Image source: Getty Images Stock picking has proven to be a phenomenal way to build wealth over the last decade, especially when using tax-efficient accounts like an ISA or a Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP). The latter’s particularly powerful thanks to its tax relief benefits that grant investors more initial capital. Of course, a stock-picking strategy’s only as good as an investor’s ability to find quality winning companies. And while there have been plenty of winners since 2015, there’s also a vast collection of losers. Those who successfully identified the London Stock Exchange Group (LSE:LSEG) as a winner have gone on…
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Loan Type Purchase Refinance 30-Year Fixed 6.90% 7.08% FHA 30-Year Fixed 7.55% 7.44% VA 30-Year Fixed 6.60% 6.55% 20-Year Fixed 6.67% 6.98% 15-Year Fixed 5.93% 5.91% FHA 15-Year Fixed 6.76% 6.82% 10-Year Fixed 5.89% 6.18% 7/6 ARM 7.27% 7.27% 5/6 ARM 7.07% 6.87% Jumbo 30-Year Fixed 6.85% 6.91% Jumbo 15-Year Fixed 6.57% 6.57% Jumbo 7/6 ARM 7.06% 7.39% Jumbo 5/6 ARM 7.29% 7.28% A mortgage refinance can help you save money with a lower interest rate, a lower monthly payment, or both. Other benefits include lifting private mortgage insurance (PMI), paying off your mortgage sooner, and withdrawing equity (in cash).…
Image source: Getty Images Global index funds can be great long-term investments. I own a few in my own portfolio and see them as ‘core’ holdings. However, investors looking to generate high returns from the stock market, individual stocks should be considered as they offer the potential for bigger gains. Here’s a look at two S&P 500 stocks (I’m personally backing) that I predict will outperform global tracker funds over the next five years. Driving the AI revolution Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) has had an incredible run over the last five years, rising about 1,500%. But that doesn’t mean it can’t…
Image source: Getty Images While dividend stocks aren’t often as exciting as growth-based alternatives, they can still go on to deliver gargantuan returns. In fact, most of the top-performing UK stocks over the last two decades have been dividend-paying enterprises with a knack for steadily increasing payouts. One such example is Safestore Holdings (LSE:SAFE). In recent years, the self-storage operator has seemingly struggled ever since higher interest rates came along to combat inflation in 2022. But before this spanner was thrown into the works, since 2010, shareholders had reaped a massive 1,223% return. That’s an average of 26.5% a year…
Image source: Getty Images This FTSE 100 bank has had a storming run. Its share price is up 60% in the last 12 months, and 170% over five years. The company in question is Standard Chartered (LSE: STAN), and to my irritation, I’ve paid very little attention to it. I’m all over Barclays, Lloyds, HSBC and NatWest. My interest is no doubt boosted by the fact they have a UK high street presence. Standard Chartered doesn’t. The shares are flying Despite being headquartered in the UK, it doesn’t offer retail banking here. Instead, around 90% of profits come from Asia, Africa and the Middle…
Image source: Getty Images The FTSE 100 index has risen by around 18% in the past 24 months. Add in the dividends, the total return rises above 20%. That’s a solid showing from the blue-chip index, especially considering all the economic and tariff uncertainty over this period. However, one FTSE 100 investment trust has doubled that, delivering a share price return of roughly 55% since June 2023. The name in question is Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust (LSE: SMT). However, it has been far from plain sailing for this growth-focused trust in recent years. Indeed, despite this strong two-year showing, the…
Image source: Getty Images Bunzl‘s (LSE:BNZL) set to issue a trading statement on Tuesday (24 June). And the last time the FTSE 100 company did this, the results were dramatic. The stock fell 25% when the firm released its Q1 results in April. So I think it’s worth paying close attention to both the business and the stock in the coming week. Profit warning(s) Bunzl’s Q1 update essentially amounted to a profit warning. And according to conventional stock market wisdom, these things are rarely isolated incidents. The firm reported weakness in both revenue and margins, especially in its North American…
Image source: Getty Images Using a Stocks and Shares ISA to invest is a fantastic way to build wealth. But in 2025, it seems not everyone’s been making a lot of money. While both the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 have been on the rise, many equity funds have seemingly struggled to keep up. And that includes funds managed by industry favourites such as Terry Smith and Nick Train. It seems that relying on actively-managed funds in 2025 has led to many ISAs tumbling into the red. And subsequently, an estimated £7.1bn of investor capital has been pulled out of…
Image source: Games Workshop plc By being frugal and investing a significant portion of a salary in an ISA each month, investors can eventually establish a sizable second income stream. On average, British households save around £450 each month. But for those able and willing to make sacrifices, almost doubling this saving rate to £830 a month can make an enormous difference. That roughly translates to putting aside £10,000 each year to fund an investment portfolio. And if an investor can match the 8% average return the UK stock market has historically generated, that’s enough capital to build a £250,000…
The Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged after its fourth Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting of 2025, maintaining the federal funds rate at 4.25–4.50% for the fourth consecutive time. Despite leaving policy untouched, officials downgraded their economic outlook and signaled growing hesitation around rate cuts this year. The Fed’s median forecast now calls for just two rate cuts in 2025, down from earlier projections, with more members shifting toward no rate reductions at all. Updated projections show that the central bank expects economic growth to slow from 1.7% to 1.4%, inflation to rise to 3.1% from 2.8%, and unemployment…