Informed Decisions Financial Planning & Money Podcast

Hi again dear listener! If you are new here, welcome! This is a great place to begin the journey if you are a new visitor. This is the 2nd in our 'financial foundations' series, and will further explain one of the many protection options available to us all in today's market. For the first in this series we looked at the ins and outs of specified illness cover. Click here to listen.   Income Protection, also known in some quarters as Income Continuance, Income Insurance, Income Cover & Permanent Heath Insurance. Confused yet!!? I'm gonna stick with the label of Income Protection on this one, purely because that is what it is designed to do, protect your income if yours stops! Before we get into the basics of this potential financial foundation lets picture the following. (Disclaimer: this might seem like an old insurance sales technique but bear with me!!). Imagine for a second that you had a printer in the corner of your bedroom, every morning as you wake up you hear this printer printing out the equiv

Hi, Welcome to Informed Decisions Podcast #19! Thanks for continuing to listen and learn about critical aspect of Personal Finance & Financial Planning. Specified Illness has been getting the 'Joe Duffy Treatment' for years, lets see if it is deserves it! PODCAST HERE:       If you are new here, welcome! This is a great place to begin the journey if you are a new visitor. Any (decent) builder would tell you that in order to build the house of your dreams, you need to put in place solid and durable foundations. While these foundations can be expensive, are no addition to the overall look of the house, and often more expensive than initially envisaged, I'm sure we all agree that they are a must have. The same can be said of our financial lives; solid foundations will help support you if there is an earthquake, landslide, or even some mild tectonic shift! We addressed the basics back in earlier blogs and podcasts, but lets dig deeper on one of the core aspects of financial foundations, protection. Many of us

Hi All, Thanks for visiting the Informed Decisions Blog. The last few Blogs have been focused on informing you on how you can access money from your Pensions, both Personal Pensions and Employer Company Pension Schemes, when that time comes. If you are a new visitor you can check these out here and here! For many of us I am conscious that the single biggest financial mountain to climb is one's mortgage. This can often lead, and I'm sure has done for some of you, to the question; "Should I invest and save for the future, or focus on getting rid of my mortgage." You can access the full show notes below, or jump in here:       I had the very same question put to me by a friend recently, he had a large lump sum of money which he had been managing for several years, rolling it over in various accounts, the interest rates constantly falling. He was considering throwing it at the mortgage, bring down the term left. What should he do...................................................What would you do? Listeners to t

Happy New Year! It's Officially 2017, and I genuinely wish you every success in whatever you are aiming for in the coming year. How can I take my Pension? The first part of the answer to this question was launched last week (click here), and this week we tackle the second part to this, getting our money from pensions we have 'through work', most often known as company schemes or occupational pension schemes. So, how do I get my money from my company pension you might ask, we here we go, and yes we are going to 'cakify' it again! Trustees: When you are drawing from a Personal Pension as we saw in Blog# 15 you are tied to the Revenue 'rules' when accessing it at retirement. However in the case of Company Schemes you are most often tied to the 'rules' as set out by the Individuals who generally oversee and manage that particular pension scheme. These Individuals are known as 'Trustees' and more often than not they are experienced in this space, have to compete 'Trustee Training', and are bound to act in accordan

Hey, We are almost at the very end of 2016, much like all the years before it there was lots happening for everyone. If you had plans for the year you probably have reviewed them and identified what you want out of 2017. Or perhaps you didn't have plans, which probably accounts for many of us. Stephen Covey coined the phrase 'begin with the end in mind', meaning we should focus on the end goal of whatever it is were are doing, this will keep us on track, accountable, moving forward, and progressing in the right direction. I'm always conscious of this when we in the this industry tell people they should be preparing an income for themselves in retirement. Irrespective of whether that is through pension, estate planning, alternative assets or indeed sheep (check out blog #13) unless we know what we are aiming for, what the end goal is, it's really difficult for us to engage in anything. That's what this blog is going to address, how do I get my money from my pension in Ireland, when I finally reach that point?

Hey! If you have ever wondered about any of the following: What age can I get the State Pension? When can I access my other Pension Funds? How much will the State Pension Provide me with? If your answer to any of these is 'yes' then this episode is right up your alley! Next week we will look into how one goes about getting one's money from a pension, but that's for another day! Hopeful that this is an informative episode for you. Thanks for listening and sharing. Paddy (QFA, RPA, APA, BBS). www.informeddecisions.ie  

Hi, Whether you are a first time buyer or are an existing mortgage holder Paddy Delaney (QFA, RPA, BBS) shares some useful information on how to take control of your mortgage, and the benefits of doing so. A recent survey suggests that a large portion of us millennials don't care about the future, merely about the 'now'! Indeed we can often be in a rush to secure our mortgage that we take an eye off the terms we agree to, and we then forget all about it and get on with our lives. However it can have a significant impact on our lives if we take control of our money, our borrowing, and make it work for us for a change! Here are the links as promised: Budget Tool: http://www.informeddecisions.ie/blog3-stepping-stones/ God Give Me Patience: http://www.informeddecisions.ie/patience-right-feckin-now/ Grateful for you all for listening and sharing, and hopeful that some of you take control of your borrowing and see the benefits of it. Paddy.  

Hi All, Thanks for tuning in again, this time to Episode 14. Paddy Delaney (QFA, RPA, APA, BBS) outlines the top 7 reliefs, allowances and benefits to claim your full tax benefit, and get the money you are due into your bank account! Below are some links to further useful information.......enjoy! Paddy Delaney. Your Personal Finance Informer! www.informeddecisions.ie contains all the links to all personal finance blogs and podcasts to date, so please do check it out. Here's a link below to the revenue website with further info on all allowances: http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/it/reliefs/index.html Here's a link to the first Informed Decisions Pension Podcast: http://www.informeddecisions.ie/episode-5-intro-to-pensions/    

Hi There! Life Cover, Life Insurance, Life Assurance......call it what you will, the fact is that there are many ways we can put this in place, and many different types of cover to choose from. Which is the best Life Cover for me? In this episode Paddy shares information regarding the most common types of cover available, and some of the key differences between them, to enable you make an informed decision on your Life Cover and Family Protection. You can sign up for weekly email from InformedDecisions.ie by visiting this page: http://www.informeddecisions.ie/spreadtheword/ Thanks for tuning in, and for sharing this on Facebook & LinkedIn. Paddy www.informeddecisions.ie        

Hi there! Investments can be ferociously complex things, and made even more complex by some, for their benefit and not yours! This episode of the Informed Decisions Personal Finance podcast shares some basic insights to the 5 main Asset Classes, giving you a working understanding of what they each are and what sort of volatility they each tend to carry. Valuable listening whether you are a newcomer to the world of savings, investing or pension planning in Ireland, or are a seasoned regular. Please visit the website www.informeddecisions.ie for access to all of our blogs and podcasts. Thanks for listening and sharing. Paddy.  

Hi Guys,   Thanks for tuning in to Episode 11 of the Informed Decisions Podcast. In this episode we will share with you one of the largest and most unknown potential tax that cohabiting couples can be faced with, and a few pointers on your options to help ensure it's never an issue for you. Please continue to share on social media and spread the word, our listener numbers are increasing every month, meaning we are getting this info out to the millennials of Ireland, who seemingly want it! Thanks all, Paddy. www.informeddecisions.ie   Link to Revenue Website and further info regards the Family Home/Dwelling Relief: http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/cat/leaflets/cat10.html  

Hi, Thanks for tuning in again! In previous episodes we have discussed the basics of emergency funding, clearing debts and having awareness of where our money goes. Assuming that you have those things in order (or on the way to being in order!) here is a useful podcast episode sharing the key things to consider before you invest for the medium or long term. While we will delve into 'asset allocation' in more detail, this episode is an introduction to the 4 key things to consider when doing an Irish Investment. If listening via iTunes etc. please visit the website www.informeddecisions.ie for all other blogs and podcast episodes Thanks for tuning in. Paddy Delaney.

Episode 9 of the Informed Decisions Podcast introduces Physical Health expert Andrew Hageman of Meath-based A&S Fitness. We discuss links between Financial & Physical health, reasons to pursue both and some really useful tips to get on the path to physical (and subsequenty financial) wellbeing. Andrew shares his story, his vision for giving ourselves the best chance to perform, and some really practical ideas on how to go about it. We would be delighted to hear your comments, see your shares, and please do send it to a friend who you feel would benefit from listening. As always, thanks so much for listening, and do check out the website. www.informeddecisions.ie Paddy.              

Discover the benefits and indeed the savings to be had from clearing your debt early. While it is not something everyone can aim to do, there may be scope for many to make small changes to save lots of interest, and to be free of debt earlier than expected. Please continue to share the love, and don't forget to subscribe to the weekly email update. Magic! Thanks as always for tuning in. Paddy.

One of the other core foundations to an effective Financial Plan is to have a back-up in case you aren't around to see it through,Life Cover can play a part in that! Many folks in Ireland wonder if they need it, what does it really do (seeing as they won't be around to benefit!), and how much really is enough. Here's a shed-load of ideas on how to begin to work that out for yourself. This is the first of a series exploring the different ways to protect the protectible, easy! Thanks for sharing, listening and continued support of the cause. Enjoy. Paddy.

Hi All, Paddy & John shed some light on what is the best way to go, rent your home, or take the plunge and buy it with the help of a mortgage. Both have experience from a personal & professional perspective and share their thoughts on how best to consider this question......plus some other stuff! Enjoy, Paddy. www.informeddecisions.ie  

Hi All, Colm McCarthy (our esteemed Irish Economist) recently said "retirees don't eat equities and bond for their breakfast, they eat rashers and eggs and bread and stuff".......meaning we need cash to survive and feed ourselves in retirement, not funds and technical products. Paddy & John discuss why this matters and how we can begin to consider catering for our retirement. Recorded in a busy pub, there is a nice background ambience to compliment the lad's dulcet tones! Thanks for tuning in! Paddy.

Many of us deal with budgets in a work environment, everything revolves around budgets. Yet for many the thoughts of budgeting our own finances seems alien! Paddy & John discuss the merits and the ways to approach budgeting, and most importantly WHY bother! A large emphasis is on identifying your own personal Financial Goal, then and only then will budgeting be an activity you'll be motivated to actually do. Thanks so much for listening, you're a legend! Paddy.   Available on iTunes and Podcast Addict. Just search for 'Informed Decisions'.   For more check out www.informeddecisions.ie  

For many establishing an emergency fund may seem like an unnecessary hassle, or indeed an impossible mountain to climb. Your new co-host, and Paddy discuss the ins and outs and ways to get started on this journey. This is the first Podcast the 2 guys have embarked on together, so go easy on them! Thanks for tuning in. Paddy.   Now available on iTunes for iPhone, and Podcast Addict for all Android.   Or visit the site for more info.... www.informeddecisions.ie  

Hi There! Many folk think that Financial Planners and Advisors have all the answers, the truth is that YOU have the answers, and we provide the technical advice & the tools to get you to where you want to go. Plus, a basic overview of the 6 key foundations to financial freedom. Plus, some dodgy singing! As always, thanks for tuning in. Paddy.