Archive for 2019

Money is for enjoyment

I was at the Financial Planning Standards Board annual conference a few weeks back. They had a number of speakers from the world of finance and financial planning. But two of the speakers took my interest. It wasn’t exactly what they said, it was what they had in common. The first was a private equity […]

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ESG Investing

A few years ago, if you wanted to invest in an ethical fund, you had a choice of one or two funds in the whole of the Irish market. The fund didn’t invest in industries like tobacco, guns or porn and that was it. In 2018, there were 305 new ESG funds launched in Europe […]

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Value Stocks

Value stocks have under performed growth stocks over the past decade. In the US, the annualised compound return has been 11.4% for value stocks, or those trading at a low price relative to their book value. That contrasts with 14.7% annualised compound return for growth stocks, or those with a high relative price. Is it […]

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Impeachment and US elections

If you have been following the impeachment hearings in the US, Ambassador Gordon Sondland’s testimony was pretty sensational last week. While the evidence is there that President Trump abused his power to go after a political opponent, the impeachment process is a political process, not a legal one. With the two political parties as divided […]

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The Endowment Effect

Barack Obama’s greatest gift to the Democratic party was inserting pre existing conditions into the Affordable Care Act. Under this term, an insurance company can’t refuse to cover treatment or increase your premium if you have a pre existing medical condition when you started your insurance. During the mid term elections in 2018, Democrats campaigned […]

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Closed company surcharge

The Revenue doesn’t like it when people save loads of money and they can’t get their hands on it. We have seen it with deemed disposal on investments and imputed distribution on ARFs. Another one that has been in place for a long time is the closed company surcharge where the Revenue will charge a […]

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Auto Enrolment Scheme Details Announced

The Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Regina Doherty, announced more details about the auto enrolment scheme that is going to be introduced to help people fund for their retirement. It is estimated that just 35% of private sector workers have their own private pension plan. This compares to 100% of public service workers […]

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Paying down debt bit by bit

It’s not easy to lose weight. To lose just one pound a week, you need to have a calorie deficit of 3,500 or 500 calories a day. It is bit by bit but you will get there and then you are down to your ideal weight and feeling good. But if you expect too much […]

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How responsible are you with your finances?

I was going to write about something completely different this week but whilst doing some research, I saw an article about J.K Rowling that caught my eye. After separating from her husband, she and her baby daughter moved from Portugal to Scotland to be closer to her sister. With no job, no money, a failed […]

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Income Protection Terms and Conditions Update

Almost 6 years ago, I wrote an article about the terms and conditions of income protection policies. After Friends First and Aviva merged, I thought it was a good idea to read through them again to see what has changed. There are now four income protection providers in Ireland, Aviva, Irish Life, New Ireland and […]

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