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In 2026, the stock market remains filled with lucrative dividend-paying opportunities that can generate a chunky second income for investors. And even with a relatively small lump sum of £5,000, a portfolio can go on to generate a five-figure passive income stream over the long run. Here’s how.
Turning £5,000 into £8,397
On average, dividend-paying UK shares typically offer a dividend yield of around 4%. And investing £5,000 at this rate would instantly unlock an annual second income of £200. While that’s certainly nice to have, it’s not going to have a major impact on an investor’s quality of life.
Of course, by being more selective, it’s possible to target a more generous dividend yield. Yet even at 6%, that still translates to just £300. So how can investors aim to transform this into something far more substantial without investing more money?
The trick is to first focus on growing the £5,000 into a larger nest egg, and then later switch focus to dividends. For those with a long-term horizon of 30 years, that’s simple enough to do with an index fund.
After all, if the stock market continues to generate an average return of 8% a year, after three decades of compounding, £5,000 will be worth £54,679 – enough to generate a £3,281 second income at a 6% yield.
But by once again being selective and identifying the best stocks to buy and hold, the returns can be drastically improved over a much shorter time horizon. Just take a look at the jaw-dropping gains of 4imprint Group (LSE:FOUR) since 2011.
Anyone who put £5,000 to work 15 years ago and reinvested the dividends along the way is now sitting on a staggering £139,950 – enough to earn £8,397 in passive income.
Still worth considering?
4imprint’s extraordinary performance over the last decade and a half originated from consistent market share gains within a highly fragmented promotional products industry. Skip ahead to 2026, and the company’s now a global leader.
Management continues to leverage its titan status to attract new customers while simultaneously obsessing on maximising service quality to bolster its reputation for quality. And this strategy seemingly continues to be a winning formula.
Even with tougher market conditions, the business remains a highly-cash-generative enterprise, surpassing analyst expectations. Pairing all that with the fact that it’s still barely scratched the surface of the estimated $97.4bn promotional products market size, 4imprint’s upward trajectory could be far from over.
Of course, success isn’t guaranteed. Even with a strong position, the firm still has to fend off extremely fierce levels of competition.
As such, management’s pricing power flexibility is relatively limited, making it harder to pass along inflationary or tariff costs to customers while maintaining gross profit margins. Even more so during economic downturns.
So with all that in mind, can 4imprint continue to outperform? At a market-cap of £1.1bn, expecting another 2,699% return might be a bit too ambitious unless management is able to execute flawlessly.
But with the promotional products market projected to continue steadily expanding, and 4imprint’s impressive track record of outpacing its market, there nonetheless remains an interesting opportunity here.
So for investors looking to grow a portfolio to eventually generate a second income, 4imprint shares could be worth mulling over.
