Informed Decisions Independent Financial Planning & Money Podcast

In this week's podcast, I talk about investment options in Ireland. There are a bucket-load of investment options in Ireland. It is one of the biggest questions we see and hear from people. Yet, the landscape is fairly straight-forward once we get your head around it. Plus, the route someone will take with their investments is often not led by logic, but by their internal biases. The same occurs when one is choosing their next car to buy! Show me someone's car, and I'll tell you what kind of investments they have! So much so, I'll go on record as saying; "The type of car you drive is a lead indicator of the type of investments options you choose" -Paddy Delaney :) And to jump right-in, here is how I see the investment routes comparing to cars on the Irish roads!!..... Discretionary Investment Manager = BMW Life Insurance Investment Product = Volkswagen Advised Investment Platform = Honda Civic This week, having had time to do so, I share: The main investment options in Ireland (via personal & corporate investment and/or pensions) How they compare to the car you might (or might not) drive, and why.... I hope it helps! Disclaimer

In this week's podcast I speak with Nick McGowan from Lion.ie  about protection from all angles. Particularly chatting about questions that often come up from those that are approaching or just starting retirement.   Lion.ie is a bespoke protection advisor based in Tullamore that advises on all areas of protection - mortgage, life insurance, income protection, serious illness cover, etc. Lion offers advise to all but specialise in helping those with health issues get protection at the lowest cost.   Key topics:   Should we keep life insurance cover Is there a financial need Section 72 policies Death in Service Benefits while employed Income protection   I hope it helps.   The Trading Game by Gary Stevenson   Lion.ie  

In this week's podcast, I talk about how much income will €1 million generate in retirement. Planning for retirement in Ireland involves making important decisions about how to generate reliable income from your pension savings (assuming you use pensions as part of your strategy!). We're going to take the case of our illustrative friend, Harry Houdini, who managed to escape from high-strain corporate role at the ripe young age of 55! Key points: Buying an Annuity to generate income Using an Approved Retirement Fund (ARF) instead Pension drawdown considerations How much income will a €1 million pension pot generate? How do you make it last? I hope it helps!

In this week's podcast, I chat with Paul Molloy from Box Clever Tax. His motto is "to help clients pay the correct and lowest amount of tax possible."  #Please do check some comments made around tax rates & rules, and what is and is not allowable for tax relief, as these are important considerations# We have a chat about owning investment via a company or in our personal names and the tax considerations around that. Key topics Investing in property Air B & B taxation Pensions and the fact that he's not a fan (we'll agree to disagree) I hope it helps. Box Clever Tax Atomic Habits by James Clear Paul on LinkedIn

If you're like most people we work with, as you approach retirement , you've probably found yourself asking the question: 'How much do I need to retire comfortably?' It’s one of the most common questions we get here at Informed Decisions, and it’s a crucial one to address, especially with the financial landscape constantly shifting! In this podcast, we’ll break it down step by step, using an example to give you a practical sense of what your retirement might look like financially, based on prudent and best-available assumptions. I hope it helps.

This week I take a look at Pension Adjustment Orders.  Pension Adjustment Orders are things that none of us probably anticipate we need to know about, until we do. This week I will share the following, in the hope that it might help you or a loved-one; What is a Pension Adjustment Order? What type of pension benefits does it apply to? What is a Contingent Benefits Order? How do you divide or split the pension benefits following a PAO? I hope it helps.

In this week's podcast, I take a look at lump sum invested vs dollar cost averages €1m in Ireland. Key topic points: Pros and cons of Lump Sum Investing and Dollar Cost Averaging A 'look-back' to see which has been most profitable for €1m invested in Ireland A look-forward to see which might be most profitable in future Investing when markets are deemed to be 'High' My conclusion I hope it helps!

In this week's podcast we have a fantastic, informative chat with awarding winning, international expat tax advisor, KPMG chartered accountant, and tax specialist, Stephanie Wickham. Key topics include: Responsibilities for US Citizens living in Ireland (annual returns/pension income management/how to be compliant) Considerations for people who are retiring and thinking of spending time/large portions of the year in Portugal/Spain/Non-Eu Tax domicile Non property assets I hope it helps. Expat Taxes No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention

In this week's podcast I talk about Guardrails for Irish retirees. One of the big questions I hear from clients heading into their 'next chapter' (blissful retirement!) is: how much can I actually spend each year without running out of money? It’s a great question – and one that deserves a well-thought-out answer. As financial advisors, it’s part of our job to help you figure that out, and there are a few different ways we can go about it. Take what Revenue tells you to! OR Take a dynamic approach each year, to try optimise your income and legacy I hope it helps!

This week I share a short piece with you to help prepare for relevant (potential) changes in the upcoming Budget. What we'll all want to avoid is seeing a change come into effect that we could have seen coming, and that we could regret not having taken action on! We want to avoid regret, so lets not look back in anger - I heard you say! I'll touch on; PRSA changes and limits to contributions Inheritance changes Pension pot size changes I hope it helps.

In this week's podcast we talk about what’s happening with bonds and why you should care. Over the past two years, we've seen dramatic shifts in the bond markets. Lots of investors and pension holders in Ireland have often large swathes of Bond Funds within their investment and pension portfolios. But often have never had clarity on what they are or why they move around a bit! It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster, to put it mildly.  I hope it helps.

In this week's podcast, I cover a topic that I did a couple of years ago.  FET is still an issue that I believe awareness is still not as wide as it should be. Potential Federal Estate Tax (FET) on US-based assets is critical for for us all to be aware of, and is often unknown. If you have more than $60k worth of assets domiciled in the USA, could this be a lurking menace in your wealth?? There are a huge number of people here in Ireland, c20,000 in the top 5 US companies alone, who are receiving US stock options and who therefore own US assets. I hope this helps.

This week's podcast was a difficult one to do, and I'm still not sure if it's appropriate or not for this space, but my intent is to look for the positives, and to be reminded of a few key principles, financial and non-financial. I hope it helps, both you and I!

For those looking to pass on wealth while trying to simultaneously reduce tax on the proceeds, Section 73 investment plans offer a potential solution. These plans are specifically designed and sold to try manage Capital Acquisitions Tax (CAT) liabilities on gifts, and to provide a potentially tax-efficient way to transfer assets to loved-ones. But do they work? Lets explore! What are they How do they work What do they 'cost' What the commissions are like Specific scenario testing I hope it helps. Paddy Delaney QFA RPA

In this weeks podcast we have a interesting guest with us - Alan Purcell from Cloud Accounts in Dublin. Alan is unique as he is both a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Advisor. We had a quite broad conversation and covered a lot of ground, which I hope that you find helpful.   Key topics include:     PAYE taxes as an employee and what you should consider Landlord tax planning How to find a good accountant, what to look for Business owners, limited companies, sole traders Pension contributions vs not Taxes - Personal tax credits, tax bands, capital gains tax, and exit tax   Harry Potter

For this week's podcast we welcome a fantastic guest, Chet Bennetts. A professor of Financial Planning with a wonderful story about how he got to where he is and shares some interesting ideas with us.    Main topics: Chet's journey to financial planning His current role Why he got involved with helping veterans with financial planning His PhD work   I hope you enjoy and we look forward to having Chet join us again later in the year.   A little more about Chet and the American College of Financial Services   Ender's book series  

This week's podcast is the 300th Informed Decisions Personal Finance Podcast, so it is a little bit different than the usual! Key topics are: Inflation vs Investments over the past few years, what has or has not retained your purchasing power Informed Decisions Financial Planning may be hiring! I interview my kids, my most challenging interview to date! Hope you enjoy!

In this week's podcast I take a look at Section 72 policies. What are they and what's good and bad about them? What would the outcome look like if you saved the premium instead? Section 72 policies are often discussed as a tool to manage inheritance tax liabilities and to maximise the legacy they leave to loved-one. I hope it helps.

In this week's podcast I tackle a topic that's been heavily addressed already, inflation - but in the context of what it means for your pension assets. You may have noticed the Consumer Price Index (CPI) suggesting that inflation rates are easing off from recent highs. However, if we cast our minds back to the mid-1960s to the early 1980s, history shows us that inflation tends to come in waves. It's not gone away - particularly for us long term investors! I hope it helps

In this week's podcast I take a look at Bonds If you've got a slice of your pension or investment pie in bonds—be it individual or a fund, government or corporate—you're in good company. Many savvy investors do, and have always done. It's always been seen as a smart move, a bit of "financial wisdom" passed down through generations! But lately, thanks in no small part that Bonds haven't been doing great, some are second-guessing this wisdom.  I hope it helps.