James Beard

3 days ago | fool.co.uk | James Beard

I noticed the other day that Diversified Energy Company (LSE:DEC), the FTSE 250 American natural gas producer, has one of the highest yields of any UK share. Out of curiosity, I decided to take a closer look at the group’s numbers. But I soon got confused by the various adjustments made when reporting its results. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not alone in presenting its financial information in this way.

5 days ago | fool.co.uk | James Beard

When I was a teenager, the stock market had a curious fascination for me. When I was asked by my teacher which career I wanted to follow, I said I planned be a stockbroker. He laughed. Later, when we were discussing where I wanted to do my work experience, I told the same teacher that I would love to go to the local stockbrokers. This didn’t happen. Instead, I spent two weeks at a branch of NatWest Group (LSE:NWG) scanning cheques and changing the foreign currency board each morning.

6 days ago | fool.co.uk | James Beard

Those who invest for passive income will be interested to learn that the FTSE 100, according to those who look after the index, currently (9 May) offers a yield of 3.58%. This is based on amounts paid over the past 12 months. Number crunchers appear to agree this is higher than all other major global stock market indexes, although Australia’s ASX 200 is a close second. In 2025, AJ Bell reckons members of the FTSE 100 will pay £83bn in dividends. This implies a forward yield of 3.7%.

1 week ago | fool.co.uk | James Beard

The 10 FTSE 350 income stocks with the highest yields are currently offering returns of 9.4%-14.1%, with an average of 11.3%. This means a £20,000 investment spread equally across all of them would generate annual passive income of £2,260. But reinvesting the dividends could generate better long-term returns. Using this approach, a £20,000 lump sum would grow to £290,676 in 25 years.

1 week ago | fool.co.uk | James Beard

Over the past 12 months, the share price of Vodafone (LSE:VOD), the FTSE 100 telecoms giant, has fluctuated between 62.4p and 79.5p. This is a relatively narrow range and, as a shareholder, I find this lack of movement extremely frustrating. But some people won’t be too bothered by this. They buy shares for passive income and are more interested in receiving dividends than achieving capital growth. However, in recent times, I think income investors will also be disappointed.