[ad_1] I grew up in a semi-rural area on a road without sidewalks, a few miles from the nearest bus stop. My parents still live there and as my dad enters his eighties, I’ve tried to initiate conversations with them about how they imagine navigating when they can’t drive safely anymore. Like many of us who have tried to have these conversations with aging loved ones, I didn’t get very far. “I would rather be dead than not drive,” my dad told me. I’m not sure he thought through the implications of that statement for my life as someone born with…
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[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images When it comes to trying to find good UK shares for income, I primarily hunt outside of the FTSE 100. In the FTSE 250, or with smaller market-cap companies, I tend to find more juicy options with higher yields. On my watchlist at the moment are several stocks that could be considered good investments. Thematic choices A theme that’s fallen out of favour in the past couple of years is renewable energy. For a start, interest rates staying higher haven’t helped. Typically, projects like wind and solar farms are capital intensive and require debt financing.…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images The Vodafone (LSE: VOD) share price had been climbing ahead of a third-quarter update due Thursday (5 February). But early trading on the day saw the shares lose a quick 5% after service revenue in Germany rose just 0.7% — well below expectations. Operations in Germany have been struggling, and a return to revenue growth had been a highlight at first-half results time. And in the UK, organic sales revenue declined 0.5% (following a 1.2% increase in Q2). But the company said that was expected. And that the “integration of VodafoneThree is progressing well and…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images The Shell (LSE: SHEL) share price dipped slightly Thursday morning (5 February), after the oil giant posted full-year results. CEO Wael Sawan described the year as one of “accelerated momentum, with strong operational and financial performance.” He added: “We generated free cash flow of $26bn, made significant progress in focusing our portfolio and reached $5bn of cost savings since 2022.” The final quarter saw income attributable to shareholders drop 22% from the previous quarter, to $4.1bn. The company put it down to unfavourable tax movements, tighter margins and lower realised prices. The figure was boosted…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images The S&P 500 consists of 500 of the largest US companies, including Nvidia, Apple, and Tesla. The FTSE 100 consists of 100 of the UK’s largest companies, including Shell, AstraZeneca, and HSBC. Which index is better? Where should investors look to grow their wealth? Which country is likely to offer the best returns on investment in the years ahead? The answer is obvious, isn’t it? Or is it? Exceptions A common viewpoint on this in the year 2026 is: yes, the S&P 500 is top dog. This is based on the dynamism of the US…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images In today’s turbulent economic climate, domestically-focused FTSE 250 stocks are looking more appealing than ever. With 10%-25% US tariffs threatening exporters and geopolitical conflicts rattling global supply chains, foreign business is at risk. But stocks on the UK’s mid-cap index typically serve more UK consumers in sterling, partly shielding them from currency swings and trade wars. While FTSE 100 blue-chips grab headlines, the FTSE 250 offers significant growth potential for patient investors. Currently, two stocks stand out, with analysts predicting growth of over 100% in the coming year. They are Future (LSE: FUTR) and Syncona…
[ad_1] Passive income of £5,000 a month sounds like a distant dream, but it’s a surprisingly useful way to frame long-term investing goals. And when we’re investing, we should always have a goal in mind, otherwise it can feel like a slog. At £60,000 a year, this level of income would comfortably exceed the UK’s average salary, while benefitting from the tax shelter of an ISA. It’s a great goal, but one that will undoubtedly take time to achieve. Please note that tax treatment depends on the individual circumstances of each client and may be subject to change in future.…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images. Diageo‘s (LSE:DGE) share price been one of the FTSE 100‘s worst performers over the last year. It begs the question: how much cash have investors like myself lost by holding the Captain Morgan maker? Since 5 February, 2025, Diageo shares have tumbled 25.7% in value. Though this drop has increased the dividend yield above historical norms, to 4.5%, the drinks giant has delivered a total negative return of 21.2%. It means someone investing £10,000 a year ago would now have just £7,880 sitting in their investment account. To put that into perspective, someone who put…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images When Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) reported its Q4 earnings on Wednesday (4 February) the stock went down, then up, then down again. The results were great, but that’s not the real story. The company outlined plans to increase its artificial intelligence (AI) spending to huge levels in 2026. But what does that mean for the company and the wider stock market? Outstanding operations Advertising revenues were up 14% and Cloud sales increased by 48%. And operating income growth was even more impressive, coming in at 22% and 154%, respectively. Investors used to wonder whether the shift to…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images My ISA hasn’t performed that well this week. It started with a sell-off of software names on Tuesday (3 February) — that was fine as I was quite light on them — but on Wednesday the sell-off moved to hardware. What was behind it? It’s all about the notion that AI will make many companies, especially in the software space, redundant. And that’s carried through a little to hardware. It’s all very nuanced and, quite frankly, every company needs to be assessed on a case by case basis. One business that has long been under…