[ad_1] Image source: NatWest Group plc The past five years have been rewarding for shareholders in FTSE 100 bank Natwest Group (LSE: NWG). Very rewarding. During that period, Natwest shares have moved up by 262% in price. On top of that, the shares yield 3.9% even now – well above the FTSE 100 average. But someone who invested five years ago, at the lower share price back then, would now be earning a yield close to 14%. For a blue-chip banking share that is an exceptional yield. Could the share keep moving up – and might it make sense for…
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[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images 2026 has started eventfully. Still, though, the stock market powers on. The FTSE 100 has already broken through the 10,000 mark for the first time ever this year. But with an uncertain economic and geopolitical outlook, does that make sense? Or could we be heading towards a stock market crash? Fear and opportunity The answer to that question will mean different things to different people. For some investors, a stock market crash is something to be feared. While a sharp decline in share prices may only be a paper loss (unless those shares are sold),…
[ad_1] A £250,000 ISA sounds like a major financial milestone. But when it comes to replacing a salary, the reality is far more sobering than it first appears. Sustainable income Once contributions stop, the focus shifts from growth to sustainable income. That requires an understanding of how withdrawals, longevity, and inflation interact during the drawdown phase. The chart below assumes a cautious long-term return of 4% a year and inflation of 2% during drawdown. By running the portfolio down to zero by age 85, it effectively stress-tests the maximum sustainable income over a 20-year retirement. Chart generated by author Under…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Within my Stocks and Shares ISA account, I have lots of individual holdings. And that’s unlikely to change any time soon, as diversification can reduce overall portfolio risk significantly. For a bit of fun though, I like to think about the stock I’d choose if I could only hang onto one. Here’s the one I’d go with if I was faced with this predicament today. This company has many ways to win If I could only own one stock, I’d want a company that operates in a number of different growth industries. I’d also want…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Lloyds Banking Group (LSE:LLOY) shares were the tenth-best performer on the FTSE 100 in 2025. During the year, the bank’s share price outperformed those of many of the ‘sexy’ tech stocks that Silicon Valley has to offer. That’s pretty good for a ‘boring’ bank that’s been around since 1765. What’s more, it also paid 3.33p a share in dividends. It means those who bought on the first day of trading in 2025 have enjoyed an impressive yield of 6.1%. However, since 31 December 2024, its share price has risen by 80%. It means the yield’s…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Receiving passive income regularly is one of the best boosts an investor can get. There are many different ways to achieve this, but using the stock market is one of the most popular. Via dividend stocks, someone can build up a diversified portfolio over several years that can eventually lead to income being paid on an almost daily basis. The foundations A good point to remember is that using a Stocks and Shares ISA can help to grow the portfolio faster. This is because the ISA isn’t subject to dividend tax or capital gains tax…
[ad_1] This week we’re back at the Mpact Transit + Community Conference in Portland Oregon at the Mpact Innovators Poster Sessions. We talk with young professionals about the transportation implementation and policy work they’ve been doing in the field including designing new transportation hubs, rethinking parking, and improving bus service.Scroll past the audio player below for a partial edited transcript of the episode — or click here for a full, AI-generated (and typo-ridden) readout.Jeff Wood: Next up is Ryan Martin, his poster is titled, “Wasted Space Using Parking Lots to Improve Neighborhood Completeness.”Ryan Martyn: My name is Ryan Martin. I’m from Portland, Oregon.Jeff Wood: So what’s your poster…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images With 2026 getting off to a shall we say interesting start, many are looking at FTSE 100 stocks as one of the safer places to park any spare cash. The high dividend yields on the index can provide safety in times of political or economic turbulence. And the defensive nature of these companies can help too. These are some of the reasons why the FTSE 100 had an excellent year last year – the Footsie’s performance even outmatched the American S&P 500 – and why it might be the perfect place to start building passive…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images BAE Systems (LSE: BA) shares rose almost 10 times the speed of the FTSE 100 last week, climbing 17.05%, against 1.74% across the index. They were driven by the US raid on Venezuela, and calls by President Trump for a massive increase to the US military budget, from $901bn this year, to $1.5trn in 2027. The current volatile situation may be bad news for world peace. But it’s good news for the UK’s biggest pureplay defence manufacturer, which has lucrative US naval, electronic systems and munitions orders. It’s a boost for smaller UK defence stocks…
[ad_1] Image source: The Motley Fool With Warren Buffett having now stepped back from his daily executive role at Berkshire Hathaway, we have witnessed the end of an era. What an era it was! The compounded annual gain in Berkshire’s per-share market value over the period 1965-2024 was 19.9%. That might not sound like a very high bar to beat. After all, lots of shares gain more than 20% in value each year. In fact, though, beating that number is harder than it seems. Doing well in one or two good years can seem deceptively simple. But Warren Buffett’s 19.9%…