Informed Decisions Independent Financial Planning & Money Podcast

In this week's podcast I chat with Kevin Carter, founder and CIO of EMQQ, investors in the emerging market technology sector. A really interesting conversation, which I hope you find helpful   Key topics: What EMQQ does Kevin's approach Future of Emerging Markets Non Traditional Way to Invest in Emerging Markets China and India   Kevin T. Carter is the Founder & Chief Investment Officer of EMQQ Gl...

Back in 2020, I wrote a piece outlining the uncomfortable truth that active fund managers find it hard to wrestle with....that most of them consistently fail to outperform 'the market'. Fast forward to 2025, and guess what? Nothing appears to have changed. In this podcast, I'll share the following: Why low-cost index funds continue to outperform the majority of actively managed funds The latest 20...

In this week's podcast I talk about pension options for self-employed directors.   Over the past 3 years, the actual best pension option for self-employed directors has changed 3 times! Not because Financial Advisors and Planners were flip-flopping on their options (or trying to churn new business!), but because Revenue rules kept changing!   So to help clear any confusion, and to light the way fo...

In this week's podcast, I chat with Brendan Allen a specialist in property tax. He is a Chartered Tax Accountant and Chartered Tax Advisor, and is the owner of Allen & Co Tax Accountants and Landlord Tax Returns and is passionate about tax talk.   Key topics Intricacies of tax of landlords Landlord tax credit Rent pressure zones Pros & Cons Pensions Private landlord current situation   I hope it h...

On this week's podcast, episode 324, I chat with Olympian, David Gillick about resilience and his journey and how he got through some really dark days. Something we will experience as investors. David shares some fun and interesting stories   David is one of Ireland most successful sprint athletes. He stepped off the track in 2013 after a successful athletics career which included winning Ireland'...

There is more and more commentators shouting from the roof-tops about the massive growth of North American stock values and earnings over the past few years (since Covid really). I'll explore what is and isn't really happening, and what one's practical options are.   Specifically, the following are the claims/alarm s being flagged ;   US Tech stocks have gone so incredibly well for several years ,...

In this week's podcast I talk with Kevin Canning, Managing Director of Quintas Capital. Kevin specialises in private markets and is the Investment Director of The EIIS Innovation Fund managed by Quintas. He is a Chartered Accountant (ACA), a Chartered Tax Advisor (CTA), and a respected member of the Irish Tax Institute, underscoring his comprehensive understanding of finance and taxation.   I hope...

In this week's podcast I chat to John Murphy a Director of OmniPro Tax and Legal Limited John is a Chartered Tax Adviser, who works with clients on income tax, tax planning, restructuring to exit planning as well as advising on company law in relation to these and many other matters.   We talk about holding companies and family partnerships for smart tax planning.   Key topics   Who are OmniPro 20...

In this week's podcast I talk to Dr. Jordan Grumet, about the topics he covers in his new book The Purpose Code. Bringing together the topics of longevity, health, purpose and money. The Purpose Code hopes to help you what purpose really is and the role it plays in our lives.   Jordan's podcast –  Earn & Invest Jordan Grumet.com Disclaimer

Planning for, and subsequently living (!) a dignified and choice-filled retirement is the biggest financial goal many of us have, or will have. It's also a journey of uncertainties, and one of the biggest uncertanties is market volatility, both positive and negative. We have experienced such positive market growth in the past 2 years in particular. So, in the interest of being prepared financially...

In this week's podcast, the last for 2024 I talk about Tax Rates for Retirees in Ireland (2025). We spend a lot of time planning, analysing and accumulating retirement assets, often without clarity on the tax rates for retirees in Ireland! Time to start fixing that dear listener. Planning take-home retirement income requires careful consideration of tax bands, credits, and income sources. In 2025,...

In this week's podcast, I talk about should I stay invested when markets are at all time highs, is something many will rightly ask. And here is the data to show it; S&P 500 is at 6,090 right now (all-time high) Eurostoxx at 4,980 now (whisker under all-time high) Nasdaq at 19,859 now (all-time high) Large sections of the global equity universe are at or just below all-time highs. Does this mean th...

In this week's podcast, I talk about Index Investing in Ireland – A topic that will be of interest to all As you know at Informed Decisions, we believe in helping build a secure financial future through strategies grounded in research, not speculation. Today, I'd like to share why evidence-based investing, a disciplined approach driven by decades of data, stands out as one of the most reliable way...

In this week's podcast, Paddy chats with Steve Selengut, a.k.a The Income Coach about income generation strategies. An interesting and different approach. Steve has accumulated over 40 years of experience as a private investment manager, with a strong focus on increasing the spendable income generated by client portfolios. Today, his role has transitioned into that of an Income Coach, where he ded...

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 w...

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 offe...

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 corpor...

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 consider...

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 examp...

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...

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 port...

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 a...

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 Inher...

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...