Pension strategies

Defined Benefit Schemes (DB) are pension schemes that provide a promised benefit to employees based on years of service with an employer and, in most cases, their salary at date of retirement. The Pensions Authority has the following definition: “Final Salary Defined Benefit (DB) Schemes are occupational pension schemes that provide a set level of pension at retirement, … [Read more...] about Defined Benefit (DB) pension schemes in Ireland and the importance of advice

There has been a lot of talk in the industry about the IORP (Institutions for Occupational Retirement Provision) II Directive. In the following paragraphs I’m going to try to put in broad terms (and in in plain English) what IORP II is, why it is coming about, what some of the fundamental issues around it are from an Irish perspective and why it has culminated in High Court … [Read more...] about IORP II – what’s all the fuss about?

A Personal Retirement Bond (PRB), AKA a Buy Out Bond (BOB) is, in my mind, essentially the pension’s equivalent of a waiting room. An accrued pension benefit from the likes of an old employer scheme is moved in to this waiting room, known as a PRB / BOB, and sits there until you draw the benefits down. So how did PRBs / BOBs come about, can I invest the funds in a PRB / … [Read more...] about Personal Retirement Bonds – what are they and why are they

Irish taxpayers, still smarting from the shock of massive cost-overruns on the proposed new national children’s hospital, now face the prospect of another budgetary black hole, this time in financial services.  … [Read more...] about Auto-Enrolment Pensions:  Another Budgetary Black Hole?