This week I’ll be doing some work with the Irish League of Credit Unions, a group who I’m sure I frustrate a lot as I have been vocal in saying it was bad financial planning when people paying unsecured debts (like CU loans) while not paying their mortgages. On the other hand – and the […]
We were asked to contribute as part of an independent panel at the Fianna Fail ard fheis, we were one of three independent experts offering opinion on the topic.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
This week ‘The Insider’ looked at the pro’s and cons of ‘handing back the keys’.
This week we talked about the information that banks have and how they use it to sell you product. We stress getting independent advice and not buying directly from banks, or at least shopping around before doing so.
The term ‘bludget’ is from a garbled sentence made by Marian Finucane when she went to say ‘budget’. That’s the fact of the term, what I prefer to think of it as (and in my head I rule supreme) is as a mash up of ‘bludgeon’ and ‘budget’ because it tends to be a good combination of the two, a budget with a financial beating thrown in. The budget will become virtually all of the financial news this week, the big changes for most of us will be the new property tax, and then dealing with whatever stealth method that is used to make us less well off while not ‘raising tax’. This charade is old and well versed, for instance, a few years ago the tax rates weren’t raised but the bands were lowered meaning you would start to pay the higher rate of tax earlier, that higher rate of tax now kicks in at €32,800 while the average industrial wage is about €35,000. So if you are ‘just average’ in earnings, for about 10% of that you are ‘above average’ in terms of the tax rate you’ll pay, which is where the rate more than doubles from 20% to 41%.
I give advice to couples regularly, those couples can be married, same sex, co-habiting or otherwise, but the common thread is that they are together and plan to stay together, and they want to make financial plans with common future for themselves. The issue can be that they are not married, in Ireland as many as one in ten people are co-habiting, which takes in people who are engaged but not married, couples who live together straight and gay alike who are not married, and separated people who form new relationships but are not yet divorced. While their love may be true, their treatment in the system is not the same as married people, it can also mean a lack of rights to the property of the other person, something which is legislated for if you are married or in a civil partnership.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
The Irish Property Owners Association have called for loan interest to be given a 100% write off as a business expense for landlords the same as it is done for commercial property owners or for any other business that has a loan – currently landlords can only offset 75%.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Lots of time is spent in finance columns where the writer is really trying to demonstrate how smart they are rather than showing you a way to save money. I don’t try to prove I’m smart because the truth is I’m a regular person like anybody else, but what I am good at is practical advice that works. Which is why this week I’m going to share one of finances best kept secrets, it’s how to get tax relief on your life insurance! You can call any life insurance company and probably never be offered what I am going to show you today, but trust me, it is both true and accurate.
Also filed in Accountancy, Advisors.ie In the Press, Income Tax, Insurance, Investment, Pensions, Taxation, Wealth
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Tagged cheaper life cover, life insurance, pension term assurance, section 785 policy
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Wednesday, October 24, 2012
I do my best to help you with your money concerns, and that is why this week I want to teach you how to ‘beat the bank’, it’s time to turn their tricks back against them Firstly, look at the way the banks hit you for your cash.
Also filed in Accountancy, Advisors.ie In the Press, Banking, Bonds, Economics, Investment, Savings, Taxation, Wealth
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Tagged aca, acca, beat the banks, cheap investments, etf, financial advice, investment grade bonds, ireland accountants, irish investment advice, junk bonds, tax advice, tax returns
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