Better With Money

If you have found yourself at the point at which you're finally ready to invest, but you don't know how to do your research into index and exchange traded funds (ETFs), this is the episode for you.

There’s an overwhelming amount of information online about investing, but most of it is aimed an American, and to a lesser extent, a UK audience. In this episode wealth advisor, YouTube content creator and Donegal man, Kevin Elliott, brings his years of experience working for financial institutions in New York, London and Toronto and translates it jargon-free for an Irish audience.

Building on earlier episodes* about index funds and ETFs (which tend to be lower risk and more beginner-friendly than buying individual stocks and shares) Kevin explains how to choose an ETF from the tens of thousands out there. He shares the checklist he himself uses when choosing funds in Ireland: use passive index funds, no "star pickers" of stocks, watch for steep fees, choose broad and ideally global indices, trade in euro and make sure the funds are domiciled in Europe for tax purposes. Plus some other tricky jargon worth knowing before putting your money into an ETF.

This episode is for for information purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.

Presented by Aideen Finnegan

*You can find previous episodes which examine ETFs in detail with Dan Malone here and here, as well as our complete beginner episode with Kel Galavan here.
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Aideen Finnegan speaks to financial influencer Annmarie Gaynor (Irish Budgeting Mammy) and Cian Carolan of DNG Financial Services after they attended a Department of Finance meeting with Simon Harris and junior minister Robert Troy about a proposed state “personal investment account”. It’s not an SSIA savings account that would be topped up by the Government, neither will it be a product “with a portal you log into with a password.” Rather it looks set to be a tax-incentivised “wrapper” applying new rules to existing investment options offered by banks, life insurers and trading platforms. The key aim is to encourage “middle Ireland” to move some savings from deposits into long-term investing, but major details remain unconfirmed, including annual limits, fees, tax treatment and timelines. They describe Ireland’s complex investment taxes (deemed disposal, exit tax and a life-insurance levy) as barriers to getting involved in investing, while stressing the need for a financial literacy campaign to communicate risk, understand inflation and set clear personal goals for the individual.

This episode is for information purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s episode, the font of all motoring knowledge Neil Briscoe is taking us through the government’s new pilot ICE to EV scrappage scheme. For us non petrol heads, those acronyms essentially mean “give up yer aul polluting car for an electric vehicle instead.” It involves trading in your end-of-life petrol or diesel car (at least 13 years) for a new EV, and is weighted 65% towards rural dwellers. Opening tomorrow with just 2000 places, the scheme is already oversubscribed. However Neil is expecting the government will announce a new round. He runs through the best value EVs on the market right now from the cheapest options (like the Hyundai Inster) up to the €50,000 grant cap. He also explains why small EVs are getting cheaper, and why the growing used-EV market shouldn’t be discounted.

Presented by Aideen Finnegan
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Unless you’re Dermot Bannon, doing up your house must be one of the most expensive and nerve-wracking jobs you can ever take on. In this episode of Better with Money, Quantity Surveyor Shay Lally (aka @houses_to_restore on Instagram) speaks to Aideen Finnegan about how to plan and cost the renovation of an average 3-bed semi-d in Ireland.

He explains why the cheapest quote can often end up being the most expensive because of omissions or “front-loading”, where the builder gets the bulk of the payment at the beginning and then ghosts you for the smaller jobs later on.

Shay also explains how getting a QS involved from early on can help your budget with estimates, making payment assessments and negotiations during the project and tracking a final tally.

And he also outlines common budget risks, the need for a clear brief, and prioritising essentials like insulation, heating and rewiring over finishes. This episode also covers SEAI and Vacant/Derelict Homes grants, staged bank drawdowns, contracts, red flags with tradespeople, and renovation choices that can add or reduce a home’s resale value.

This episode is for information purposes only and does not constitute financial advice
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From supplements on hotel rooms to needing to save tens of thousands of euro on your own to buy a home, the costs of doing anything in Ireland - as a single adult - are hidden and varied. Irish Times columnist and author, Emer McLysaght, joins Aideen Finnegan and Conor Pope on this episode of Better with Money to discuss the many ways single people are penalised by the so-called "single tax". While Ireland's tax system doesn't explicitly "reward" married or cohabiting couples, it is more favourable for them. And that's before you consider the single person's financial burden of trying to save for a home at a time of record rents, energy prices and grocery bills. Would you go as far as refusing to put cash in an envelope at your friend's wedding in a bid to save money? Emer would. And she has, too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.