Pope Francis has been honoured with America’s highest civilian award by President Joe Biden, who has described the pontiff as “a light of faith, hope, and love that shines brightly across the world”.
It is the first time Mr Biden, 82, has given the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction during his four years in office.
In a statement, the White House said the award is “presented to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavours”.
Mr Biden had been scheduled to present the medal to Pope Francis, 88, in person on Saturday in Rome on what was to be the final overseas trip of his presidency. But the president cancelled his visit to monitor the California wildfires.
The White House said Mr Biden bestowed the award during a phone call in which they also discussed efforts to promote peace and alleviate suffering around the world.
Image: President Joe Biden presented Bono with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Pic: AP
Image: Denzel Washington was also recognised. Pic: AP
Image: Michael J Fox was bestowed with the honour. Pic: AP
The award can be presented with or without distinction.
Mr Biden presented the medal of freedom – without distinction – on 5 January to several people including fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton, humanitarian and U2 singer Bono, fashion designer Ralph Lauren and actors Michael J Fox and Denzel Washington.
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Mr Biden himself is a recipient of the award with distinction, recognised when he was vice president by then president Barack Obama in a surprise ceremony eight years ago.
Image: Barack Obama presented Joe Biden with the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction in 2017. File pic: AP
The citation for the pope’s honour said his “mission of serving the poor has never ceased”.
“A loving pastor, he joyfully answers children’s questions about God. A challenging teacher, he commands us to fight for peace and protect the planet. A welcoming leader, he reaches out to different faiths,” it added.
Flames from the Palisades Fire burn a building on Sunset Boulevard amid a powerful windstorm on January 8, 2025 in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.
Firefighters made progress overnight against nearly all of the ongoing fires across southern California, including the massive Palisades and Eaton fires, officials said Saturday.
But gusty winds are picking up again this weekend and possibly through Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. Forecasters say the worsening conditions will keep wildfires an ongoing threat and potentially cause power outages in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
As fires rage on, LA Countyofficials announced Saturday that they have changed the county’s alert and notification system to partner with the state’s alert center while they investigate the root cause behind the false evacuation alerts sent to more than 10 million Angelenos earlier this week.
What you need to know
Search and rescue efforts for missing persons related to the fires will begin Saturday morning. At least 11 people have died from the Palisades and Eaton fires, according to the Los Angeles Medical Examiner’s Office.
More than 35,000 acres have been burned in total in the blazes and over 12,000 structures destroyed due to the wildfires, according to Cal Fire. A range of properties were destroyed, including homes,storefronts,sheds and cars. Local officials expect hundreds more ruined properties to be discovered in the coming days.
The LA Fire Department issued another round of evacuation orders and warnings on the eastern end of the Palisades fire, near the 405 Freeway, on Friday night. The new warnings affected the area of Brentwood, including an LA landmark, the Getty Center.
Four arrests were made Friday night, two of which were related to curfew violations. Of the 22 total arrests made since the fires, the charges include burglary, looting, trespassing and possession of narcotics, according to LA County Sheriff Robert Luna.
LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said Saturday that Angelenos do not need to take any action in response to the change in the county’s emergency alert system.
Keep reading for more information, and check back throughout the day for updates.
Air tanker planes and helicopters drop water over flames over the Palisades wildfire in Los Angeles on Friday.
Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images
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Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images
The fires
The massive Palisades and Eaton fires remain the biggest challenges for firefighters. Only limited progress has been made against these two behemoths, and there are fears that it could be reversed if weather conditions worsen.
As of Saturday, the Palisades fire, which has scorched over 21,000 acres across Santa Monica and Malibu, is currently 11% contained. Meanwhile, the Eaton fire, having burned through 14,000 acres in Altadena and Pasadena, is 15% contained.
In contrast, significant progress has been made on smaller fires. The Lidia Fire near Acton is now 100% contained. The Hurst fire near Sylmar reached 76% containment. And the Kenneth fire, which erupted Thursday and burned over 1,000 acres, is 80% contained.
On Friday, a new small blaze erupted in Granada Hills in the San Fernando Valley region. Firefighters there were able to quickly control the Archer fire, which consumed about 19 acres.
While strong winds and dry conditions helped fuel the fires, the exact cause remains unclear. LA Sheriff Robert Luna said Saturday that the blazes were under an “active and fluid investigation.” Meanwhile, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has ordered an investigation into why local fire hydrants went dry earlier this week.
Communities affected
At least 153,000 Angelenos have had to evacuate their homes and about 166,000 people were under evacuation warnings as of Saturday, according to the LA County Sheriff’s Department.
A curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. for areas under Palisades and Eaton fire evacuation zones will continue to be in effect until further notice, in response to concerns of burglaries and looting in evacuated areas.
This past week, the historic fires also disrupted school for more than 600,000 students in and around LA. Several school buildings were burned.
In the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, two elementary schools were lost and one high school was badly damaged. The Pasadena Unified School District also reported damage to five campuses in Altadena. Other districts are still assessing the destruction.
Images coming out of the region show the devastating effects of the climate calamity. But they also depict the community banding together in the face of tragedy.
At the Pan Pacific Park Recreation Center near central LA, donations overflowed so much that the center started to turn them away. In Huntington Beach, a small seafood restaurant also began housing donations for people affected by the fires. The owners told NPR a seemingly endless stream of volunteers have also appeared.
“We’ve seen such an outpouring of support,” said Lauren Gruel, who runs Calico Fish House with her husband. “My husband and I put out a call to action on our social media, and it kind of just blew up in the best possible way. We’re so thankful and grateful that people have trusted us to bring the items that they donated to where they need to go.”
The California Newsroom is following the extreme weather from across the region. Click through to LAist’s coverage for the latest.
Her Calabasas home is wedged between two major fires that have devastated Los Angeles County, and she can see water-dropping helicopters through the windows. The slightest change in the wind could have life-altering consequences.
Yet when she awoke Friday, this registered nurse drove through the haze and smoke to Pasadena to help people who have been displaced by another fire, the deadly Eaton blaze.
“Why am I going to sit at home when I can be helping?” said the nurse, who just wanted to be called Annette; drawing attention to herself was not the point. “What kind of nurse would I be if I didn’t come?”
Cynthia Cisneros, right, and Rosy Antonio had out food they prepared in Pasadena to fire victims and first responders.
(Kevin Baxter / Los Angeles Times)
She stood outside the Pasadena Convention Center, now an evacuation center for more than 1,200 people displaced by the fire. And she wasn’t alone. Three other volunteer nurses in pastel scrubs joined her, ready to help people who were being evaluated by other medical staff inside the convention center.
A couple dozen steps away, in the middle of the center’s courtyard, Miguel Alcala and Francisco Arizpe handed out more than 100 burritos and tortas they spent much of the morning putting together at their East Los Angeles restaurant, Tacos El Más Cabron. Next to them Cynthia Cisneros and Rosy Antonio served up soft drinks, bottled water and food they had made in their Glendora home.
“We want to help. We want to share with the people who lost their homes,” Cisneros said in Spanish as Antonio waved a paper plate in the air and shouted, “Free lunch, everyone!” in English. “Free food!”
A few people quickly took her up on the offer, rushing the small folding table Cisneros and Antonio had sent up on a sidewalk and thanking the two women profusely.
Across the Southland, thousands of people who have seen heartbreaking images of ruined neighborhoods have responded in similar ways, donating food, money, clothing or just time to victims of the fires.
“Spontaneous volunteers are great,” said Lisa Derderian, the public information officer for the city of Pasadena. “This is an unprecedented event and people just wanted to do something to help.
“People are coming up and they’re like, ‘I don’t have anything to donate. I just want to give them a hug.’ ”
Derderian said most of the city’s 2,000-plus employees have been reassigned to work on wildfire relief around the clock.
“It’s all hands on deck,” she said. “One firefighter I just talked to lost his home. But he’s out here helping with these relief efforts when he just lost everything.”
Jada Thompson, who works in mental health services in Pasadena, brought hugs along with several dozen board games to the convention center, where fire victims have seen their world suddenly reduced to little more than a cot and bright white Red Cross blanket.
Former Lakers player and coach Michael Cooper, left, greets volunteers and others as people drop off items at a large donation site that sprung up outside the Rose Bowl.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this. It’s mostly shock,” Thompson said when asked how people are coping. “For a lot of the kids, they don’t know what’s going on. They don’t know what happened to their friends, what happened to the school.”
Board games can take their minds off those unanswerable questions, a least for a moment. And when that doesn’t work, she can always offer a hug or just an ear for people who have stories they need to share.
Outside the convention center, Lamar Flucas stood near the head of a line that snaked down Arroyo Parkway, holding out a cellphone playing nondescript recorded music.
“I’m online with FEMA right now,” he explained. But he also had a story he wanted to share.
Flucas, who has been living in a shelter since Wednesday morning, said he was lucky to be alive. He was asleep as the fire approached his Altadena home when an uncle managed to wake him by pounding on the door. Ten minutes later that door and the rest of the house were gone.
Flucas, like the others in line, was waiting for a $250 prepaid credit card from the California Fire Foundation to help with minor expenses such as food, gas and toiletries.
“We help out people in their worst time of need,” said Mike Lopez, a former firefighter and secretary-treasurer of the foundation. “But my whole career put together doesn’t compare to the stories I’ve heard and the families that lost everything in these major fires.”
Which is why some of the most important donations are the personal ones people have made.
“It’s not just the material and monetary,” Derderian said. “They’re like, ‘I want to give support.’ People are bringing their dogs like comfort animals.”
Volunteers help load donated goods at the Pasadena Humane Society on Saturday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
A half-mile away, it was the dogs who needed comforting. The Pasadena Humane Society, which had 177 animals on site when the fires broke out Monday, took in more than 400 more over the next 48 hours. Some were strays, many of them sick or injured. But the vast majority were pets of families who had been burned out of their homes and needed to surrender their animals temporarily while they figured out what to do next.
“Our staff and volunteers have just been completely heroic in dealing with this influx of animals with special needs,” Dia DuVernet, the humane society’s president and CEO, said over a chorus of barking and howling dogs. “You’ve seen this complete outpouring from the community of support.”
The center’s parking lot was filled with volunteers organizing donated bags of dog and cat food, crates and cages, plush toys and other pet supplies. Nearby, other volunteers struggled to direct a long line of donors who were blocking traffic on Raymond Avenue.
By mid-afternoon, the center had received so many donations, it was turning people away and asking for cash instead.
“I was walking through the parking lot and I was like, ‘Who are these people?’” Kevin McManus, the society’s communications manager, said of the dozens of people offering help. One of them was Mac McCloskey, who came with about 15 other volunteers wearing bright yellow T-shirts and jackets branded with the logo of the Church of Scientology.
“We could sit at home. But that’s not what the people need,” McCloskey said.
About a quarter-mile south on Raymond, a different mass of about 40 volunteers was buried by donations outside an adult center run by Union Station Homeless Services.
“Sorry, crazy day,” one worker shouted into his cellphone as he raced past a driver unloading pallets of donated food sent by Cremi Mex, a Latin American food and dairy services company.
“We’re always blown away by the generosity of our community. But then when we put out a need that there is an emergency, they just incredibly stepped up,” said Amanda Green, Union Station’s chief operations officer. Behind her, volunteers gathered donations of sports drinks, bottled water, blankets, hygiene items and food and sorted them into 30-gallon containers to be handed out to those who she’s sure will soon be making their way to the center.
“We have corporations who we’ve never been connected to reaching out to see how they partner. It’s just been overwhelming.”
Los Angeles County firefighter Scott Takeguma works to douse the flames at a home in north Altadena.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Across the county, thousands of families have been left homeless. Green said many of those people, who never thought they’d be without shelter, will soon be turning to places like Union Station, putting pressure on a support system that was already buckling under the weight of the second-largest homeless population in the U.S.
“We just have so many people who are falling into homelessness who have never navigated the system before,” she said. “We want to make sure we’re here for them and helping them through that.”
In the last five days thousands of people throughout the Southland, from nurses who live in fire zones to firefighters who no longer have a home to return to, have apparently made the same pledge.
A firefighter prepares to rest in his sleeping bag outside the Pasadena Rose Bowl on Friday.
During an interview with Joe Rogan about Meta’s abandonment of fact-checking and changing rules to allow hate speech, Meta’s CEO targeted Apple for lacking innovation since the iPhone.
Meta has always had a bone to pick with Apple, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is never afraid to discuss the company in interviews. The latest wide swing comes after a perceived lack of innovation, over-reliance on iPhone, and use of proprietary technologies.
The interview itself is covered in detail by 9to5Mac‘s Chance Miller, breaking down specific segments of the interview. I want to dive into a few of the things Zuckerberg said about Apple.
First, he shares how he’s happy that the iPhone exists and how Facebook must have been written around the same time Steve Jobs was working on the device in 2004. The success of the iPhone has always been a bit of a sticking point for Facebook, as it thrives on user data and there’s nothing more private than what a user has on its device.
The idea was so powerful that Facebook tried to make its own phone via HTC and several Apple engineers it hired. Ever since that flop, Facebook, now Meta, has tried to find new ways to gather the valuable iPhone user data either through manipulating users to install a VPN or via the EU DMA.
Apple has always taken a strong stance against Facebook and its blatant disregard for user privacy to the point that it targets Facebook’s entire business model in many of its updates.
So when Zuckerberg says that Apple’s innovations are frozen in time on a product that came out 20 years ago, it’s easy to see where that bitterness is coming from. It seems lost on Zuckerberg that his company also released a product 20 years ago that lacks innovation and stands as the profit center for Meta.
Then, of course, Zuckerberg goes in after Apple’s “tax” that apparently stifles business and would allow Meta to essentially double its profits if it didn’t exist. It’s something Facebook has taken issue with before, even trying to bypass Apple’s commission with external links.
Apple Vision Pro is a fully-immersive headset, which is a very different product from Meta Ray-Bans
He continues by suggesting Apple Vision Pro is a more expensive yet worse version than the Meta Ray-Bans, which aren’t even in the same product category. He may be confused since he said similar things about how the Meta Quest was also better than Apple’s premium headset. Find our comparison here.
To be fair, he does say Apple Vision Pro’s sharp screen makes it a better movie viewer than Meta Quest, but it is terrible for interactions and gaming. However, he forgets that Apple Vision Pro is also an excellent productivity and work tool, something Meta Quest just cannot compete with.
The conversation seems to imply that Apple has run out of innovative ideas, that instead it chases other product categories in the market like headsets and glasses. Zuckerberg apparently isn’t aware that most of his company’s properties are built on stealing ideas from Snapchat, TikTok, and most recently X by absorbing its horrific views on humanity and moderation.
Zuckerberg and Rogan then cover RCS and blue bubbles, where Zuckerberg shares his annoyances with how kids treat colored bubbles as a status symbol. Then he goes on to say he almost exclusively uses WhatsApp, Facebook’s own walled garden of messaging services.
The Apple bit of the interview starts around the two-hour and twenty-minute mark, embedded below. It starts with Rogan talking about switching to Android.
Meta owns Facebook, Instagram (via acquisition), Threads (Twitter clone), WhatsApp (via acquisition), and Oculus Quest (via acquisition), and its apps are used by a large percentage of the world’s population. Despite its size, influence, and the mountains of data it has at its disposal, it never seems to be enough, and since Apple promotes privacy, Meta is often at odds with the company.
The interview comes after Zuckerberg told the world that Meta was abandoning fact-checking in a move that mimics Elon Musk’s X. The company also controversially changed its policies to allow slurs, hate speech, and other language directed at the LGBTQ+ community in posts and groups in the name of “free speech.”
The company is abandoning its DEI initiatives and has faced incredible backlash from the changes. Many employees have quit, and Google searches for “how to leave Facebook” have gone up 5,000x.
These changes are a clear attempt to gain favor with the president-elect, Donald Trump, as each of the calls echoes his sentiments and that of his party. Apple CEO Tim Cook has also sought to gain good graces with him, though through less dramatic acts like meeting for a dinner or donating $1 million of his own money to the inauguration fund.
Mark Zuckerberg will likely continue to have problems with Apple going forward, but it remains to be seen if Meta’s earned favor with the president-elect will help influence future action against Apple. Regulators are still eying big tech in the United States, and the next four years may see big changes based on who is currying favor.
UFC Vegas 101 takes place TONIGHT (Sat., Jan. 11, 2025) inside the promotion’s familiar APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. The first mixed martial arts (MMA) event of the New Year will be streamed LIVE on ESPN+. The main event is a rematch between Brazilian Strawweight contenders with Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas (thanks to the old switcheroo).
UFC Vegas 101’s co-main event sees veteran Welterweight Santiago Ponznibbio take on Carlston Harris. Both men are coming off losses and are in desperate need of wins if they wish to achieve any relevancy in the division. Also on the main card is a match-up of power punching Middleweights with Cesar Almeidavs. Abdul Razak Alhassan. Rounding out the main card is the returning Chris Curtis vs. Roman Kopylov, Christain Rodriguez meeting Contender Series standout Austin Bashi and Punahele Soirano taking on Uros Medic.
Meanwhile, UFC Vegas 101’s “Prelims” are headlined by lanky Flyweight Jose Johnson. He meets Felipe Bunes. There’s also Marco Tulio vs. Ihor Potieria and Thiago Moises vs. Trey Ogden.
UFC VEGAS 101 START TIME, DATE
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 101 card below, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which begin at 4 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card (also on ESPN+) at 7 p.m. ET.
Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps, and post-fight analysis following “Dern vs. Ribas 2” Without further delay, see below for the updated UFC Vegas 101 results. (Note: This will go from the top down; therefore, look to the top of the stream for the newest update).
UFC VEGAS 101 QUICK RESULTS
115 lbs.: Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas 170 lbs.: Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Carlston Harris 185 lbs.: Cesar Almeida vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan 185 lbs.: Chris Curtis vs. Roman Kopylov 145 lbs.: Christian Rodriguez vs. Austin Bashi 170 lbs.: Punahele Soriano vs. Uros Medic 125 lbs.: Jose Johnson vs. Felipe Bunes 185 lbs.: Marco Tulio vs. Ihor Potieria 155 lbs.: Thiago Moises vs. Trey Ogden 170 lbs.: Preston Parsons vs. Jacobe Smith 125 lbs.: Ernesta Kareckaite vs. Nicolle Caliari — Kareckaite def. Caliari via unanimous decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) 205 lbs.: Magomed Gadzhiyasulov vs. Bruno Lopes — Lopes def. Gadzhiyasulov (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) 115 lbs.: Fatima Kline vs. Viktoriia Dudakova — Kline def. Dudakova via TKO (elbows), round 2 (4:27) — HIGHLIGHTS! 155 lbs.: Nurullo Aliev vs. Joe Solecki — Aliev def. Solecki via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
UFC VEGAS 101 ‘Dern vs. Ribas 2’ PLAY-BY-PLAY
We’re back at the UFC APEX for UFC Vegas 101.Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
STRAWWEIGHT SHOWDOWN! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heads back to its APEX venue in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sat., Jan. 11, 2025, with an important 115-pound main event featuring jiu-jitsu phenom Mackenzie Dern, who looks to avenge her 2019 loss to Brazilian bruiser Amanda Ribas. In addition, longtime welterweight slugger Santiago Ponzinibbio returns to face off against “Mocambique” mauler Carlston Harris in UFC Vegas 101’s hard-hitting co-headliner.
Of the book, she told the outlet, “It gave me more of a focus and more of a purpose, and I really hope I can be an advocate and a voice to people that feel alone or left behind,” she explained. “I want them to see that life can keep going, and that’s why the book’s called This Far, because it is not the end. This is just the beginning of a new [chapter].” But backlash ensued, with criticism leveled at the dancer for allegedly sharing personal details following Boss’ death.
“To fans of Stephen and our family and friends, I want to be clear that my only intention in writing the book is to share my own story as well as part of my life with Stephen to help other people,” she wrote via Instagram stories on January 8, 2025. “Just like you, I never really knew what happened, and even as I am trying to put the pieces together I will never really know.”
During their marriage, which began in 2013, they shared three children. Get to know each of them below.
Weslie Renae Fowler
Allison’s first daughter Weslie Fowler, 16, was from a previous relationship, though Boss adopted her and according to PEOPLE, they shared a “special bond.” “She’s so cool. She’s such a good kid,” he told Jennifer Hudson in 2022. “She’s so respectful.” In August of 2024, Allison shared with the same outlet that she and her daughter are close, as well. “We lean on each other in our high moments, but also our low moments, when we’re really emotional or triggered or going through something,” she shared. “I’m really, really grateful that she sees me and I see her. We listen to each other and we communicate.”
Weslie enjoys soccer and is currently a senior in high school.
Maddox Laurel Boss
Maddox Laurel Boss, tWitch and Allison’s first child together, arrived in 2016. He’s now 8 years old, and in an exclusive interview with HollywoodLife in 2017, tWitch revealed that dance is “natural” for him. “He just wants to be moving. Truth be told, he’s mine and Allison’s son so that’s kinda where we get that from,” he told HL at the time. “Here in the house, we’ll have music playing and we have impromptu dance parties all the time so, for Maddox that’s just normal life!”
On his 8th birthday in March of 2024, Allison took to social media to praise her son. “Happy Birthday MADDOX.. 8 years old! This kid lights up the world. He has the most beautiful spirit that lifts everyone up around him so full of energy and love. So proud of you! Together forever!” she captioned the photo post, along with an adorable photo carousel.
Zaia Boss
Allison and tWitch’s youngest child Zaia Boss, 5, was born to the couple in November of 2019. In a sweet Instagram post, she shared the good news, calling her a “healthy beautiful angel” and announcing her name. On November 3, 2024, the Dancing With the Stars beauty took to Instagram again to wish her baby girl a happy 5th birthday. “It’s My babygirl ZAIAs BIRTHDAY today!” she captioned the birthday tribute. “She is 5 going on 20. I am so proud of how far she has come. My angel has a heart of gold and the scream of a lion 😂😂 and I am completely obsessed with her!”
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.
Jennie poses for Chanel’s Coco Crush 2025 fine jewelry campaign. Photo: Chanel
Chanel starts off 2025 with a new Coco Crush fine jewelry campaign starring its global ambassador, Jennie Kim. Known for her enviable style, Jennie shines as she showcases rings, earrings, necklaces, and bracelets crafted in 18K beige gold and white gold, many adorned with diamonds.
Chanel Coco Crush Fine Jewelry 2025 Campaign
Blackpink’s Jennie wears earrings from Chanel’s Coco Crush fine jewelry collection. Photo: Chanel
The campaign also features models Mona Tougaard and Amelia Gray, offering a modern take on Chanel’s signature sophistication. Jennie brings a playful yet refined appeal, wearing pieces like the Coco Crush necklace and signature stacked rings.
Mona Tougaard fronts the 2025 Chanel Coco Crush fine jewelry campaign. Photo: Chanel
Highlights of the collection include mini bracelets with the exclusive Coco Twist invisible rotating clasp and semi-pavé rings featuring graphic diamond rows.
Amelia Gray fronts the new Chanel Coco Crush ad. Photo: Chanel
Chanel adds a new twist this year by incorporating red. This signature house color is used in the Coco Crush jewelry for the first time. The striking ruby detail on the “C” of the Coco necklace is a standout.
Passive income ideas come in many shapes and sizes. One I like – and indeed use myself – is as simple as buying shares in blue-chip companies then collecting the dividends.
That can be fairly lucrative. It also means that, rather than try and start some low-effort business from scratch myself, I can benefit from the hard work and competitive advantages of already successful FTSE 100 businesses.
As an example, here is how an investor willing to adopt a long-term approach could target close to £1,000 of passive income each month by investing £20,000 in the stock market.
Getting ready to invest
A first move would be preparing the groundwork to start buying shares, even if those shares are yet to be decided upon.
There is a wide variety of different share-dealing accounts and Stocks and Shares ISAs available. Before putting £20k into one, I think it makes sense for an investor to decide what might seem best for their own financial circumstances and investment objectives.
How to build long-term dividend income streams
At face value, the goal I am discussing here may seem impractical. £980 a month is £11,760 a year. For an investment of £20k, that would represent a dividend yield of close to 59%.
Even if there was a FTSE 100 share that yielded 59% (and there are none anywhere near), that alone would be a massive red flag for me. On top of that, I would never put all my eggs in one basket so would diversify across a number of shares.
But remember that I said I was discussing a long-term approach here. Long term can be an investor’s friend. Not only does it mean that a great company bought at an attractive price can hopefully prove its worth, it also allows time for dividends to be reinvested – and, in turn, hopefully earn more dividends themselves.
That simple but powerful approach, known as compounding, can be a major force magnifier for the savvy investor.
If an investor put £20k into a portfolio of shares yielding an average 9%, then after 22 years of compounding that portfolio ought to be throwing off passive income of more than £980 a month, on average.
Finding shares to buy
In fairness, 9% is hardly an average yield for a FTSE 100 share. That currently sits at 3.6%.
But that does not mean 9% is unachievable. As an example, consider one share in my portfolio: Legal & General (LSE:LGEN). The FTSE 100 financial services provider currently offers a dividend yield of 9.3%. Management has also set out plans to grow the dividend per share annually.
It has done that since a cut in the wake of the financial crisis, bar one year during the pandemic when the payout per share was held flat.
Thanks to a large target market, strong brand, sizeable customer base and proven capability to generate excess cash flows that can fund a dividend, I feel confident that Legal & General could keep growing its payout in years to come.
Will it happen? The business has reported weaker profits in the past couple of years and one risk I see is stock market turbulence leading policyholders to pull out funds, hurting profits.
However, I plan to hold the share and hopefully keep earning passive income from it.
Savings can be put to work in the stock market to earn a second income, in the form of dividends paid by some shares. That can be lucrative and lets investors benefit from the success of proven blue-chip companies without having to do any of the hard work themselves.
Here is how an investor could target an average monthly income of £560 by investing £9k, while sticking to large, proven UK companies.
Getting started
The first thing an investor might consider is the practical question of how to put the money to work. To that end, I think it makes sense to survey the wide array of share-dealing accounts and Stocks and Shares ISAs available.
Each investor has their own objectives and financial situation, so I think it can be helpful to take time and find what seems like the best match.
Building an income machine
With that done, it is then possible to start buying shares. I use the plural on purpose. Even the most promising share can disappoint.
Dividends are never guaranteed to last and there is also the risk of a share price going down. So diversifying across a varied range of shares is a simple but smart risk-management strategy.
Imagine that such a diversified portfolio of blue-chip FTSE 100 shares generates an average dividend yield of 7% (something I discuss in more detail below).
If 35 years sounds like too long to wait, the same approach could also work on a shorter timeframe. In that case, the monthly second income would be less.
On the hunt for dividend shares to buy
That 7% may not sound a big number, but most FTSE 100 shares do not offer as high a yield as that. In fact, it is close to double the current average.
But some blue-chip shares do offer such a yield, or even more right now. As an example, one income share I think investors should consider Is insurer Aviva (LSE: AV).
The FTSE 100 share yields 7.3%. It has also been growing its dividend per share handily in recent years, though that comes after a big cut in 2020 (a reminder that no dividend is ever guaranteed to last).
It has a strong position in the UK insurance market. And if its takeover of rival Direct Line is successful, that could become even stronger. Economies of scale could also help the combined company’s profit margin.
Insurance is a large market with strong ongoing demand. I see Aviva as well-positioned to capitalise on that, thanks to strong brands, a large existing customer base (many of whom buy multiple products from the firm) and vast experience in underwriting.
Will the dividend last, let alone keep growing? As Direct Line itself proves, insurers can suffer badly if they misprice risks. Given its strong market position, that is definitely a risk I see for Aviva.
On balance though, I see the 7.3%-yielder as a share investors should consider.
When investors are feeling good, the S&P 500 can take off like a rocket. This was certainly the case in 2024 when the US benchmark share index surged 23%.
It wasn’t just the tech giants like Nvidia, Tesla, and Amazon that soared in value. Shares across the S&P 500 ripped higher on hopes of sustained interest rate cuts that would boost growth and, by extension, corporate profitability.
But what shoots higher when confidence is up can crash to earth when optimism wanes. This has been the story so far in 2025, with investors questioning the outlook (and the lofty valuations) of last year’s risers.
According to analyst Kathleen Brooks of XTB, “momentum and growth had been powerful drivers of the S&P 500’s rally in 2024 [but] they have now reversed“.
This switch has seen “value shares outperforming” growth and momentum stock in recent days, Brooks noted. She added that “it’s too early to know if this is a trend, but it is definitely something to watch“.
Rising gloom
US shares are selling off for a variety of reasons, including:
Signs of stubborn inflation that may limit global interest rate cuts.
Strong US economic data that could temper rate cuts by the Federal Reserve in particular.
Fresh fears over China’s economy.
Worries over immediate new trade tariffs from US President Trump.
Some of these concerns aren’t new. However, the huge valuations on S&P 500 shares are making investors reassess whether current stock prices accurately reflect the risks and challenges ahead.
In this climate, it’s perhaps no surprise to see demand for US value shares picking up. Low valuations leave a wide margin of safety in case of earnings shocks related to macroeconomic events.
A value share to consider
As a long-term investor, my bullish view on the S&P 500 remains in tact. History shows that share prices always rebound following crises. And I’m expecting the US stock market to continue its decades-long ascent, driven by the ongoing technological innovation and the large domestic economy.
However, I can take steps to reinforce and protect my portfolio by adding some value stocks. Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) is one I think is worth serious consideration today.
For 2025, the Google and YouTube owner trades on a forward P/E ratio of 21.8 times. This is comfortably below the S&P 500 average of near 30 times.
It’s also some distance under an average of 47 times for the index’s broader information technology sector.
Alphabet’s cyclical operations leave it vulnerable during economic downturns. It also faces increasing competition from other search engines and social media providers.
However, the tech giant also has considerable growth potential as the digital economy continues expanding. I’m particularly taken by its progress in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential in other growth sectors like cloud computing and autonomous vehicles.
In the current climate, I think buying cheap US shares like this is a great idea to consider.
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