirements? Mine is by investing for dividend income, and that includes buying Lloyds…

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Businesswoman calculating finances in an office
Investing Articles

3 FTSE 100 shares I’d buy in April

| Alan Oscroft

In April, we'll have updates coming our way from some of our most popular companies. These FTSE 100 shares could…

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Close-up of British bank notes
Investing Articles

I’d buy 16,000 Barclays shares for £100 in monthly passive income

| Alan Oscroft

What's the best way to build up a good passive income? I choose shares with good long-term financial strength. I…

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Young Black man sat in front of laptop while wearing headphones
Investing Articles

Is time running out to buy cheap Scottish Mortgage shares?

| Alan Oscroft

Scottish Mortgage shares look like they might be regaining strength as the US Nasdaq steadies. But the discount still looks…

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Mature Caucasian woman sat at a table with coffee and laptop while making notes on paper
Investing Articles

This big 8% dividend makes me want to buy Glencore shares

| Alan Oscroft

Glencore shares have been up and down over the past decade, and the dividend has done the same. But right…

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Investing Articles

The Petrofac share price just jumped 60%. Time to buy?

| Alan Oscroft

Don't you love it when a stock soars unexpectedly? That's what just happened to the Petrofac share price, and it…

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

A once-in-a-decade opportunity to buy cheap boohoo shares?

| Alan Oscroft

The past couple of years have been rough on boohoo shares, and they crashed hard. But they've started climbing back…

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Middle-aged black male working at home desk
Investing Articles

3 cheap dividend stocks to buy in April?

| Alan Oscroft

It looks like 2023 might deliver a new record for stock market income. There's news from a few of our…

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