Pension strategies

The amendment to the taxation of Personal Retirement Savings Accounts (PRSAs) that was included in the Finance Bill 2022 was received positively by the market. The removal of the benefit in kind (BIK) on employer contributions now makes the PRSA a very real competitor to both retail and group master trusts. Indeed, it is significant enough that some of the life companies have … [Read more...] about Are PRSA’s the Future?

The Finance Bill 2022 will introduce definitive legislation to cover the taxation of retirement lump sums from foreign pensions for the first time. The change means that a lump sum taken by an Irish resident from a foreign pension arrangement will now be treated in the same way as a domestic pension, counting against their normal pension lump sum limits where the first €200,000 … [Read more...] about Changes to taxation of foreign pension arrangements

While there are undeniable benefits to mastertrusts, I believe the decision to use a mastertrust or not  is a complex one, there are very good reasons why this option might not be chosen. First, a bit of disclosure is necessary. I am a director of a company which currently provides services to several mastertrusts while also providing independent trusteeship of stand-alone … [Read more...] about Mastertrusts: myths and reality

The recent withdrawal of single member occupational pension schemes from the market has caused a lot of concern for financial advisors and their clients. The abrupt end to the ability to create new single member occupational pension schemes has caught many business owners off guard. The ability of a small business owner to forego pension contributions while reinvesting as … [Read more...] about The future of retirement planning for small business owners

Many pension investors assume that the entire value of their pension fund is paid out on death, unfortunately this is not always the case. Although the recent changes brought in by the 2021 Finance Act have improved the treatment of death benefits for active members of occupational pension schemes, there is still a large disparity between the treatment of occupational and … [Read more...] about The pensions death trap