Better With Money

Aideen Finnegan speaks to financial influencer Annmarie Gaynor ( Irish Budgeting Mammy ) and Cian Carolan of DNG Financial Services after they attended a Department of Finance meeting with Simon Harris and junior minister Robert Troy about a proposed state “personal investment account”. It’s not an SSIA savings account that would be topped up by the Government, neither will it be a product “with a...

In this week’s episode, the font of all motoring knowledge Neil Briscoe is taking us through the government’s new pilot ICE to EV scrappage scheme. For us non petrol heads, those acronyms essentially mean “give up yer aul polluting car for an electric vehicle instead.” It involves trading in your end-of-life petrol or diesel car (at least 13 years) for a new EV, and is weighted 65% towards rural d...

Unless you’re Dermot Bannon, doing up your house must be one of the most expensive and nerve-wracking jobs you can ever take on. In this episode of Better with Money, Quantity Surveyor Shay Lally (aka @houses_to_restore on Instagram) speaks to Aideen Finnegan about how to plan and cost the renovation of an average 3-bed semi-d in Ireland. He explains why the cheapest quote can often end up being t...

From supplements on hotel rooms to needing to save tens of thousands of euro on your own to buy a home, the costs of doing anything in Ireland - as a single adult - are hidden and varied. Irish Times columnist and author, Emer McLysaght, joins Aideen Finnegan and Conor Pope on this episode of Better with Money to discuss the many ways single people are penalised by the so-called "single tax". Whil...

Can changing your mortgage to a fortnightly payment plan save you money and reduce the overall term? Will striving to get your loan-to-value ratio down unlock the best interest rates? And how can you even go about that anyway? These questions and more are answered by Cian Carolan, MD of DNG Financial Services in this second episode of mortgage strategising. It’s all about finding a way to pay down...

What are the fastest and least painful ways of paying off your mortgage? Should you overpay, if you can? Or should you use any extra money to invest instead? What about switching - how much can it save you, really? These are the types of questions we're putting to Cian Carolan, financial planner and managing director of DNG Financial Services. In this episode we discuss affordability and why it's...

Whether it's a few hundred euro on a credit card that you just can't manage to clear, or if you have fallen behind on your mortgage repayments due to an unforeseen life event - if debt is keeping you awake at night, this is the podcast you need to hear. This conversation with Gwen Harris, regional manager with the Money Advice and Budgeting Service explores practical, step-by-step ways to regain c...

If you have pension anxiety - either because you don't have one yet or because the one you do have won't cut it - this is the episode for you. Sjoerd Bak, a qualified financial adviser and founder of Become a Millionaire explains why pensions should come before any other investing, especially for those worried their retirement fund won’t be enough. Bak shares how a stroke in 2020 prompted him to r...

Wondering how you'll stretch your holiday budget amid uncertainty over rising energy costs and jet fuel supplies? Pricewatch editor Conor Pope has the latest on what the conflict in the Middle East might mean for airline cost-cutting, and why you should take out travel insurance as soon as you book. He also shares the airport spending traps you need to avoid to keep more money in your pocket. (Did...

This episode is for information purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. It's the second part of our chat with Dan Malone from honest.ie who is demystifying the various online trading platforms available to Irish people. Dan walks through how a beginner (like “Sarah,” a 30-something on an average salary) can start long-term investing, stressing that the first step is maximising pens...

If you've never opened an online trading app in your life (or you have but felt immediately overwhelmed) this is the episode for you. Dan Malone from honest.ie is a chartered accountant, chartered tax advisor and qualified financial advisor. He's analysed the most popular trading platforms in Ireland like Trading 212, Trade Republic, Lightyear, Interactive Brokers, Revolut and N26. Malone explains...

Today we are unpacking Simon Harris’s proposed savings and investment scheme, due to be unveiled in October, and what questions remain about how it will work. Qualified Financial Advisor and long-time investor Kel Galavan says it won't mirror the Celtic Tiger era SSIA scheme. It's more likely to be styled on the Swedish or UK system; where savers put their money in accounts specially designed for...

Even at a time of spiralling fuel prices and huge increases in the cost of living, it's possible for people to overspend on clothes, holidays or even just the “little treats” when they can least afford it. Why? Because an abundance of credit, influencer culture, ease of online shopping and a desire to feel control are all working in consort to part you with your money. The terms "retail therapy" a...

Better with Money is on a break for Easter so we are revisiting our favourite episode from last year, all about the "sinking fund." It's a fancy way of saying you have separate of pots of savings for specific expenses. There's a legion of advocates who swear by the practice. One such enthusiast is Anita Collins, a maths teacher from Limerick who runs the Instagram page @efficientfamilylife. She jo...

The 'admin party' is the latest social media trend promising to save you money. The idea is it's a social, accountability-based way to tackle money-draining life admin. But does it work? Host Aideen Finnegan is joined by Irish Times journalists Niamh Browne, Conor Pope and Órla Ryan to see if they can fix their finances in real time. From gas bill hikes to health insurance, to claiming your expens...

No one knows more about organising an unforgettable holiday on a tight budget than Cork woman Stephanie Barry Woods . She and her husband Tim have been travelling the world for the past decade, having every type of experience imaginable. From road tripping around Spain to luxury stays in the Maldives to Bankok hostels and full moon parties in Thailand. (You can hear how they made that happen in an...

On this St. Patrick's Day, we are discussing gold as an investment choice; why it has soared in value, whether novice investors should get involved, and the approaches they could take. We're joined by MD of DNG Financial Services Cian Carolan and jewellery entrepreneur Chupi Sweetman who share their insights in dealing with fluctuating gold prices. Cian advises beginners to build an emergency fund...

We've spoken about investing before on Better with Money but today we're honing in specifically on how to invest in the stock market. If you've been wondering how you can generate a passive income from your smartphone but wouldn't know an investment fund if it jumped up and bit you in the face, don't worry because neither does our host Aideen. Today she speaks to The Irish Times' Fiona Reddan and...

Financial literacy isn’t just about understanding jargon. It’s about security and independence, says Leah McMahon - a financial planner with Castle Capital of Limerick. Women are among those being targeted in the government's National Financial Literacy Strategy 2025-2029. So ahead of International Women's Day on Sunday we are looking at the ways you can boost your financial literacy, tackle money...

It's tough making ends meet in 2026, let alone setting aside money for our children's future. But Robert Whelan of Rockwell Financial says it's worth putting away any amount, even to just to get started. In his professional opinion though, an investment strategy is needed to inflation-proof your savings. In this episode of Better with Money we explain some of the most accessible ways you can start...

Not everyone was brought up in an entrepreneurial environment, and most of us didn't study business beyond the Junior Cert. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't give it a go. Whether you're simply selling crafts on Etsy or giving school grinds on the side, the bureaucratic side of setting up a business can be a barrier for those who don't move in corporate circles. In this episode of Better with Mo...

The average Irish PAYE worker overpays €900 euro a year in tax. That's because many of us don't know we can claim money back on things like routine GP visits or pharmacy prescriptions. There are also tax reliefs that people mistakenly believe they're not entitled to, like the Home Carer Credit. The name might imply it's only available to carers of the elderly or a child with a disability. In fact,...

If you were moving in with someone and they earned more than you, would you ask them to pay more of the rent? Or in the case of a divorce, how would you divide assets like a pension? The thorny issue of money in relationships is not one that’s generally thrashed out early on in a romance but has huge consequences for couples. That’s before you even get to the stage of trying to understand married...

When it comes to buying a new car, financing options can vary widely. You have to factor in the total running cost (tax, fuel, insurance etc) and then watch out for the hidden ones. Throw in jargon like ‘PCP finance’ and ‘guaranteed future value’ and now you’re completely bamboozled. Irish Times motoring journalist Neil Briscoe joins the podcast to simplify and demystify the whole process of buyin...

The sinking fund trend is a fancy way of saying you have separate of pots of savings for specific expenses. There's a legion of advocates who swear by the practice. One such enthusiast is Anita Collins, a maths teacher from Limerick who runs the Instagram page @efficientfamilylife. She joins the podcast to explain in detail how sinking funds can help people manage their finances more effectively,...