THREE major energy suppliers are giving out tens of thousands of energy-saving devices to households this winter.

Energy bills have risen for millions of households and winter fuel payments restricted to those on benefits.

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But there is a host of help at hand if you’re struggling to cover bills.

Octopus Energy, OVO Energy and EDF have all launched multi-million pound schemes offering free energy-saving gadgets to households in need.

From air fryers, to electric blankets and mattress toppers, here is everything you might be eligible for.

Octopus Energy

Octopus Energy is offering 20,000 electric blankets in total to customers in need this winter.

One of the UK’s largest energy firms has already distributed over 60,000 since January 2022 through its £30million Octo Assist Fund.

Octopus said customers with an electric blanket have saved an average £150 on their combined gas and electricity bills in previous winters.

The electric blankets are open to all customers, however Octopus said it is prioritising those in “particular circumstances”.

This includes those that are medically vulnerable, the elderly of people living alone.

The blankets provided to customers are made by Dreamland and usually cost £69.99 new.

To apply for an electric blanket, visit: http://octopusenergy/blog/octo-assist.

OVO Energy

OVO Energy has launched a £50million package of support for struggling customers.

Applications for the fund opened on October 1 with households eligible for payment holidays and direct debit reductions.

But some may be eligible for free energy-saving gadgets including electric throws and mattress toppers.

What you are entitled to depends on your personal circumstances although you do have to be an OVO Energy customer.

Find out if you’re eligible for help via https://www.ovoenergy.com/extra-support

EDF

EDF is pumping £29million into a range of support for hard-up households this winter.

Customers can get debt arrears wiped and free energy-saving gadgets such as air fryers, kettles and slow cookers.

EDF said it will replace any broken or in poor working order appliances with energy-efficient ones.

But not everyone qualifies for help. EDF said its team will identify eligible customers and refer them on for extra support.

You can find out more and apply via https://www.edfenergy.com/energywise/how-edf-are-supporting-their-customers-through-uks-cost-living-crisis

What other help is on offer

If you’re not eligible for free energy-saving gadgets through Octopus, EDF or OVO Energy’s funds, there is other support at hand.

You may be able to get free devices through the Household Support Fund between now and next March.

The fund is worth £421million and has been distributed among councils in England.

Each council gets to decide how to distribute its share of the fund but some are giving households free appliances and devices which could save you money on your energy bills.

Meanwhile, you might be able to get help paying for insulation or a new more energy-efficient boiler through the Energy Company Obligation.

You might even be able to get them for free depending on your circumstances.

It’s worth noting though that you are only eligible for help through the Energy Company Obligation if you are on benefits, classed as vulnerable or have a home with a low Energy Performance Certificate.

An Energy Performance Certificate is a document that shows how energy efficient your property is.

If neither of these two options are available, you might be able to save money on your bills by installing a heat pump, which you can get subsidised through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.

Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories

A MUM who won £333,000 on the People’s Postcode lottery was ecstatic – until a call from her boss ruined everything seconds later.

Angela Plant split the Millionaire Street Prize with a neighbour in the Hertfordshire village of Abbots Langley.

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She wanted to go on a shopping spree after presenter Danyl Johnson knocked on her door with the huge cheque.

But just seconds later Angela’s boss rang her up asking if she could do a shift the next day at the old people’s home where she works.

Angela said: “I’m going to work tomorrow. I do their shopping, take them out for a coffee.”

She added: “I just chat to them. It keeps my mind buzzing and I love it.”

Angela said she would stick a “little bit” away – but plans to splash out on a string of exotic holidays.

The wish list of getaways includes a Greek wedding for her eldest son and a trip to Florida for her first grandchild, who is due in December.

She said: “I’m speechless. Oh my God! I was expecting about £10,000 or £15,000.

“I’m in shock. I just kept seeing threes and thought, ‘When are the threes going to end?’

“I would have been happy with £333, that could still get a bit these days.

“This year has been up and down. I’m just going to make sure all my close pals and family are looked after.

“I had a couple of knee replacements two or three years ago. Before that, I couldn’t walk down the garden path.”

She added: “You don’t want profit in the bank, you want to go out and spend it.

“We’ve got our first grandchild on the way, and she is going to be spoiled rotten.

“I’ve always, always wanted to be a grandmother. She is due on December 19. We’ll have a really good Christmas.”

Angela said: “It’s important to do things as a family. Good memories last forever.

“I’ve got good memories from the past of going with the children to Florida, so I would like to take my granddaughter there.”

There’s no wrong way to put your money to work on Wall Street, but some methods produce more reliable gains than others. If you’re looking for a relatively safe and easy way to grow the stream of income you’ll have to work with during your retirement years, buying dividend-paying stocks and holding them for long periods is a terrific option.

During the 50-year period that ended in 2023, dividend-paying stocks in the S&P 500 index returned 9.17% annually on average. That’s more than double the return produced by their non-dividend-paying cousins. During the same period, the average dividend non-payers in the benchmark index returned just 4.27% annually, according to Ned Davis Research and Hartford funds.

You don’t need to be rich to put your money to work for you. At the moment, shares of AT&T (NYSE: T), Hercules Capital (NYSE: HTGC), and Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) offer dividend yields of 5% or better, and you can buy a share of all three with less than $100. Adding them to a portfolio now gives you a good chance to outperform the market while they beef up your passive-income stream.

1. AT&T

AT&T lowered its dividend payout in 2022 to adjust for the sale of its unpredictable media assets. Now that it’s strictly a telecommunications business, the cash flows it uses to make dividend payments should be extra reliable. At recent prices, the stock offers a 5.2% dividend yield.

Traditional-wireline subscriptions are still shrinking, but this headwind is easily overcome by demand for services that run on its 5G network and a growing web of fiber-optic cables. In the second quarter, mobility-service revenue rose 3.4% year over year, and this isn’t the only operation driving growth.

The three-month period ended June 30 was the 18th consecutive quarter in which AT&T added over 200,000 new fiber-internet subscribers. Late last year, the company also launched a fixed-wireless service for folks who aren’t located next to fiber optic cables. As a result, Q2 consumer-broadband sales rose 7% year over year.

At $2.7 billion in Q2, consumer broadband is responsible for less than 10% of total revenue. AT&T is one of just three telecom companies with a nationwide 5G network, so investors can reasonably rely on its consumer-broadband business to drive growth for many years to come.

2. Hercules Capital

Hercules Capital is a business development company (BDC), which means it can avoid income taxes by giving nearly all of its earnings to shareholders as a dividend payment. At recent prices, the stock’s regular distribution offers a big 8% yield.

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Hercules also offers a supplemental dividend that it set at $0.32 per share this year. If next year’s supplemental dividend remains unchanged, investors who buy this stock at recent prices will receive a 9.7% yield.

Most BDCs originate relatively high-interest loans to established mid-sized businesses that already earn money. Hercules Capital takes a riskier approach to financing by engaging start-ups in the life science and technology industries before they have any recurring revenues to report.

In isolation, the bets Hercules makes are extremely risky. The potential payoffs are so large, though, that the company can report strong-earnings growth if just a fraction of its investments succeed.

Hercules has raised or maintained its regular distribution since 2010, and continued movement in the right direction seems likely. In the first half of 2024, the BDC reported $1.07 billion in total-gross funding, which was 28% more than the previous-year period.

3. Pfizer

Sales of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine and antiviral treatment broke records regarding its rate of growth and decline. Sales of Comirnaty and Paxlovid shot up to a combined $56.7 billion in 2022. Less than a year and a half later, sales of the same two drugs collapsed to an annualized $1.8 billion.

Don’t let its recent ups and downs confuse you. Pfizer is a reliable dividend payer that has raised its payout every year since 2009. At recent prices, it offers a 5.7% yield that will be easier to predict now that sinking sales of its COVID-19 products are responsible for less than 3% of total revenue.

Pfizer’s dividend payout is supported by one of the largest catalogs of drugs with patent-protected market exclusivity. In the first half of 2024, a dozen of its products grew sales by a double-digit percentage compared to the previous year period.

One of the investments Pfizer made with its pandemic-related earnings haul was the $43 billion acquisition of cancer drug developer Seagen. The purchase gave Pfizer access to four commercial-stage treatments, including Padcev. In late 2023, Padcev became a chemotherapy-free option for newly diagnosed bladder cancer patients. As such, sales are expected to reach $8 billion annually by 2030.

Padcev is one of several blockbuster drugs that could help Pfizer continue its dividend-raising streak. Adding some shares to a diverse portfolio now seems like the right move.

Don’t miss this second chance at a potentially lucrative opportunity

Ever feel like you missed the boat in buying the most successful stocks? Then you’ll want to hear this.

On rare occasions, our expert team of analysts issues a “Double Down” stock recommendation for companies that they think are about to pop. If you’re worried you’ve already missed your chance to invest, now is the best time to buy before it’s too late. And the numbers speak for themselves:

• Amazon: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2010, you’d have $21,022!*

• Apple: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2008, you’d have $43,329!*

• Netflix: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2004, you’d have $393,839!*

Right now, we’re issuing “Double Down” alerts for three incredible companies, and there may not be another chance like this anytime soon.

See 3 “Double Down” stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of October 7, 2024

Cory Renauer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Pfizer. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

3 Reliable Dividend Stocks With Yields Above 5% That You Can Buy With Less Than $100 Right Now was originally published by The Motley Fool

It might not seem like it today with market indexes rocketing to all-time highs, but bear markets do exist. They happen around once a decade and are defined as a period when an index such as the S&P 500 falls 20% or more from all-time highs.

One happened in 2022 (it seems so long ago) as well as briefly in 2020. Before that, there were bear markets in 2009, 2001, and 1990.

When stock prices are soaring, it can feel like the time to put your foot on the gas and get more aggressive with your portfolio. But counterintuitively, it is the best time to get more conservative and mix in some stocks that can weather any recession or bear market. You don’t want your entire portfolio in risky hypergrowth technology stocks that can fall 80% in a market downturn. Many investors made this mistake in 2022.

Dividend stocks with high yields can be great ballast in your portfolio when preparing for an upcoming bear market. One of the top-yielding stocks is Altria Group (NYSE: MO). Here’s why it is an ideal choice to balance out a portfolio of expensive hypergrowth stocks.

Legacy tobacco and pricing power

Altria Group is the corporate owner of Philip Morris USA, which owns brands such as Marlboro and Copenhagen. Cigarettes power the boat for the company, with Marlboro leading the way. However, smoking has been going down in the United States for many years.

Although this is a concern for tobacco companies, Altria has been able to counteract these volume declines with price increases. Revenue is up 13.1% in the last 10 years, while operating income is up 50% cumulatively over that time period.

This is why Altria has been able to consistently raise its dividend per share — most recently by 4.1% to $1.02, its 59th increase in 55 years.

At a current yield of 8%, Altria Group looks like an attractive income stock if it can keep raising prices — and therefore its dividend payout. The big questions are whether this party can continue, and whether management can switch customers over to nicotine alternatives.

Can the company switch customers to other product categories?

Pricing power is great, but it can’t sustain Altria Group indefinitely. Eventually — if the trends of the last few decades persist — cigarettes will be a minuscule part of consumer spending in the United States.

Replacing cigarettes are vaping devices and nicotine pouches. Altria Group has invested in both with its Njoy and on! brands.

Both brands are growing, but still are below direct competitors. On! nicotine pouches have 8.1% market share of the oral tobacco market (including legacy chewy tobacco and new nicotine-pouch brands), while Njoy held just 5.5% of the vaping market in the United States. Combined, the two brands still form just a small portion of Altria’s consolidated revenue.

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Over the next five to 10 years, shareholders will need to keep track of the growth of these two brands. They can help replace sales volume lost from people quitting cigarettes.

Buy it for steady returns and low volatility

Altria Group is not a high-growth company. In fact, I wouldn’t expect its revenue to grow much over the next five years. Cigarette volumes will keep declining, which Altria can counteract with price increases and growth from on! and Njoy. But at current prices, I don’t think you need much revenue growth for the stock to do well.

It has a price-to-earnings ratio of just 8.5. The company is repurchasing a ton of its stock, which means it can grow its dividend per share without growing its nominal dividend payout.

The starting yield is around 8% today, and the company has a long history of growing its dividend per share. This means that even if the stock price goes nowhere — or falls in a bear market — investors will be getting a consistent 8% yield.

For all these reasons, I think Altria Group is a cheap stock you would love to own during the next bear market, whenever it arrives.

Should you invest $1,000 in Altria Group right now?

Before you buy stock in Altria Group, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Altria Group wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

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Brett Schafer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

1 Dividend Stock Yielding 8% to Buy in Case of a Bear Market was originally published by The Motley Fool

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s finance ministry on Saturday unveiled a fiscal stimulus package aimed at reviving the flagging economy and achieving the government’s growth target, though it did not disclose the size of the new measures.

The ministry said at a press conference that it would “significantly” increase government debt issuance to provide subsidies to low-income households, support the property market, and replenish state banks’ capital as part of efforts to jumpstart economic growth.

The much-anticipated briefing comes after the central bank and other regulators in late September announced the most aggressive monetary stimulus measures since COVID-19, including steps to revive the ailing property market such as mortgage rate cuts.

Reuters reported last month that China plans to issue special sovereign bonds worth about 2 trillion yuan ($283.02 billion) this year as part of fresh fiscal stimulus.

Below are the key measures announced by Finance Minister Lan Foan, at a news conference, where he was joined by Vice Finance Ministers Liao Min, Wang Dongwei, and Guo Tingting.

LOCAL DEBT RESOLUTION

China will increase support for local governments to address hidden debt risks, enhancing their capacity to support the economy. The government has allocated 1.2 trillion yuan ($169.81 billion) in local bond quotas this year to help resolve existing hidden debts and settle government arrears to firms.

China plans a large-scale debt swap program, alongside continued use of bond quotas for debt resolution, described as the “biggest” policy measure in recent years. Detailed policies will be announced after the necessary legal procedures are completed.

BANK RECAPITALISATION

China will expand the use of local government bond proceeds to support the property market and recapitalise large state-owned banks. Special treasury bonds will be issued to bolster the core Tier-1 capital of major state-owned commercial banks, improving their ability to withstand risks and provide credit to the real economy.

PROPERTY MARKET SUPPORT

Local governments will be allowed to use special bonds to purchase unused land, enhancing their ability to manage land supply and alleviating liquidity and debt pressures on both local governments and property developers.

China will also support the purchase of existing commercial housing for use as affordable housing and continue funding affordable housing projects.

The government is studying policies on value-added taxes that are linked to residential properties, and is looking at other tax policies to support the property market.

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SUPPORT FOR LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS AND STUDENTS

The government will increase support for low-income individuals and students to boost consumption. The number of national scholarships for undergraduates will be doubled from 60,000 to 120,000 annually, with the value of each scholarship rising from 8,000 yuan to 10,000 yuan per student per year.

Lan also noted that the central government has “relatively large room” to raise debt and increase the budget deficit, though he did not provide details.

China has set this year’s budget deficit at 3% of GDP, down from a revised 3.8% last year. The issuance of 1 trillion yuan in special ultra-long treasury bonds this year is not included in the budget. Local governments will issue 3.9 trillion yuan in special bonds in 2024, compared to 3.8 trillion yuan last year.

($1 = 7.0666 Chinese yuan renminbi)

(Reporting by Kevin Yao; Editing by Kim Coghill)

It’s amazing how much things can change in just 20 years. Two decades ago, industrial and energy stalwarts General Electric and ExxonMobil were the most valuable companies when measured by market cap, worth $319 billion and $283 billion, respectively. Jump ahead to 2024, and technology concerns are leading the way.

Topping the list are three of the world’s most recognizable tech companies. Apple leads the pack at $3.4 trillion (as of this writing). Nvidia and Microsoft are trailing close behind, with market caps of $3.1 trillion and $3 trillion, respectively.

With a market cap of just $1.9 trillion, it might seem premature to suggest that Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) has all the attributes necessary for membership in the $3 trillion club. However, the stock has gained 42% over the past year and 109% over the past five years, and its rebound appears poised to continue.

Recent improvements in the economy, the company’s strong market position, and its measured adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) could be the drivers needed to fuel Amazon’s membership in this elite fraternity.

Improving performance

The past several years have been rife with challenges, not the least of which was an economic downturn fueled by decades-high inflation. There’s been a vast improvement in recent months, however, as consumer sentiment in September reached its highest point in five months and the Federal Reserve Bank began its long-awaited campaign of interest rate cuts.

The improving economic conditions are favorably impacting Amazon’s results. In the second quarter, net sales of $148 billion climbed 10% year over year, while diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.26 nearly doubled.

Helping fuel the robust results were improvements from each of the company’s major operating segments. Online sales in the U.S. increased 9%, while international sales climbed 7%. Perhaps most important was a reacceleration from Amazon Web Services (AWS) — the company’s cloud computing business — which jumped 19%, its highest rate of growth since late 2022.

Equally important is advertising — the company’s fastest-growing business — which increased 20%, as Amazon is working to become a major player in the ad world.

An industry leader — in more ways than one

Amazon is the undisputed leader in the realm of e-commerce, which is an area it pioneered. The company accounted for 38% of U.S. digital retail sales last year, more than its next 15 largest rivals combined, according to data compiled by eMarketer. That dominance is expected to continue in 2024, with the company expected to nab 40% of online sales in the U.S. this year.

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The company has long employed AI to maintain a competitive advantage over its rivals. Amazon uses AI to make product recommendations to customers and predict and maintain adequate inventory levels at its distribution centers and warehouses. The company also uses AI-powered robots to stock shelves and gather merchandise for shipping, and deploys these advanced algorithms to determine the most efficient delivery routes.

Amazon is also the leader in cloud computing, another business it pioneered. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the top provider of cloud infrastructure services, with 33% of the market in the second quarter, with Microsoft Azure at No. 2 and Alphabet‘s Google Cloud at No. 3, with 20% and 10% of the market respectively, according to research firm Canalys. Amazon offers one of the largest repositories of AI models for its cloud customers, which has helped reaccelerate its cloud growth.

Last but certainly not least is Amazon’s digital advertising business. The company displays ads on its e-commerce website, Prime Video, Freevee, Amazon Music streaming services, its Twitch video game streaming platform, and more. The company uses AI to help ensure the advertising reaches its target market. The results are undeniable, as advertising has been Amazon’s fastest-growing business for several years running.

The path to $3 trillion

Amazon currently boasts a market cap of roughly $1.9 trillion, which means it will take stock price gains of roughly 57% to drive its value to $3 trillion. According to Wall Street, Amazon is expected to generate revenue of $635 billion in 2024, giving it a forward price-to-sales (P/S) ratio of roughly 3. Assuming its P/S remains constant, Amazon would have to grow its revenue to roughly $998 billion annually to support a $3 trillion market cap.

Wall Street is currently forecasting revenue growth for Amazon of 11% annually over the next five years. If the company achieves that benchmark, it could achieve a $3 trillion market cap as soon as 2029. It’s worth noting that Amazon has grown its annual revenue by nearly 400% over the past decade, so those expectations could well be conservative.

Furthermore, Amazon is currently selling for roughly 3.2 times sales, a slight discount compared to its average multiple of more than 3.3 over the past five years. That’s a pretty attractive price to pay for a company with so many ways to win.

Don’t miss this second chance at a potentially lucrative opportunity

Ever feel like you missed the boat in buying the most successful stocks? Then you’ll want to hear this.

On rare occasions, our expert team of analysts issues a “Double Down” stock recommendation for companies that they think are about to pop. If you’re worried you’ve already missed your chance to invest, now is the best time to buy before it’s too late. And the numbers speak for themselves:

• Amazon: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2010, you’d have $20,855!*

• Apple: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2008, you’d have $43,423!*

• Netflix: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2004, you’d have $392,297!*

Right now, we’re issuing “Double Down” alerts for three incredible companies, and there may not be another chance like this anytime soon.

See 3 “Double Down” stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of October 7, 2024

John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Danny Vena has positions in Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Meet the Unstoppable Growth Stock That Could Join Apple, Nvidia, and Microsoft in the $3 Trillion Club by 2029 was originally published by The Motley Fool