Informed Decisions Financial Planning & Money Podcast

We have recently been asked to share ideas on how an individual (or couple) can ensure their investments/estate/assets are properly distributed and managed once they die. It is an area that is of real value and interest to both the people who may be 'receiving' and indeed obviously to the people that are 'giving' it! While Trusts are an area that we have touched-on in previous episodes we would not claim to be legal experts on the matter. For that reason we have invited Pauric Druhan, a qualified solicitor and trust expert from Pearse Trust, to join us on the Podcast. Pauric shares his experience and knowledge on the different types of Trusts but more practically he shares examples of how they can be used and in what circumstances they can be of benefit to people who want to manage the 'distribution' of their estate before and indeed after they die. It is a key part of Estate Planning in Ireland and in reality it is something that most in this space would benefit from being more aware of. Have you ever asked;

Welcome to Ireland's only dedicated Financial Planning & Investing Podcast & Blog. We are on a mission to do things differently and to actually help people make decisions that help them achieve the results (& life!) that they want to achieve. This week we have a rather special guest, Mr. Guy Spier. Guy is the fonder of, and has been been the sole decision-makers of the Aquamarine Investment Fund for 2 decades. This is nothing outlandish however the fund has an impressive return rate for investors over that period of time. He has recently launched a superbly insightful and honest book called 'The Education Of A Value Investor', aspects of which we discuss in some detail. We are thrilled to chat with Guy and gain his insight on many aspects of both money and life. He tells us about his approach to work, investing, life and how the likes of Warren Buffett and Monish Pabrai have shaped him. Be sure to drop us a mail if you have any ideas, suggestions or questions following this episode. You can mail m

In a meeting last week I was asked why my philosophy toward successful long term investing was so simplistic and boring. I was delighted! For context the people I was working with had understood me to have been in the financial planning profession for 13 years (correct) and that I was a 'finance expert' (marginally correct!). Based on these two bits of information they had concluded that I would have a very complex, very elaborate, and dare I say it, very confusing approach when it comes to investing. This is what most of us have been conditioned to believe. That is most likely as a result of the unnecessarily complex products and layers that are rife in the Financial Services Industry. When I explained my (very non-complex) belief on how one can achieve long term success they essentially scoffed at it, as if disappointed that I had not unleased a bout of verbal financial terminology and nonsense on them! It really got me thinking, it challenged me, and for that I am so grateful. As a result of that interacti

As a young boy growing up many years ago a million euros (or pounds as it was!)  always sounded like an inexorably large amount of money. If you had €1m you were officially a millionaire and were in our eyes elevated to a stratospheric status.......The same can't be said anymore though! While it no doubt is still a significant amount of money by anyone's standards the sheen of being a millionaire has dampened thanks to inflation mostly! Nevertheless we are are today going to explore how and if €1m in an Irish Pension is enough, and specifically explore if it would be enough on which to retire at say 60 years of age. Welcome to Ireland's only dedicate Financial Planning where we are on a mission to help you get the financial outcomes you want and to avoid mistakes when it comes to planning, investing and decisions with your money. If you find the information that we create of use then all we ask is that you help us spread the word and tell a friend! All our blogs can be found here. If you have a question or in

Welcome to Ireland's only dedicated Financial Planning & Personal Finance Blog & Podcast. Last year we won the award of 'Ireland's Best Finance Blog'......we have re-entered that same competition again this year, and will hear how we get on over the coming couple of months.....this might just be akin to the 'difficult second album'!! As we approach our 100th Podcast we have really tried to focus on the areas that our readers and listeners get in touch with us about and who come to us for help on an individual basis.....we are on a mission to help people to achieve what is important to them, and stay authentic and true to our values in the process. If you have any questions or have suggestions on how we can make this site the best possible resource it can be please do drop me a mail directly here. Speaking of Financial Planning there is one short story which, for me, sums up exactly what Financial Planning is all about, and the part it plays (or not!) in people's lives. I first read it about 3 years ag

Welcome back to Ireland's award winning Finance Blog & Podcast. Delighted you have joined us! Our mission is to help people avoid mistakes and help themselves to live successful financial lives. Our big aim is to ultimately change how financial advice is done here in Ireland, to put the focus back on what you want to achieve, not the products that only really serve as the tools to enable you to do it! This week we are exploring a much-covered topic. It has not been much-covered by us but if you google 'Director's Pensions Ireland' you will see 3.9million results, and every single one of them is trying to flog you one! However we are not talking about the pensions themselves here today, we are talking about the much more important aspect of all of this and focusing on the 'planning' aspect, the bit is (or at least should be) central and should come before the 'product' (pension!). We will compare the stories of 2 fictitious brothers, who have very different approaches to life, and who go about planning in

There was a large scale research study done by Gallup Consulting Group (a hugely credible global research company) this year which shows that the majority of people under 35 years of age do not own any form of shares/equities through investments, pensions or savings. This is in comparison to 2007 when the majority of people under 35 did own some for of equities. The research also demonstrated that the majority of people over 35 years of age held them in 2007 and that today the majority of people over 35 still hold them! It got me thinking! I remember vividly cycling my bike on my way from school when I was about 7 years of age and living in Skerries (yes I originally hale from 'enemy territory!). I was cycling along a quiet street and was passing a row of parked cars on my left. I was probably imagining I was Sean Kelly in the Tour De France and so getting a buzz from cycling past the cars a little too close, and mistakenly clipped one of the rear view mirrors of what I think was a Renault 11! Now i barely cl

Growth and Value Investing are both around a long time as an 'investment strategy', and there are compelling rationale for investing in either, there are many fans of both, yet there is also quite a lot of regular investors that have no real familiarity with either. We aim to fix that even if ever-so-slightly in this episode. We will endeavor to explain a few key things about this 'earth-moving' topic......! 1) What is Value Investing? 2) What is Growth Investing? 3) Who does either or both? 4) Which has given greatest level of return? (that's all anyone really cares about right!?) 5) Which one should I do?? Before we get into the nitty-gritty however I wish to let you know that I am thrilled that you are reading this, you obviously have an interest in your own finances and in making some good decisions when it comes to your money, which I admire greatly. I would personally be very thankful if you would tell a friend about what we are trying to do here at Informed Decisions, who knows, it might help them help

Nobody likes to be suffering from something that they aren't aware of, particularly if it is a nasty and invasive something that has a long term impact on their well-being, & that could do so in a pretty significant way.......so this week we are going to explore and try to diagnose if anyone here is suffering from a nasty dose of Bid-Offer Spread on their investment or pension planning. Welcome back to Ireland's dedicated Financial Planning & Money Podcast/Blog. We are on a mission to help you to achieve the things that are important to you, to achieve the life that you want to achieve, and to avoid costly costly mistakes! We are not doing any advertising, we are shipping our 'art', loving it, and hoping that it has the impact we intend it does (feedback so far suggests it is!). If you value what we are doing and feel it of worth to others then please do tell a friend, thanks! Check Out Full Blog Here... Paddy Delaney QFA | RPA | APA | Qualified Coach Drop us an email here....

Thanks for joining us here on Ireland's only dedicated Financial Planning Podcast & Blog. We are on a mission to help you get what you want, and to help you make decisions which will help you lead a successful financial life, and to avoid costly mistakes. This week we are joined by Hugh Murray, founder of Dolmen Recruitment in Dublin. Hugh has many years experience working with individuals and firms in Financial Services here in Ireland. He is well placed to share the latest trends and opportunities for people, be that Funds, Compliance, Sales, Accounts or Fintech! Hugh tells us about trends in Financial Services, where there are opportunities for people who are new to it, or indeed those with many years experience and are looking for a new challenge. He also shares some of his knowledge on shaping a cracking CV, if you need to sharpen yours up! We are always keen to hear from our listeners so do drop us a line here, if you have any feedback, suggestions or questions, we'd love to hear from you! Thanks, P

Welcome to Ireland's dedicated investing and Financial Planning Podcast & Blog. We are on a mission to enable our listeners to help themselves to a better financial life. Thanks for checking us out! It is not every week we get to chat to one of the most successful investors of recent times, who has also founded a fintech firm (Rubicoin) that is changing how investors go about their investing! In this 45-minute interview we explore Emmet's own back-story, the origins and successes of Rubicoin, and he also shares his own top-tips on how to achieve successful long term investing, which is both practical and based on his considerable experience. For more investing and financial planning insight please do check out our website and blog here. Thanks, Paddy Delaney QFA | RPA | APA | Qualified Coach  

For decades Bonds have been touted as the elixir to an investors' nervous tendencies when investments hit volatility. If you look hard enough it will become clear that the only rationale for having Bonds in your investment portfolio is to help you cope when the market tanks again. Whether it is an existing pension fund or a personal investment you have then you may already have a shed-load of Bonds in there, and you may be very wise in doing so, or not! We conduct a study of 3 very different Portfolios to determine the impact having Bonds in an investment portfolio has, whether times are good or whether times are bad! We do not react to markets here, we do not run with the topical 'noise' that is flaunted on media, all of that is just noise, and you as an investor would be well advised to ignore it all and stick to your plan. The fact that market volatility has been mentioned in the past week is merely a coincidence, this episode was being created now, irrespective of the noise! If you are new here then you a

If we were to take a close and honest look at it very many of us, I'm guessing, would admit that we have not given much if any consideration to where our journey in life might take us, or indeed where we WANT it to take us. For some reason we don't accept the fact that we actually do have some control over it, some. Welcome back to Ireland's dedicated Financial Planning & Personal Finance Blog & Podcast. We are on a mission to help as many people here in Ireland to achieve what is important to them, whether that be life or money related......it's all tied into one! We create a weekly blog & podcast in the hope that it will help some people make decisions that will increase their chances of achieving or doing whatever is important to them; which is exactly what we are talking about here today actually! There is a movement happening in the UK for the past 10 years or so, and we are slowly starting to see it happen here in Ireland. I was invited to speak at a Financial Planning conference (short vide

This week in Ireland's dedicated Financial Planning & Personal Finance Blog & Podcast we take a look at what has been my worst investment ever, but also my greatest lesson as an investor. I am an open book, and happy to share this with you, in the hope it may help others avoid the same mistake! It revolves around a company share scheme that I was involved in 10 years ago, and a cheque which I received only last week for a grand sum of €0.26 (yes 26 cents!) which was what I got back, in total, having previously invested almost €10,000! Here's how it happens....... Thanks for listening, please tell a friend! You're a Legend,    Paddy Delaney QFA | RPA | APA | Qualified Coach

This week we are trying to share a simple message, an appeal to you, one which we hope will help move things forward for you in a positive direction. When we procrastinate about or delay committing to positive action we will always manage to rationalise it in our own heads, always! We are masters at it! Some of us are more prone to this than others, personally it's one I regularly struggle with. No matter how blatant our delaying tactics are we will quickly come up with an excuse, a rationale as to why delaying it is the right thing to do. Even if we know deep-down that we are dragging our heels and jeopardising the thing that we really do want to do, achieve or get. That's what makes us human, and so very interesting beings! Welcome back to Ireland's only dedicated Financial Planning & Personal Finance Blog & Podcast. We are on a mission to help you get what you want in life, and you are truly welcome to our little website! We would be delighted to stay in touch, and to share with you a weekly update

Welcome back to Informed Decisions, Ireland's only dedicated Financial Planning Blog & Podcast. Hope you are winning! When it comes to investing in Ireland there are many folks that have no interest in what they are investing in, provided it makes them a decent return and it doesn't disappear over-night! Others like to take a closer look at their options, to think about portfolios and what they should be doing. They might like to identify what will work for them as a suitable portfolio, to figure out if there is anything they could invest in that they had not previously heard of or been aware of much. This episode is for these types of people! (not to suggest that the 'other type' aren't welcome to keep listening!). Is Small Cap one of the best things you can invest in? What are the risks of investing in Small Caps? How can you invest in Small Caps? These are some of the aspects we take a look at in this weeks episode.....thanks a mill for checking it out. Paddy Delaney QFA | RPA | APA | Qualified Coach

We don't ever go out of our way to be pessimistic on this blog, in fact we tend to be quite the opposite, having a firm belief that optimism is the only valid way when it comes to investing. However, when it comes to borrowing, which as we all know is essentially the reverse of investing, it pays, quite literally, to be even a little pessimistic! If you are new to our website then you are truly welcome, thank you so much for giving us a chance to help create a positive financial future for you. We are on a mission to become THE place where people of Ireland turn to for practical and truthful information and ideas in regards their Financial Planning, Investing & Personal Finance. Thank you for playing a part in this mission. Be delighted if you joined our growing community here. Buying a home, whether it is your first, second, third, fourth (well maybe the novelty wears off around now!) or whatever, is an exciting time. For many purchasing a home is a way out of a tough situation or indeed an opportunity

"Gold gets dug out of the ground in Africa or someplace. Then we melt it down, dig another hole, bury it again and pay people to stand around and guard it. It has no utility. Anyone watching from Mars would be scratching their head" Those remarks about the logic of owning gold as an investment were made by someone far more experienced and accomplished in the world of investing than I, and who has been recognised over the past 4 or 5 decades as one of the single most successful investors of all time, Warren Buffett. We have written about the fact that there is a significant fall in the value of markets on the horizon, there always is, it is merely a matter of when it will happen, not if! Whenever that happens there is usually a run to gold as it is seen by many as a 'safe-haven' for their funds when the equity markets are falling. Why people don't just do nothing, and leave their investments alone in order to benefit from the constant upward curve of growth that the equity market provides is another issue alto

Welcome back to Ireland's dedicated Financial Planning Podcast & Blog. We have had a lot of enquiries about Peer 2 Peer Lending over the past few months, so we thought what better way to find out the detail than to interview a man that has been involved in it for many years. Oli Cavanagh is co-founder of an Irish Fintech 'Fender' which is focused on growing the Peer2Peer marker in Ireland. We met with Oli to learn about P2P lending, how it works, what to watch-out for and to hear about the growth of their firm Flender. Drop us an email here with any questions or suggestions you might have, would love to hear from you! You're a legend,   Paddy Delaney, QFA | RPA | APA | Qualified Coach

In Blog 61 we mentioned Section 72 plans and said the following....These are creations of the Financial Services industry endorsed by the Revenue and are sold to people as a means to reduce or indeed eliminate a potential Inheritance or Gift Tax Bill down the road. They cost money and I am told are not as much fun nor rewarding as giving the money to loved-ones while you are alive! Having said that they can work very well for some people in building an effective Financial Plan and planning their inheritance in a tax effective manner, particularly if the estate is of a size and time is against them in gifting enough in the time left! We will devote full episodes to both these types of plans in the near future. So, as promised a few weeks ago we now going to try explain what exactly a Section 72 is, and isn't, and how to ensure that, if this is something you are thinking is for you, how to ensure it does what you want it to do for you, to achieve the goal you have in mind. Speaking of goals, that is what we are