Here is one good reason you should be prepared for the future in order to full enjoy the present and your health. Firstly you might commit to taking regular exercise, eating healthy and visiting the doctor for check ups but have you thought about how financial anxiety can affect your health and overall well being.  It is important to maintain a feeling of control when it comes to your money, we all know the feelingRead More

This week we would like to offer you a whole host of helpful links to articles about pensions that have appeared in national press in previous weeks. We would love you to get in touch if you would like more information and if we can help in anyway at all. Are you thinking of  getting a pension plan? Do you need more information on your retirement options in Ireland. Are you close to pension ageRead More

In a recent survey, outlined in The Journal article , the findings showed a significant difference between how men and women think about retirement The article states “WOMEN ARE FAR less likely to be preparing for their retirement than men, according to new research in Irish pensions. While the gender pay gap is an issue that has been brought to the fore by a number of high profile cases, the gender pension gap is anotherRead More

 Zurich Life carried out a pension survey last year in order to demonstrate just how informed people were on pensions and to see what effect lack of information was having on people’s decision to start a pension and plan for their retirement. The full article and stats can be found HERE and below are some of the key findings from the survey 48% spent less than 5 hours researching pension products 40% were not wellRead More

When the ‘Civil Partnership & Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010’(Civil Partnership Act) was passed, it created the legal status of civil partnership for same-sex couples. This meant that the property and financial entitlements that previously only applied to married couples would now apply to registered civil partners. However the Act only applies to same-sex couples who have registered their relationship. This has caused some confusion for co-habitants of the opposite sex, whoRead More

Do you have a child entering third level education this year or in coming years? Are you prepared for college costs? According to Aviva’s Cost of Education Report  just under half of parents (49%) say they have made no financial preparations to meet the cost of putting their children through third level education. On average, parents expect to pay out €5,122 a year to send a child to a third level college or university. If theRead More

In the Irish Times this month there is an in depth article outlining why it is never too late to start planning your pension.  Depending on your age there are many different option and sometimes your age might determine that it is not on your mind, however it is always good to have the information at hand. So even if you have all sorts of reasons why you haven’t started saving for your retirement yetRead More

Business Protection. One of the companies we work with have’ been listening to Irish SMEs in order to better understand their Protection needs and their hopes for the future’ Here are some stats from Aviva Two out of three Irish SMEs claim to rely on a single individual or a small group of individuals to generate profit Half of them say the death or illness of a key individual would result in revenue loss 30% told us they’d cease toRead More

Did you know that most of us understand that we need to insure the person in the family who works outside the home. However, the contribution the stay at home parent makes to the household can be sometimes deemed less important and overlooked.  If you think about how much financially you would have to pay for tasks such as childcare, housework, transport, cooking, and all the other tasks undertaken by a stay at home parentRead More

Back to school savings tips Uniforms and stationary When it comes to uniforms it is possible now to shop around for better value, in the past perhaps only one supplier worked with a school and therefore you were obliged to go there even if it was more expensive.  Lately many schools encourage parents to buy a general uniform in the correct colour and sew or iron on the school crest. This can be a huge money saver as you cut out the cost of the supplier doing this work for you. A good tip is not to wait until the last minute, give yourself plenty of time and do your research, check second hand shops and community based Facebook groups. Ask friends and family if they would be willing to donate the uniform of an older child who has left school or outgrown the uniform. If you can pay to have an alterations person take down a hem, or repair a rip then do, it will work out more cost effective for you than to replace with a brand new uniform. There are many discount shops around that sell great stationary now, there is no need to go to a specific school supplies centre unless you need something specific, shops like Dealz or the Euro store have great offers. You can also buy online BOOKS Use the power of social media groups, family and friend networks and this will really save you money. You should take your time and really talk to people, reach out on Facebook, publish your child’s booklist and ask who has copies. As long as the book meets the purpose and it is not damaged then it will be fine. Encourage your child to take good care of their books and cover them together. There are many online sources that offer discounts earlier in the year that can be up to 30% at times. They also may offer free covering and delivery. It is a good idea to start to plan ahead and put a little money aside for next year’s back to school costs. Keep a note of what you spent this year, so you’ll know exactly how much you will need and factor in exam years being more expensive Saving even a small amount regularly can make a big difference. For example, saving €10 each week will add up to €560  for back to school costs next year.   You can talk to us about savings plans and all other financial matters just give us a call on 053 9420 899 or email philip@southeastfs.ie From Zurich see sample below , ‘ the final step in giving your child the best start is lie is by taking action now, The earlier you start saving the more money you will have available to support them as they begin their own journey. ZurichRead More

How would I protect my family if I was in an accident? No one likes to think about suffering an accident or a serious illness, or what would happen financially and the negative impact it  could have on your whole life.  You could never suffer an accident, you might be lucky enough to never miss any work from illness but these stats below are important to note. Because unfortunately accidents they do happen.  For instance,Read More

Some interesting findings from a recent report from Telda, show that those in retirement with a higher income experience a higher quality of life. Three in ten with low income say that a shortage of money prevents them from doing what they want to do, in comparison to one in ten with a high income. Another finding showed that three in ten retirees say that shortage of money never prevents them from doing what theyRead More