Independent.ie - Personal Finance RSS Feed
11/05/2017 06:00 PM
The top energy deals that could save you thousands on your bill
Hundreds of thousands of families are now finding it more expensive to heat up their homes and to boil the kettle - due to a series of electricity and gas price hikes which kicked in at the start of this month. Furthermore, with more price hikes set to follow, most families can expect higher energy bills in the coming months.
11/05/2017 06:00 PM
Finnish model may be key to solving housing crisis
Let's get one thing straight first - there is no quick or cheap fix for the housing crisis. And while that is little succour for those unfortunate to be caught up in it, the reality is that we are not alone.
11/05/2017 06:00 PM
Do I owe National Solidarity Bonds tax?
Q: I own a number of 10-year National Solidarity Bonds. One was bought in 2010, another in 2011 - and another in 2016. I had always thought that the interest earned on the bonds was tax-free but a friend has advised otherwise. Do I need to pay tax on any interest earned on these bonds? Richard, Fairview, Dublin 3
11/05/2017 06:00 PM
'My first-timer insurance cost as much as the car'
The award-winning author Paul Lynch will be one of the judges in the Allingham Arts Festival, which runs in Donegal from November 9 until November 12. Lynch was born in Limerick in 1977, grew up in Co Donegal, and now lives in Dublin with his wife and daughter.
11/05/2017 06:00 PM
Cairn customers left frustrated over wait to move into their new homes
Buyers at one of Cairn Homes' flagship developments have been left frustrated at the wait that they face to move in. The Sunday Independent understands that buyers who had been expecting to be able to move in shortly have now been told that it could be the end of March before they can take up residency in their new homes.
11/05/2017 06:00 PM
You too can become an investor in exciting new Irish innovation
In October 2016, I sat down with my son Seamus to check out a crowdfunding campaign by a company called Brixo. Crowdfunding platforms are a way for innovative young companies to drum up the early-stage funding they need to build a prototype, or move from prototype to a commercially viable product.
11/03/2017 02:30 AM
Home economics: Sinead Ryan answers your property questions
I was left just over an acre of land by an uncle who died a few years ago. It was part of an old farm, and is zoned as agricultural. I'm city-based and certainly won't be farming it but I have an option now to sell it to a local builder who thinks he can get permission to put a house on it. For me, this is a personal transaction but would I be caught for the new stamp duty rules if I sell it, and what is the capital gains tax (CGT) position?
10/30/2017 02:30 AM
How to hedge against currency volatility
The value of any currency can, and does, fluctuate over time due to the many economic, fiscal or political vagaries that face any economy, and in turn their domestic currency.
10/29/2017 06:00 PM
Should I pay into PRSA after London move?
Q I have been paying into a Personal Retirement Savings Account (PRSA) for several years as my employer doesn't offer a company pension scheme. I've been offered a good job in London and will be moving there shortly.
10/29/2017 06:00 PM
'Money is just a means to an end - and that's it'
Eoin Hand is a former Irish international footballer and manager of the Republic of Ireland football team in the early 80s. Hand, is now retired and lives in Moyvane, north Kerry with his wife Pauline. In his new book, First Hand, he tells the inside story of his time in Irish football. For more details visit collinspress.ie.
10/29/2017 06:00 PM
Stock market lessons crucial if you're saving for financial freedom
Ask people if they'd like to be financially free by their early to mid-50s and most will respond with an unequivocal yes. Ask them how they can get there and most have no idea. Nothing about financial or investment planning is taught at school or university. Yet, it is a crucial aspect of our lives.
10/27/2017 11:25 AM
Retails sales increase in September
Retail sales increased by 1.3pc in September when motor trades are excluded, according to the latest data from the Central Statistics Office.
10/27/2017 01:30 AM
Making sense of the mortgage market
The tracker scandal has made mortgages a hot topic. Aligned, and partly because of it, borrowers pay double the interest rates of our European neighbours and are locked into a never-ending cycle of feeling ripped off. This week I'm looking at what happened and how it has affected borrowers' ability to get a mortgage now. What does the market look like these days and how can you make sure you're getting the best deal?
10/24/2017 01:30 AM
Apartments now cost more to build than houses: experts
The cost of building a two-bedroom apartment is way in excess of the selling price, meaning few developments are likely to go ahead unless the Government tackles Vat, levies and other costs, a new report claims.
10/23/2017 01:30 AM
Lessons from abroad
A decade ago I worked with IBM as an economic consultant, part of their team serving governments and public sector clients around the world. One of my more unusual trips involved a stop in the city of Saskatoon.
10/22/2017 05:00 PM
Social housing hit by immigrant investor rules
Plans to build thousands of new social housing units have been put in jeopardy and at least €60m of planned foreign investment has been lost after rules governing Ireland's 'invest for residency' scheme were changed without consultation with stakeholders, a number of senior Irish property sources have claimed.
10/22/2017 05:00 PM
Pay and file: step-by-step guide to filing tax returns
Preparing and filing your annual self-assessed tax return can be a daunting task for any taxpayer. Year after year, the Form 11 self-assessed tax return grows longer and more complex, with the 2016 version being 34 pages long with 15 panels and hundreds of data points for the anxious taxpayer to complete.
10/22/2017 05:00 PM
Time in the market, rather than timing, is key to investor returns
Investing in markets is an emotionally-uncomfortable activity regardless of market conditions. Periods of high volatility with markets lurching downwards may be the most obvious fear for most investors, but the truth is that, in far more sanguine periods, it doesn't get much easier.
10/22/2017 05:00 PM
Jewellery business shows how to create a brand from scratch
As the economy returns to growth, the jewellery industry in particular is a sector that has emerged changed immensely. When global markets and currencies fluctuate, investors divert their investment and seek safe havens such as gold and other metals. As a result, spot gold has doubled in price in the last 10 years.
10/22/2017 05:00 PM
Nama would be a big winner from Murphy's high rise Dublin plan
Housing minister Eoghan Murphy delivered what many will see as welcome news at the recent Irish Planning Institute Annual Autumn conference. At it he said he would tackle the "faintly ridiculous restrictions" on using scarce land in an effective and efficient way.
10/22/2017 05:00 PM
Banking on the Germans: Can the Sparkasse model really put manners on Irish banks?
German bank Sparkasse faces many hurdles if it is to fulfil its ambition to bring its community-focused, regionally-based lending model to Ireland. With public opinion of banks at an all-time low, one element of the model in particular may prove difficult to explain, said a supporter of the plan, half in jest: "Irish people are going to struggle with the concept that a bank would actually want to do something that doesn't involve profit."
10/20/2017 01:30 AM
What happens if my loan is sold?
If your loan is sold to a vulture fund or another bank all of the original contracts remain the same - though that includes the obligation to make repayments.
10/20/2017 01:30 AM
Ask and you shall receive
As you pore over the miserable fiver a week (or was it a tenner?) that Minister Donohoe bestowed on you in this month's Budget, don't fret.
10/19/2017 01:30 AM
You must pay new staff and make a profit from them
Q: I run a medium-sized training business and find myself on an endless cycle of travelling around the country, delivering workshops etc. I am keen to grow my business but unsure as to whether to take on other trainers. Can you offer any advice?
10/19/2017 01:30 AM
What happens if newly-built houses cannot find buyers?
If only there was a simple formula for predicting market crashes, we'd all get rich. (Well, those who knew it would). But there isn't. Except that, just maybe, there might be when it comes to housing.
10/19/2017 01:30 AM
How to tell if you are affected
Thousands of people may be entitled to a good-value tracker mortgage, but may not even be aware of this.
10/19/2017 01:30 AM
Fresh hope for families in tracker loans nightmare
Families have been given fresh hope that their tracker nightmare will end this year, after the Government threatened to hit banks with massive tax bills if they do not rectify the mess.
10/18/2017 01:30 AM
Returns on investment in property stable in Q3
The latest JLL Property Index shows that overall returns from investment in the Irish property market increased by 3.8pc in the last three months and by 13.1pc in the last 12 months. This combined capital and income return is made up of stable growth in both capital and rental values.
10/15/2017 05:00 PM
Who is better off: the family with one or two breadwinners?
The squeezed middle are still worse off than at the height of the Celtic Tiger in 2006 when it comes to take-home pay - but next year some families with two working parents will almost take home as much of their pay after tax as they did in 2006.
10/15/2017 05:00 PM
High earners hit hardest because of USC and PSRI
High earners are probably the biggest losers of the Budget measures announced since the recession. These people will come home with less pay after taxes next year than they did at the height of the Celtic Tiger in 2006.
10/14/2017 01:30 AM
Explained: Why women are losing out on their pension payments
Changes to the way the State pension payment is calculated were introduced in 2012. The rules hit women hard. They are typically losing €35 in payments. They will not get the full €5 rise in the State pension announced in the Budget.
10/14/2017 01:30 AM
Charlie Weston's top tips to Beat the Budget
Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe's Budget this week delivered puny gains to workers, pensioners and others getting social welfare payments. Many will gain just €5 a week.
10/13/2017 01:30 AM
Home economics: Sinead Ryan answers your property questions
Q. We have been in arrears on our mortgage for nearly two years. We tried to pay some of it back but my husband lost his job and we had no option but to tell them. They have initiated proceedings to repossess the house and we are trying to find a solution, but they say this may be the only one.
10/13/2017 01:30 AM
What's driving down motor insurance?
Is it finally time to say motor insurance premiums are falling? After being on a one-way trajectory for the last three years (up 60pc), it seemed as if even the careful, safe driver couldn't get a break. Recent events should mean prices start falling, but is it actually happening?
10/12/2017 01:30 AM
Investors set to pile into PTSB auction
Permanent TSB is expected to attract strong interest from debt markets when it refinances another €500m tranche of performing loans next week as bond market investors swoop on deals offering a positive yield.
10/12/2017 01:30 AM
The downright misogyny of the State makes me furious
Sometimes, it's not nice to be right. I'm afraid I didn't expect the Government and Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe to right the deliberate wrong against mainly women in this week's Budget.