On 21 October 2011, liquidators were appointment in the case of Custom House Capital. The investment company was known for attracting high net worth clients before it went bust. In the latest court case in November, there were allegations that Harry Cassidy and John Mulholland embezzled in excess of €2.3m for their own benefit. But what […]
When PRSA’s were launched, The Pensions Authority announced them as the flexible pension plan . Go on any insurance company website and their blurb on PRSA’s will market them as a flexible pension plan (I have linked just one website here, but it could be any of them). But are they really any more flexible than the traditional […]
A few weeks ago, a woman sued Irish Life over an alleged failure to pay an income protection claim. The case was eventually settled out of court. For sick clients, this is a nightmare scenario, you are unable to work, your income has stopped and you make a claim on the insurance policy that you […]
I have been helping a lot of executives working with multinational companies. They are very skilled people, with good remuneration packages usually including big bonuses and company shares. They are also very demanding roles, usually requiring a lot of travel away from home on a regular basis. From my experience of working with these top executives, they […]
For people who undergo the financial planning process, there are usually gaps, typically at retirement when you stop earning a regular income and start spending savings and and again in old age when home care costs use up most of your savings and income. It is important to remember that the financial plan that you agree […]
My car broke down last week. So I phoned my mechanic, Ian, in Green Auto Service who told me to drop it in and he would have a look at it. Now, I have zero interests in cars and how they work, so when Ian started telling me what had gone wrong and what he did […]
During his Budget speech, the Minister announces the headline changes; those that will grab headlines and in an election year, those measures that will win votes. A couple of weeks later, the Finance Bill is published, which contains all the details and the changes that didn’t make the speech. Pensions were largely absent from the […]
A lot of recently married couples come in to see me about how to arrange their finances. There is something about the commitment of marriage that makes them now want to look at everything as a couple. Here are my key tips on how newlyweds should organise their finances. Create a budget. How much will […]
I had a meeting last week with a non national who wanted to know her options at retirement before she made her pension investment. As she is unlikely to stay in Ireland when she retired, she wanted control over her retirement fund. ‘No problem’, I said, ‘You can take complete control of your fund in […]
