With tax rates on dividends going up again in April, the Stocks and Shares ISA has never been more important. It gives everyday investors a real chance of building an attractive future passive income stream — one that remains tax-free. Of course, what’s considered attractive depends on each person’s situation and lifestyle needs. But with median annual full-time pay in the UK at just over £39,000 in April 2025, I think £64,000 each year in tax-free dividends would count as attractive, even a couple decades down the line. That would average out at approximately £5,333 every month. So, how large…
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Image source: Getty Images Investment trusts can transform an investor’s long-term returns from the mediocre from something spectacular. Trusts often provide wide diversfication, which gives some protection from localised issues that can destroy investor profits. Some of these financial vehicles also provide targeted exposure to hot themes (like artificial intelligence, or AI), regions (think emerging regions) and industries (such as renewable energy). Allianz Technology Trust (LSE:ATT), JPMorgan European Discovery Trust (LSE:JEDT), and Fidelity Special Values (LSE:FSV) are all great examples of high-performing investment trusts. Over the last half a decade, they’ve delivered an average annual return of 16.3%. Can they…
Private ownership is gaining ground again across Europe as companies seek more control and relief from the pressures of public markets. Before delisting, however, managers often adjust reported earnings, sometimes to make the company appear less expensive or to smooth the path for a buyout. Yet once these plans become public, markets often respond favorably, viewing the move as a signal of future value. This shift toward going private began after the tech bubble burst in the early 2000s and accelerated following the 2008 financial crisis, as firms sought greater control and flexibility outside public markets. The expansion of private…
Image source: Getty Images In my view, UK investors should pay more attention to small-cap stocks. Lower trading volumes mean more volatility, but they often have better growth prospects than their larger counterparts. In a number of cases, the companies are just too small for big institutional investors. But that’s not a problem for me and I’ve been looking for opportunities that might be going unnoticed. Judges Scientific Judges Scientific (LSE:JDG) is a collection of scientific equipment companies. It operates a strategy of buying smaller businesses and helping them grow via its existing network. Being small is an advantage for…
Image source: Getty Images Dividend stocks can be a great choice for investors looking to earn a second income. Unlike another job or a side hustle, there’s genuinely no work involved. For UK investors, there are some companies that come with outstanding track records of consistently returning cash to shareholders. And I think they’re well worth considering. Diageo Diageo (LSE:DGE) is a stock in transition. The company has faced some challenges recently, but the compensation for this is that investors who buy the stock today get a 4.5% dividend yield. That’s around the highest it’s been in the last 10…
Image source: Getty Images Now’s still a great time to look for cheap shares to buy. The London stock market’s enjoyed huge gains in 2025 as value investors have piled in. But there’s still plenty of brilliant bargains to be had. FTSE 100-listed Vodafone (LSE:VOD) is one I’ve noted. And from the FTSE 250, Polar Capital Technology Trust (LSE:PCT) and QinetiQ (LSE:QQ.) are another two bargains that have caught my eye. Can investors afford to pass them up? Here’s why I think they’re top value stocks to consider. A cheap investment trust Fears of a potential ‘AI bubble’ have driven…
Image source: Getty Images This FTSE 250 growth share has been rocketing like no other lately — up 421% in the last six months. Astonishing growers like this one usually only grab attention after the main action, yet it still seems to have fuel in the tank after jumping 40% in November. That makes it the best performer on the whole FTSE 250. Again. The stock in question is Ceres Power Holdings (LSE: CWR). The question now is obvious – can it keep doing this? My own portfolio is built around FTSE 100 shares, but I’ve been on the lookout for a smaller, faster-growing…
Image source: Getty Images In general, I’m not a fan of waiting for share prices to fall before buying stocks. But there are a few names I’m interested in that are just a bit too expensive for me at the moment. I’m very keen to add them all to my portfolio, but buying at the wrong price is always a bad idea. So a stock market crash – or something of that sort – could be just what I’m looking for. Experian There aren’t many FTSE 100 stocks that I think are genuinely expensive right now. But Experian (LSE:EXPN) is…
Image source: Getty Images Sometimes the best stocks to buy are the ones having the worst time. I’m talking about solid companies whose share prices have been thumped, offering a chance to get in at a lower level. These two FTSE 100 stocks slumped 20% in November. Does this make them screaming bargains? Rightmove shares crumble Shares in property portal Rightmove (LSE: RMV) crashed by a quarter on 7 November after management pledged to make artificial intelligence “central to all that we do”. The board’s timing was unlucky, coming in the middle of a wider AI panic that knocked investor confidence across the market.…
Image source: Getty Images Every stock has good years and bad years. But share price swings can be extreme. When I spotted a penny share that had been flying high during the pandemic and then fell sharply in the following years, it caught my eye. Could it now be at a price that makes sense to consider buying? The contender I’m talking about BATM Advanced Communications (LSE:BVC). It’s a somewhat unusual tech group, combining network infrastructure and cybersecurity with a medical diagnostics business. It splits up operations into three main areas. These are network, cyber tech, and medical diagnostics. In…