Pension strategies

We are by no means ‘out of the woods’ in respect to the COVID pandemic, as a lockdown in Ireland, high case numbers, and ongoing vaccine rollout issues continue to dominate the new headlines. However, whilst volatility does remain somewhat heightened, we have entered a new Bull Market, stocks closed out 2020 on a high, and positive returns have continued through to 2021. COVID … [Read more...] about DC Investment: Always ask questions, just make sure they’re the right ones!

Every year there is a crazy rush to make annual backdated contributions to pension funds and then it is forgotten for another year. There has to be a better way! We have got to start looking at retirement planning as an essential part of living, as a high priority next to buying a home. The problem is that people are focussed on the contributions they make based on the tax … [Read more...] about Your Pension – Your Priority

The government published its Interdepartmental Pensions Reform and Taxation Group (IDPRTG – that rolls off the tongue so easily) report on the 13th of last month. The IDPRTG is led by the Department of Finance and members are from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, the Department of Social Protection, the Revenue Commissioners and the Pensions Authority. The … [Read more...] about Pension reform or hot air?

The Standard Fund Threshold is a topic that many advisors and clients feel should be the focus of high net worth clients only, however this is not the case. Modest funding over a long period of time can lead to ‘average’ clients breaching the threshold. The potential to breach the threshold may be further compounded by the current political focus on the threshold. While Sinn … [Read more...] about Mind the standard fund threshold

To date I’ve written on pensions in general, the EU Directive IORP II which could still disrupt the Irish pension market in a really negative way and Personal Retirement Bonds (PRBs), so now Frank decided it was time I jumped the fence and talked about ARFs (approved retirement funds), what you can, and most do, with their retirement funds when they actually draw pension … [Read more...] about What the ARF?