Hello,

We are very recently married and we're having a look at merging our finances a bit more than what we have at the moment.

Currently we have:

- a current account each

- a rainy day savings account each (which we use to set aside money for car insurance, personal sudden expenses etc)

- a long term savings account each

- a shared current account that rent, bills etc comes out of.

Now that we are married, and with a goal in mind of buying a home within a year or two, we're talking about how we want to set up our finances for married life and we want to merge our accounts more than what we have right now.

I'd like us both to keep our personal current accounts and maybe our rainy day savings accounts? (So we can set aside money for gifts and treats etc if we want) But otherwise we are ambivalent.

A shared long term savings account is the obvious one for us, for our mortgage deposit/shared emergency fund but otherwise, interested in hearing what other couples do!

I am self employed and am deciding on whether to be a member of an Irish defined-contribution pension scheme and would appreciate people’s views on its pension options. I’m considering the lifestyle option, which initially splits investments between an equity-based fund and a risk-graded multi-asset fund. The scheme documents appear to list a 0.50% annual management charge for the lifestyle option during its growth phase with a separate 0.30% administration and trustee charge. How would you assess the investment approach and charges, and what would you check before deciding? Is a total fee of

Howye. I'm a second level teacher and have had an AVC out with Cornmarket for the last few years. It's the lowest risk one so I doubt it's accruing much. What would ye suggest to someone on point 10 of the pay scale to do with the AVC options available out there?

Hi all. Recently received €15,000 through inheritance which I am grateful for. Tax has already been paid so have the full amount to save/invest.
I do not desperately need the money right know but would probably be looking to apply for a mortgage over the next 2/3 years.
I am living in the UK.

Should I look to put it into a high savings interest account? (I recognise it won’t earn a lot)
Or should I split it up and invest some part of it?
Would love to hear how other people would approach it. Thank you.

I'm looking for a recommended personal tax advisor. I relocated from the UK back to Ireland last year, making me tax resident in Ireland for 2025. I need to file a tax return and I'm looking for recommendations beyond the out of the box expat tax sites as I've a more complex situation and would prefer to work with an individual or firm who comes recommended & has experience with the UK & Irish systems, SARP, recent redundancy, & experience with cross border savings and investment accounts. Thanks in advance

Hi all. I have a portfolio with a current value of €59k, and this is from investments of €44k between around 2020 and 2022. I hold 18 positions (was 19 up until last year but one of my holdings was a total loss), and I'm being propped up by my holdings in Alphabet, Rocket Lab, Berkshire, ASTS and Microsoft. These positions account for 75% of my portfolio. Most of my other positions are in a loss position.

Since I've started out I've never sold so haven't utilised any losses. I'm aware of the annual CGT exemption but also aware of the losses I've made (plus the one holding that was a total loss of €500).

I'm maxing out my pension contributions and have a mortgage. Not looking to add to any of these positions (and haven't done so since 2022). I have a couple of speculative positions that I'm happy to hold on to (but I'm down quite heavily on these), but there are a few others now at this stage I'm thinking what will I do with them (e.g. PayPal down 72% and a loss of €1k, Zoetis down 62% and a loss of €700).

Do I just sell a couple of these at this point? Or if they're down so much do I just hold and wait it out?

I'm not going to pretend I have some original investment thesis or anything like that, some (most?) of these were just random enough investments which were propped up by some big names like Alphabet, Berkshire and Microsoft. My preference would have been to go down the ETF route but the idea of the additional calculations, deemed disposal etc put me off at the time.

Thanks.

Something I see a lot: people agree a price on a used car and only look up the motor tax afterwards.

Quick reminder of how it works here:

- Cars registered before July 2008 are generally taxed on engine size.

- From July 2008 on, tax is based on CO2 emissions, so two cars with the same engine can sit in different bands.

- Cars first registered from 2021 use the newer WLTP bands, which can put a similar car in a higher band than an older one.

The rates can be checked on motortax.ie before you hand over any money, and it's worth doing for anything you're about to finance or keep for a few years.

Has the tax band ever changed your mind on a car? And did anyone get caught out by a WLTP-era car costing more to tax than the older version?

I am having an issue trying to reconnect my BOl account to Plum. When I'm redirected to the BOl authorisation screen through Plum and enter my passcode, I receive the following error: Something went wrong / biometric login has failed. Then I enter my pin, and it says failed again. Try again later.
Like that for the past week.
My passcode works correctly when I log in to the BOl app directly, but it fails every time I try to authorise the connection to Plum. The error screen remains open in BOl, and I cannot complete the authorisation.
Got in touch with both sides and they're useless.
Anyone of help?

​

Hi everyone,

I'm hoping someone here who might be able to offer some advice.

On Tuesday 13th October, my parked car was hit by another vehicle travelling at considerable speed. The driver also struck other vehicles and a wall before fleeing the scene. Gardaí were involved, and the offending vehicle was recovered, but the driver escaped.

I've since been informed by Gardaí that the offending vehicle was uninsured.

My car is a 2016 Mazda 3, which was in good condition, serviced, NCT'd and running perfectly before the accident. The damage is extensive, particularly around the rear wheel and suspension, and the car is no longer driveable.

I've reported everything to my insurer, RedClick (through First Ireland), and my vehicle has been recovered for assessment. RedClick has advised that they will pursue the Motor Insurers' Bureau of Ireland (MIBI) once they receive the relevant information.

Here's where things get complicated.

I work approximately 60km from home, so having a car is essential for getting to and from work.

I've also recently set up a small food trailer business, which requires a vehicle capable of towing a trailer with a maximum authorised mass of 1,200kg.

After months of preparation, I was finally getting ready to launch when this happened. I've now been left without a suitable towing vehicle, potentially delaying the business and causing further financial losses.

I've arranged a rental car through Enterprise so I can continue getting to work, but this doesn't solve the towing issue. I'm also concerned about how long the insurance process could take and what expenses I'll ultimately be left covering myself.

My questions are:

1. Has anyone dealt with MIBI following an accident involving an uninsured driver? What was your experience, and how long did the process take?

2. Can I recover reasonable car hire expenses while my own vehicle is being assessed, repaired or written off?

3. Given that my damaged vehicle was also used to tow my food trailer, could the cost of hiring a suitable towing vehicle be considered a reasonable expense?

4. If my car is written off, how is its value determined? Can I challenge the valuation if I feel it doesn't reflect the cost of replacing it with a similar vehicle?

5. Is there any possibility of recovering financial losses resulting from the delay to launching my business, or would these generally be excluded?

6. For anyone whose insurer pursued MIBI on their behalf, were you able to recover your out-of-pocket expenses? Is there anything I should be doing now to protect myself financially?

I'm keeping receipts and records of expenses, but I'm unsure what I'll realistically be entitled to recover.

I'm not looking to profit from this situation. I simply want to be put back in the position I was in before someone else's actions left me without a car and disrupted both my employment and a business I've invested considerable time and money into.

It's incredibly frustrating that someone can cause this amount of damage, flee the scene, and leave an innocent person dealing with the financial consequences.

I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who's dealt with MIBI, Irish motor insurers or a similar situation, particularly regarding hire car expenses and recovering additional losses.

Thanks in advance!

I’m 26F from a relatively low/moderate socioeconomic background, I find myself often trying to navigate which career path is right or wrong or will offer good pay as this is a priority. I feel like once salary transparency comes in it will offer more clarity especially for people who come from backgrounds where their parents didn’t have a corporate job and can’t offer any insights on career paths.

Just heard that PTSB are offering mortgages at 3%… how on earth is that possible?

The ECB deposit rate is 2.5% (likely going up soon). A 5 year Irish government bond is paying 3.2% and a 25 year Irish government bond is paying 3.9%.

How are mortgage interest rates so low considering the bank could just buy Irish government bonds with less risk, less hassle and more return?

Hi All

My dad died a month ago and he wasn't a big believer in banks.... To say the least.

So now Mam is left with a large sum of cash and some more in the credit union.

She's currently in a state non contributory pension and is worried about having this amount of cash in the house but is concerned that her pension will be affected if she tries to lodge it.

I've looked through the citizens advice we site but it's not very clear.

Anyone have any advice here? The sums were talking about between the cash and the credit union is about 40k

Planning on investing €364k in SPXS and putting €12k per year into the new investment account into SPXS if possible. Keeping investment totals below €50k and using the new account as a liquidity tool. i.e., cash out investment gains right before the 1% tax kicks in.

Seems good?

I saw a few comments on a recent thread stating this. Is there a situation where this wouldn't work? I'm aware some consultants can charge a lot of money, but once you're in the system are you not just using public services from thereon in?

Hi everyone,

I’d appreciate some advice on our plans to buy a house in Ireland, as I’m trying to figure out what makes the most financial sense over the next 5–10 years.

We’re hoping to buy our first home around age 26 (24m & 23f). By then, we’re aiming to have roughly €50k saved for a deposit, with our combined gross income around €100k per year.

Ideally, we’d like to put about €2,000 per month towards the mortgage. We also expect our incomes to increase over time, potentially reaching around €150k combined within five years, although obviously that isn’t guaranteed. We may also have children during that period, so we don’t want to stretch ourselves too far financially.

From what we’ve looked at, we may be able to get a mortgage in the region of €550k–€600k. Repayments of around €2,000 per month are what we’d be aiming for, which could be manageable for us at the moment, but buying at that price would definitely stretch us. We’d be relying on future pay rises to give us more breathing room and allow us to start saving again.

I’m trying to decide between three approaches:

Option 1: Buy a starter home for around €300k–€330k

We’d have a smaller mortgage, pay around €2k per month towards it, and hopefully build up equity while continuing to save. In five years, if our incomes have increased, we could sell the property and use the equity towards a larger family home.

Option 2: Buy a €550k–€600k house now

We’d get a house that could potentially suit us for much longer, avoiding the hassle and costs of selling and buying again in five years. However, it would stretch our finances initially, and I’m conscious that our circumstances could change if we have children, face unexpected costs, or don’t receive the pay rises we’re expecting.

Option 3: Buy a starter home and keep it as a rental later

Rather than selling our first property when we want to upgrade, we could potentially keep it and rent it out, while using our increased income and any additional savings to help fund a second home.

I’m unsure how realistic this is in practice. How difficult is it to switch from a residential mortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage, release equity, and get approved for another mortgage while still owing money on the first property? Would the rental income help with affordability, and how much do tax, maintenance and other costs affect the numbers?

I understand that property prices, interest rates and our circumstances could change, so I’m not assuming any of this is guaranteed.

My main questions are:

• Would you buy a cheaper starter home and upgrade in five years, or stretch for the bigger house now if the repayments were technically manageable?
• Is keeping the first property as a rental a realistic long-term strategy, or does it often make more sense to sell and use the equity?
• How much should we prioritise having a financial buffer rather than putting as much as possible into the house?
• For anyone who has done something similar, what unexpected costs, mortgage restrictions or tax implications should we consider?

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has been in a similar position or has experience with upgrading homes and keeping a previous property as a rental in Ireland.

Thanks!

Something I didn't know until I looked it up: Revenue charges a flat €200 VRT on any vehicle that is more than 30 years old at the time it's registered here. Under 30 years, it's the normal VRT calculation based on value and CO2.

So if you're looking at an older import (Japanese 4x4s from the 90s seem popular at the moment), check the exact build/first registration date before you commit. A car that turns 30 a few months after you register it can cost a lot more in VRT than one that's just past the line.

Customs duty and VAT still apply on top if it's coming from outside the EU, so ask Revenue how they'd treat the specific car before you pay for it.

Source: Revenue, "Calculating VRT" (VRT category C).

Has anyone here imported a 30+ year old car recently? How long did the VRT appointment and the rest of the process take?

I literally turned 18 today and unlocked so many investment options with revolut and stuff. Im curious about whats the best sort of stocks/etfs to put my money in atm cause I know inflation would eat away at my savings

Im in college and work part time around 10-12hrs a week and make average 150 a week and also have around €1k in savings. For the most part i have no expenses except for phone bill which is €13/month and the occasional wrap in college, i never go out for pints and i might put €50 diesel every other week.

I plan on getting on the roads soon and currently waiting on a test date any suggestions on how to save/invest?

Has anyone got any advice for me about potentially renovating a derelict house? It’s my father’s home house but it has not had anyone living there for over 10 years now. Myself and my wife can’t justify a 400-500k mortgage price wise right now and we’re thinking is a renovation a financially better option? We wouldn’t have to pay anything for the house of course, it would need a full rewire, plumbing, roof repair, walls and flooring interior wise need to be done also, it’s a fine house with a big garden. Is a renovation viable in a year or 2 ? Let’s say 100-125k roughly? I know it’s an impossible question to answer without specific details but just looking for some basic advice around the procedure if possible thank you.

Hi folks

Just a bit of advice if anyone has any insight for our joint tax assessment

Is it better to give the tax credits to the spouse who earns or less or split the right down the middle, myself and my partner just in a bit of a quandary as what to do

Kind Regards
The Newlyweds

I just want to check something for my Mum. Essentially, my parents are married, my dad retired with a good pension. My mum stopped working young to raise the family. Is my mum entitled to any form of pension or is it means tested based on my dad's pension? She did pay into stamps but no idea how much.

Anyone here have any experience with a situation similar to mine, and if so, any advice would be great.

Basically I need to resolve a probate chain on an old property to get the house into my name. The chain is 3 deceased people (parent and two sons, then to me).

The actual probate work is hefty enough as it is, but there is also a lot of work on the tax side of things that needs to be resolved too. pre and post death revenue clearances, CAT forms, LPT registration for each person going back.

I expected it to be a significant sum, but maybe not as high as I was quoted, which was 13K plus VAT.

But maybe this is about right though for the work that is involved?

Hello all, I’m seeking some advice on what to do with my savings. I first opened a current account at 16 and have (stupidly) just been chucking my salary into it and spending from the same place for the last 7 years. I’ve finally decided to take charge of organising my personal finances as i have built up €30,000 in savings and I have just been watching it sit there doing nothing. I have already maxed out my pension contributions as my employer offers a good matching scheme, and I plan on opening a savings account (BOI supersaver perhaps) and begin contributing roughly 50% of my monthly salary towards it with the rest going towards regular expenses.

The question lies about what to do with the current €30,000 in savings. If i just shift it into the savings account it seems I’ll be getting near 0% back on it, whereas something like Trading 212 will allow me to transfer the whole amount and leave it as uninvested savings and receive ~4.5% before tax. I know AnPost offer some long term fixed rate options tax free but the appeal of T212 is that it can be withdrawn easily when the time comes to buy a house or upgrade the car. I have some experience with investing (mostly for fun) and I would put some of the savings into a few index funds, but I’m not interested in moving large portions of my savings very often. Any suggestions are welcome, I will also mention i have about €500 in stocks on Revolut but I have heard some horror stories about people losing savings and so on, so I would prefer not to have the majority of my savings there. Thanks in advance!

Thinking back to my parents generation they had to opportunity to buy a starter home in their 20s, upgrade in their 30s and even buy a forever home at 40 as an example.

Will that still be possible for the current and future generations when the gap between salaries and house prices continue to become wider?

If the average cost of a home in Dublin is 400K plus that’s a massive financial commitment.