Informed Decisions Independent Financial Planning & Money Podcast

In this weeks' Podcast you will hear from someone with some unique insights on the topics we discuss week in and week out. Dr. Moira Somers from Canada is someone I have admired and benefited from learning from in recent years.  In our conversation, Moira shares some ideas around: - Why money decisions can be very difficult for many of us - What we can do to make it a little easier - When to seek...

Wondering what the best investments 2020 are?! Or if your investments or pensions are down the pan!? It is indeed one of those 'once every 5 year' situations for investments at the moment (more on that later), but we hope to share some insight that will help you see the wood from the trees. If you are a regular or occasional visitor or listener of this site you likely have a fair idea of our respo...

This week, as promised in our recent Pros & Cons of Pension Property, we share with you further details of owning a Property within a Pension.  We were delighted to have Tommy Neilsen, qualified Solicitor and 'Head of Legal' with Independent Trustee Company (ITC) Dublin. Tommy has been with ITC since 2005, and deals with all legal aspects relating to the Pension Trustee services they provide. In t...

How would you feel if you discovered you were paying double the level of fees on your pension or investment that you were led to believe? 'Clarity On Fees' is the #1 thing consumers say would improve the level of trust they have in Financial Advice. 76% of people do not know how or what their Financial Advisor is paid. Most pension holders have no idea they are likely paying over 2% fees every yea...

Paddy chats with Ireland's former Pensions Ombudsman, Paul Kenny. Paul remains an active member of the pension profession in Ireland. Among other roles he is remains a Programme Leader in the Retirement Planning Council. In this episode he shares his insights about the following relevant topics: - Keeping track of your pensions when you move employments - Ensuring your ARF gets treated as per your...

Should I buy property with a pension? Ever wonder what the pros and cons are if you did decide to establish a pension property? Is having a pension property a good idea? Hopefully this will help. In the short piece we will share: Financial benefits of buying a property with your pension The pit-falls of having a property in your pension Some other insights that you should know Paddy.

  1st April 2020 will bring with it the dawn, or the dusk of 'Independent Financial Advice' in Ireland. I really have no clue which way it will go! At least initially, finding an actual living, breathing and practicing 'Independent Financial Advisor' in Ireland may be like the proverbial hen's tooth. (Wouldn't that be a novel name for a Financial Advice firm - 'Hen's Tooth Independent Financial Ad...

'Are Equities For The Scrap Heap'? I feel compelled to nail our colours to the mast at the outset. I am always open, and deliberately expose myself to contrary thinking, the fact remains that Equity investing has delivered the greatest outcomes for patient and long term investors. That fact will have come into question in people's minds in recent weeks, so I'm going to share with you in this short...

What to do with my investments and Pensions in a declining Market? Absolutely Nothing. That is all. Listen-on for a 'slight' elaboration! I hope you are keeping well - that must remain a priority. Paddy Delaney

This week, following a recent conversation (there I go with 'conversations' again!), we share a detailed analysis of the Davy GPS Funds. You may be thinking of investing, or are already invested, via pensions or investments. Either way, we share insights on what are they, what's in them, how they compare to their competitors, and how they have served investors that have entrusted their funds in th...

Welcome back to Ireland's award-winning Financial Planning Blog & Podcast. This week we were excited to chat with return-guest, Derek Bell of the Retirement Planning Council (RPC). In this episode Derek and Paddy explore and share insights on: - State Pension changes - Income Tax in retirement - RPC courses & supports - Common retirement planning mistakes - Retirement spending Do's & Don'ts  - Ret...

This piece is inspired by some recent conversations. These conversations have got me thinking about Financial Independence. It also reminded me how much I love conversations with other people - how the words that other say can have such meaning and depth to them, it's quite a thing! Thanks too to the recent iTunes Review-leavers - such positive words of recommendation and encouragement, thanks! Pe...

What is the relationship between life and your money? Listen to this conversation we had with George Kinder to hear more about Life Planning.  For years I have been fascinated about how our relationship with money influences what we do, and don't do in life. So much so that I have begun my own journey to become a Registered Life Planner, to compliment my technical financial qualifications and expe...

What is the relationship between life and your money? Listen to this conversation we had with George Kinder to hear more about Life Planning.  For years I have been fascinated about how our relationship with money influences what we do, and don't do in life. So much so that I have begun my own journey to become a Registered Life Planner, to compliment my technical financial qualifications and expe...

What is the relationship between life and your money? Listen to this conversation we had with George Kinder to hear more about Life Planning.  For years I have been fascinated about how our relationship with money influences what we do, and don't do in life. So much so that I have begun my own journey to become a Registered Life Planner, to compliment my technical financial qualifications and expe...

This week there have been two 'big news' revelations about Irish Commercial Property Funds, neither of which will be deemed positive. This media coverage has many thousands of investors very concerned and dare I say, anxious. In a break from tradition, I am engaging in current market events, in the interest of helping ease some anxiety for investors. This week we share some ideas and experience wh...

Many of us hear about Financial Independence, and it being a distant objective. But does it have to be a distant objective?? This week we chat with Kelvina Galavan ( Mrs. Smart Money ) about her journey, and how she, her husband and kids have begun living on their own terms. They took control of their finances, and are reaping the rewards! I hope you enjoy the chat as much as I did! Mrs. Smart Mon...

As of March 31st 2020 new Central Bank of Ireland rules will mean that only a financial advice firm that does not receive commissions from sales of products will be entitled to state they are an 'Independent Financial Advisor' in Ireland. These firms (of which Informed Decisions is one of a handful in the country), will be entitled to use the term 'Independent' in describing their service. That wi...

A lot of folk, mostly at the encouragement of some advisors, decided to invest in Absolute Return Funds in Ireland. While they promised a lot, many of those same people are now questioning the decision to do so. This week, on Ireland's #1 Finance Blog & Podcast I hope to help you understand what they are, why their performance have been pretty rubbish, and whether they are worth staying in or not!...

Welcome to Ireland's award-winning investment and financial planning Blog & Podcast. As our final Blog of 2019 I have given a lot of thought about what message I would love to share. I have imagined that this was the last ever thing we write, and reflected on what we'd want to share. By the way, unless I unexpectedly die over the holidays it won't be the last ever piece - which you may or may not...

Welcome to Ireland's award-winning investment and financial planning Blog & Podcast. If you are wondering if now is the right time to invest or not, this piece might be of some value. Indeed if you are unsure if you should invest in equities now, or wait for the crash, this Blog-post hopefully will help educate and inform, a little! Paddy Delaney QFA RPA APA

Emerging Markets might sound a little technical, but please do bare with me, even I can understand it, so you'll be totally fine! It might even be worth your while reading on, if you ever intend investing in Emerging Market Index Funds in Ireland! We explore the past investment returns, what the 'experts' are suggesting they might deliver in the future, and what to watch out for when picking the i...

Looking for Financial Advice in Ireland you can trust? A few weeks ago I did a piece on finding ' Independent Advice in Ireland ', this week I intend to share some ideas that might help you evaluate a firm before engaging them. " I just checked my investment portfolio - now I know why they call them Brokers " - anonymous. I came across that quote in a sketch cartoon recently and found it amusing....

This week I aim to share some brief insights that might be worth knowing when you are building an investment portfolio in Ireland. When it comes to investing it's probably fair to say that there is so much choice, probably too much! Reminds me of that weird situation referred to as the 'paradox of choice' where, when confronted with too much choice we can stall, suffer from inaction and often make...

Expat Tax is a subject that I often get asked about from listeners. These are individuals that may be leaving or returning to Ireland. Tax being such a specialist area I felt the best thing to do was to invite someone onto the show who specialises in tax mobility.  I was delighted to be joined by Barry Murphy of Expat Tax Services Ireland ( www.etsi.ie ). In this episode we discussed and chatted a...