Category Archives: Independent Articles

Will the next generation be able to afford to retire?

Q: ‘The rent from a flat I let no longer covers my mortgage. Must I sell?’  I have a two-bed apartment in Dublin that I bought during the Celtic Tiger with a tracker mortgage that’s 1pc over the ECB rate. The property is in a Rent Pressure Zone and the monthly rental income is €1,500…..read more

From paying legal bills to dividing up property and pensions – how much does a divorce cost?

Q: I’m 55 and I’ve had a significant portion of my pension savings invested in an equity portfolio for the last 15 years. This year, with volatility across the markets, my annual return has been negative. I had hoped to retire in ten years, so I am worried I will lose more of the savings….read more

Should I cash out of the markets now to stave off further equity losses?

Q: I’m 55 and I’ve had a significant portion of my pension savings invested in an equity portfolio for the last 15 years. This year, with volatility across the markets, my annual return has been negative. I had hoped to retire in ten years, so I am worried I will lose more of the savings….read more

I have always been careful with money but how do I protect myself now that I am feeling the pinch?

Financial Planning

Q I am working in the private sector on a modest salary but have always been careful with my money and able to manage quite well. However, I am starting to feel the pinch each month and can see my weekly shop going up all the time. Some experts are warning inflation could be more….read more

Is it wise to stop saving into pension as way of dealing with high prices?

Q The cost-of-living crisis has me really struggling to make ends meet. I’m on a reasonably good wage but my commute into work is now costing me considerably more. I’m in danger of falling behind on my mortgage or car loan if things continue as they are. I’m currently paying 5pc of my salary into….read more

Would an annuity suit me better than an ARF if I live into my Nineties?

The biggest advantage of buying an annuity at retirement is that you are guaranteeing a level of income for the rest of your life.

The biggest advantage of buying an annuity at retirement is that you are guaranteeing a level of income for the rest of your life. Stock image Q. I’m in my early Sixties and will retire in a few years. I’ve been paying into a work pension (defined contribution) for most of my working life and….read more

What should we do with €40,000 savings?

Q. We have accumulated about €40,000 in savings, currently sitting in our bank account. We don’t want to leave it there because of the threat of inflation and possible negative interest rates. Yet we don’t want to invest it either because we think we might need it in the next few years. Some of it….read more

Put savings into rental property or investment fund while travelling?

Q. My partner and I had planned to go abroad in summer 2020 and work for between one and two years. Covid obviously put an end to that – but we are hoping we can travel early in 2022. We currently have combined savings of €80,000 and are each saving €1,000 per month. We are….read more

Protect your future self’s wealth from a pension time bomb

pensions retirement

Unlike in the 1989 film Back to the Future Part II, starring Thomas F Wilson as young and old Biff, those in retirement will not be able to travel back in time to help their younger selves with money worries. As new rules lower final retirement pot forecasts, Eithne Dunne asks how you can maximise….read more

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