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In Ireland we hold proportionally more money on deposit than other developed countries. There is just under €100bn in household deposits in the banks. One reason for this is that the necessity of investing and how to invest money are so poorly understood. This podcast sheds light on the reasons that you need to consider investing at least a portion of your hard earned money.  

Finding the right adviser is fraught with difficulty. In this age, trust in financial institutions and other types of authority figures is at an all-time low. However that lack of trust can make our lives more difficult. Most people could benefit from good quality, fair advice when it comes to their personal finances but they do not know where to turn to. They find it hard to cast aside their misgivings and to reach out and ask for help. In this podcast we cover the topic of how to find an adviser and share many valuable insights to help you find an adviser that meets your needs.

In this podcast we speak about how and when financial advice can really help. The benefits of financial advice are often not very well understood by the public at large. It goes far deeper than just advising on financial products. We shed light on how we are not programmed to think about the future or often act in our own best interest and how good quality financial advice can help.

In this episode, we hope to provide insight into some of the bigger questions that people have when it comes to their pensions. Very often a person can spend decades putting money into a pension with little or no idea what they will receive back in return. There is also a lack of awareness of how to start a pension with the self-employed being most at risk of not having a pension and finally we briefly look at pension options when it comes to reaching retirement age.

Pensions are greatly misunderstood as a means of safeguarding your financial future. Most people don't even have a grasp of the basics of how pensions work. It's little wonder that private sector participation in pensions is worryingly low. In this podcast, you will get an overview of what pensions are and why they should form an important pillar for your retirement plans.

So in this podcast today, we talk about our attitudes to money and how often we don’t have a very healthy relationship with money. I’ve had conversations with many people in the past about their need to earn more money. Now we all need a certain amount of money to pay the bills and have a good quality of life, however something I would like all of you, our listeners to think about is how you spend your money. Many people put so much effort into earning more money only to spend it with little or no thought. Their spending, especially on big ticket items doesn’t really add much to their quality of life.

Facing the reality that we will get sick and eventually die is uncomfortable for most people. It prevents us from having conversations with our loved ones about what to do when the inevitable comes to pass. By not confronting these realities many are left unprepared. In this podcast we discuss elder care – planning on whether to go into a care home and the financial costs that are related to that. Whether this is for yourself or your parents, planning before the event makes a lot of sense.

It is often the husband who takes the lead role in determining what investments a couple should make for their future. More often than not the wife is perfectly happy to not get too involved. However statistically, the wife will outlive her husband. If this happens, all the responsibility  will suddenly fall on the shoulders of the wife. It can be very stressful, especially in a time of bereavement – I have seen this first hand. It is important that all women (both single and married) have an understanding of the principles of financial planning or at least have a person to call on to help them with this. When financial planning is done right, it is anything but boring.

For the majority of us, the biggest impact on our long term financial well-being will not come from finding the best investment. It will come from getting a handle on our spending. This podcast is not here to preach how you should spend your money. However most people are in the dark when it comes to where their money goes each month. A budget will help bring clarity and ensure that your money is being spent on the right things.

As many people approach retirement, they look forward to the day when they no longer have to work to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. The look forward to leaving behind all the unpleasant things such as office politics and battling through traffic. However it is not uncommon for retirees to become a little lost and lacking in direction as they struggle to deal with one of the biggest changes in life that any of us face. In this podcast we want to shed some light on the issues and areas of your life that you should examine to enhance your quality of life in retirement.

When it comes to investing and planning for the future, understanding your future needs is vital. However all too often, people only have a vague notion of what they want in the future. This lack of clarity leads to poor outcomes. The clearer you can be, the greater the chance that you will realise these lifestyle goals.

Today the State Pension forms a vital pillar for the retirement plans for most retirees. However the demographic pressure and the unfunded nature of long term Government liabilities place threaten the long term viability of the State Pension. In this podcast we will outline our thoughts on this and we will cover the process of financial planning.

In the past, retirement was a period of your life where you slow down and live a few short years before our inevitable death. Now retirement has been turned on its head. It is more accurate to think of it as just another stage in life which could last for multiple decades. Care must be taken to understand the financial considerations surrounding all of this.

In this episode we learn about Stephen's interesting and varied background and how it took him into the world of professional golf. Stephen tells us about travelling the world as a professional golfer and winning tour events in both Kazakhstan and Norway. Stephen also tells us about what brought him into the world of financial planning and how he sees it as being crucial stepping stone for one's financial security.

In episode 1, we learn about Hugh's background in trading and investment management and why he chose to leave that career behind. We cover the lessons that Hugh learned throughout his career in finance. We also cover how this new era of financial planning can have massive benefits for people and remove all that stress and worry that surrounds dealing with one's personal finances.