Informed Decisions Independent Financial Planning & Money Podcast

"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...

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...

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 tha...

  Optimism is the madness of insisting all is well when we are miserable . These words are reported to have come from Voltaire, the acclaimed French writer and philosopher. I am neither a Frenchman or a philosopher but I would like to put forward the suggestion that Optimism is actually the only way! When backed by concrete evidence it is the only rational belief to have, particularly so when it c...

Andy Hart is one of the UK's highest profile Financial Planners. He hosts his own Podcast, runs a successful Financial Planning firm, and is the organiser of the what is rapidly becoming UK's premier Financial Advisor & Planner Conference (Humans Under Management). And to top it all off he has invited me to share some ideas at his upcoming Dublin Conference.....so I'm super excited about that........

Recently we had a few questions from people who were saving for deposits for their first homes. This week we had another, from Daniel (surname not shared for obvious reasons!), who having read our piece about the impact of inflation on deposit values over the medium term has been moved to get in touch and ask us what are the alternatives! Did you partake in our 2 minute survey yet?? If not then pl...

Regular readers of the Blog and listeners of the Podcast  will know that we are on somewhat of a vocation here at Informed Decisions! We are striving to help people get what they want, to take control of their own financial futures. We are not doing this for the applause (though that is nice to get it when it comes!). We are doing this to make a meaningful and positive difference in the lives of t...

It is fierce common lately to hear the financial industry give out about the rates of interest available through bank deposit accounts and to recommend that you should invest your money into XYZ Fund (which just so happens to generate a nice chunky commission for whoever is doing the recommending!). It's funny, they weren't saying the same when equity markets were falling 30% per year and deposit...

This week we get to chat with a guy who is making quite a name for himself. He is advocating for greater investor education, in particular with regards to the long-running debate on the value of Active Fund Management versus Passive or Index investing. This is the latest episode in Ireland's only dedicated Financial Planning & Investing Podcast.....available on iTunes , Podcast Stitcher , Podcast...

Welcome to Informed Decisions' very first 'Business Success Series'.  Our main focus over the past 18 months has been Financial Planning and all aspects of Personal Finance. By all means have a look at our back-catalogue here . We have a huge interest here too in the success of others, and in business successes. For that reason we will bring you 5 or 6 Business Success stories over the course of 2...

It is fair to say that the Financial Advice industry in Ireland has a reputation for forcing products on people, only making money when they sell 'policies'. The truth is that advice has so much more to offer, if it is done right! That is where Financial Planning seems to come into play. A Financial Planner can still sell you policies I guess, however the onus of a Financial Planner (if they are r...

According to Central Statistics Office the average salary in Ireland (2016) of a full-time employee was a 'grocery-shop' more than €45,000. Knowing that figure might make you feel that you're doing well or it might make you feel like making progress on the income you are bringing in. In reality this is the main thing for many of us as we go through our careers ,our own sense of value and worth can...

Welcome back to another edition of the Informed Decisions Blog, Ireland's #1 Financial Planning Blog & Podcast! This week we will take on an obscure topic, a topic which is often left till the bitter end before we give it consideration! When it comes to focusing on your Financial Planning, Financial Independence or 'building wealth' it pays, quite literally, to begin with the end in mind! Speaking...

We all love an oul get-rich-quick scheme don't we!? Even if we know it's far too good to be try we will 'click' through or read beyond the head-lines, we just want to know more, 'sure its only looking'.......that is what has you reading this right now! Well I am on a mission to train you out of such inquisitiveness, this is lesson 1!! (and it's totally free!) Imagine a perfectly sane and prudent n...

Oxford dictionary define a commodity as 'A useful or valuable thing'. Another definition they put out there is 'A raw material or primary agricultural product that can be bought and sold, such as copper or coffee'. Whichever way you look at it, be that a useful and valuable thing, or indeed a basic product, Commodities have found their way into many many pension and investment portfolios. Apparent...

Hey, We've spoken about volatility here before, and we have put it on a bit of a pedestal on account of it's hugely positive influence on the long term saver/investor who embraces it and recognises it as the huge ally it is. Euro Cost Averaging (Or Egg-Cost-Averaging as you'll see in a moment) is an outcome of these fluctuations. Euro-Cost-Averaging is just one of the many aspects of Financial Pla...

We kick of 2018 full of optimism, gratitude and excitement for the year ahead. After what was hopefully a nice Christmas break we all are raring to go, and apparently as many as 50% of us (myself included!) feel that customary urge to set some resolutions for the year ahead. The top resolutions that we make (the 50% that do!) are; weight loss, exercise related, smoking/alcohol related and money re...

What do most of us have......really really desperately wanted it initially..........but now we really really want to get rid of (a clue, it's not your partner!).................the answer is of course our mortgage! We have covered mortgages a few times on here, including the ever popular 'should I clear my mortgage or save for the future' episode. This week we are going to ramp up the pressure on...

Welcome to another episode of Ireland's #1 Financial Planning Blog & Podcast. This week we have a cracking interview with UK's Jason Butler, where we discover some tips and guidance on achieving financial well-being, getting our lives the way we want them to be. Jason has super insight on this aspect of life, and is now living his message.......most of us will hopefully take a few nuggets from thi...

This week we are aiming to share some slightly different insights, and reveal some major news in the world of Financial Services in Ireland! Last week the Central Bank released a proposal which is due to come into force next year (subject to Dept. of Finance), which is aimed at maximising the protection consumers get when it comes to buying any financial products....we have dissected all the Publi...

Welcome to Ireland's #1 Financial Planning Blog & Podcast. Our purpose is to help you make informed decisions with your money, and importantly to avoid some costly mistakes that they rest of us have made! We are aiming to make this THE home of Financial Planning ideas and insight for normal people in Ireland!   This week, after last weeks' cracker about clearing your loans at 32, we are back with...

Welcome to Ireland's #1 Finance Blog & Podcast . We are here to help you make informed decisions with your money...and ultimately to bring true Financial Planning to Ireland's normal people! This week we are taking a little peep into the magical world of Jimmy & Aggie.....how they have different views on life and money, and ultimately how they went their separate ways with regards their pension op...

This week we are chuffed to share with you the story of the guys at '2 Cup House' in USA. They were living the life of modern trappings, and one day decided that they wanted a different route. It may not be for everyone but it is a great story that proves if you want to achieve something, and are willing to apply yourself if is often very achievable! As promised in the episode there are a few snap...

This week we will take a look at the empty promise that we hear so many people make to themselves and to their loved-ones! This empty promise is akin to playing Russian Roulette with your loved-ones' financial well-being.....if you are a selfish gambler then perhaps its OK, for the rest of us it simply isn't, no matter what hat we're wearing! What in the blue-blazes are we talking about? We are ta...

Welcome to our 61st edition of the informed Decisions Financial Planning Blog & Podcast. Did we mention we were recently voted Ireland's best?? Yes, we are Ireland's #1 Finance Blog & Podcast...! To celebrate our 61st Podcast we are joined by the one and only Emma Kennedy, journalist & up to recently Editor of Money section in Sunday Business Post. We get to explore Emma's thoughts and experience...