Category: Retirement planning

My husband died recently, and for the first time in many years I am looking after my finances directly.  I am not under immediate pressure and have day-to-day income.  But our investment assets are now in my sole name, and longer-term, I want to have much better understanding of what is happening my money.  Where … Continued

Most people let retirement happen to them.  Typically, it happens following a big birthday. But it doesn’t have to be that way. These days, our jobs are often shorter in duration, and careers more flexible, with several iterations. There’s much more opportunity to control the time you’ll retire. So what would it take to be … Continued

Auto-enrolment – the practice of automatically signing up workers to pay into a pension – is coming to Ireland – likely next year. There’s no doubt it’s a positive development for the people of Ireland, and the affordability of pensions in the decades to come. Legislation to make it happen is inching through the Oireachtas, and … Continued

Investor interest in money market funds has exploded in the last 18 months.  In 2023, global value of funds in the money market increased 17% to US$ 9.9 trillion according to ratings agency Fitch.  So what’s a money market fund, why would you want to invest in one?  What are the advantages… and the risks? … Continued

Is the stock market getting more volatile?  Or does it just seem that way?  And what should you do about it? There’s no doubt the 2020s have been chock-full of shocks so far. We might have hoped for a roaring twenties… in fact we’ve had pandemics, war, and shortages driving inflation. For sure, the world … Continued

Zurich Prisma funds are one of the best-known multi-asset ranges in Ireland. Against comparable funds, they are consistently at or near the top of their peer group. In fact, around 100,000 people in Ireland have invest in Prisma. So what are Zurich Prisma funds, how do they perform, and should you invest in them? What … Continued

I keep reading that a system for automatically enrolling workers in a State pension system is imminent, but it never seems to arrive.  As a result I’ve held off starting a pension until auto-enrolment is available – is that wise?  I’m a top-rate taxpayer in my late fifties, so paying 52% tax plus PRSI and … Continued

Receiving an inheritance can be life-changing.  It can be unexpected, of uncertain timing – and can come with a lot of emotion attached. A lot of people feel an obligation to ‘do the right thing’ when considering how to invest an inheritance. But what’s the right thing? If you’ve inherited money – or received a … Continued

For much of the 2010s, investors stuck loyally to TINA.  The mantra was that in an era of rock-bottom interest rates, There Is No Alternative to investing in equities. But with central bank interest rate hikes over the last three years, investment wags pointed out that TARA had arrived on the scene: There Are Reasonable … Continued