Informed Decisions Independent Financial Planning & Money Podcast

This week I share a short piece with you to help prepare for relevant (potential) changes in the upcoming Budget. What we'll all want to avoid is seeing a change come into effect that we could have seen coming, and that we could regret not having taken action on! We want to avoid regret, so lets not look back in anger - I heard you say! I'll touch on; PRSA changes and limits to contributions Inheritance changes Pension pot size changes I hope it helps.

In this week's podcast we talk about what's happening with bonds and why you should care. Over the past two years, we've seen dramatic shifts in the bond markets. Lots of investors and pension holders in Ireland have often large swathes of Bond Funds within their investment and pension portfolios. But often have never had clarity on what they are or why they move around a bit! It's been a bit of a rollercoaster, to put it mildly. I hope it helps.

In this week's podcast, I cover a topic that I did a couple of years ago. FET is still an issue that I believe awareness is still not as wide as it should be. Potential Federal Estate Tax (FET) on US-based assets is critical for for us all to be aware of, and is often unknown. If you have more than $60k worth of assets domiciled in the USA, could this be a lurking menace in your wealth?? There are a huge number of people here in Ireland, c20,000 in the top 5 US companies alone, who are receiving US stock options and who therefore own US assets. I hope this helps.

This week's podcast was a difficult one to do, and I'm still not sure if it's appropriate or not for this space, but my intent is to look for the positives, and to be reminded of a few key principles, financial and non-financial. I hope it helps, both you and I!

For those looking to pass on wealth while trying to simultaneously reduce tax on the proceeds, Section 73 investment plans offer a potential solution. These plans are specifically designed and sold to try manage Capital Acquisitions Tax (CAT) liabilities on gifts, and to provide a potentially tax-efficient way to transfer assets to loved-ones. But do they work? Lets explore! What are they How do they work What do they 'cost' What the commissions are like Specific scenario testing I hope it helps. Paddy Delaney QFA RPA

In this weeks podcast we have a interesting guest with us - Alan Purcell from Cloud Accounts in Dublin. Alan is unique as he is both a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Advisor. We had a quite broad conversation and covered a lot of ground, which I hope that you find helpful. Key topics include: PAYE taxes as an employee and what you should consider Landlord tax planning How to find a good accountant, what to look for Business owners, limited companies, sole traders Pension contributions vs not Taxes - Personal tax credits, tax bands, capital gains tax, and exit tax Harry Potter

For this week's podcast we welcome a fantastic guest, Chet Bennetts. A professor of Financial Planning with a wonderful story about how he got to where he is and shares some interesting ideas with us. Main topics: Chet's journey to financial planning His current role Why he got involved with helping veterans with financial planning His PhD work I hope you enjoy and we look forward to having Chet join us again later in the year. A little more about Chet and the American College of Financial Services Ender's book series

This week's podcast is the 300th Informed Decisions Personal Finance Podcast, so it is a little bit different than the usual! Key topics are: Inflation vs Investments over the past few years, what has or has not retained your purchasing power Informed Decisions Financial Planning may be hiring! I interview my kids, my most challenging interview to date! Hope you enjoy!

In this week's podcast I take a look at Section 72 policies. What are they and what's good and bad about them? What would the outcome look like if you saved the premium instead? Section 72 policies are often discussed as a tool to manage inheritance tax liabilities and to maximise the legacy they leave to loved-one. I hope it helps.

In this week's podcast I tackle a topic that's been heavily addressed already, inflation - but in the context of what it means for your pension assets. You may have noticed the Consumer Price Index (CPI) suggesting that inflation rates are easing off from recent highs. However, if we cast our minds back to the mid-1960s to the early 1980s, history shows us that inflation tends to come in waves. It's not gone away - particularly for us long term investors! I hope it helps