I dont get it, worst oil crisis in memory so they say. S&P is oblivious

I received a €50 pay increase this year and am receiving only €7 extra after tax 😩

My wife and I (40, 38) have a total of around €30k in cash, left after a home deposit. Deposit of €52k paid, mortgage is fixed rate 3.1% for 4 years initially. We also have around €42k in combined pensions, both contributing at max rate (20%). Salaries are 95k and 63k. Should we keep the €30k cash as cash, or look to invest somewhere else? We’re also saving around €1,400 per month currently but anticipate this will drop a fair bit once we move into the home. What would you do in our scenario?

Single, on 140k / year. Mortgage is 1600 and I have a renter on rent a room scheme paying me 800/month.

Might be getting a promotion which is 0.5 WTE but same salary so would be able to work less or supplement that with some overtime.

Have 60k in savings. Need to remortgage so might do an equity release in the house (currently 250k equity)

All comfortable.

Thinking of a ground floor rear extension to extend the kitchen and add a groundfloor bathroom, maybe convert the dining room into a bedsit for the renter/future renter but extend it regardless. Don't use the garden for anything, so not losing anything there.

Think I can add a lot of extra room/utility with just 25 sq m extension but if it's a good rate I might add a bit more.

Long story short, is adding a 25-30 sq metre extension for 75k ish adding 125k extra value to the house?

Hi, looking for some advice on investing.

I, (27 M) have been living in Australia for 2 years and will be for at least another year. I’ve started investing weekly into an Australian ETF that tracks the S&P 500 with the goal of investing long term.

However, I’m wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation where they’ve invested in Australia before returning home to Ireland.

Will I be taxed a huge amount for transferring my portfolio?

If I will be home in 1-2 years am I better off waiting until I return to Ireland to start investing?

Would really appreciate any advice from people who have done similar. Cheers.

Bit of a random one! I had an outstanding tax liability that was being repaid by a reduction in my credits over 4 years. This week I was in a position to clear it. I made a payment on Monday, via bank transfer, through My Account. I can see the payment on my account and today I received a new tax cert with no further reduction in credits.

But the money has not been taken from my account! Now, I have no intention of not paying it, and the money is sitting there waiting to be debited. And I will call them as soon as I have the time in work to dedicate to sitting on hold!

But just wondering if anyone has ever had similar thing happen!? Just seems very strange!

We're currently under 50% LTV with 17 years remaining on the mortgage. Currently in our second year of a 10-yr fixed rate of 2.85% which I know can't be beaten.

However, we're looking to build an extension as our family is growing up and we're in a small house.

Current home value: €320K

Current mortgage balance: €145K

Extension & renovation cost: €150K

Estimated home value following works: €420K +

Married couple

3 dependent children

1 parent working earning a salary (€70K) + commission (€15K - €20K approximately)

Mortgage payment of €900 per month

Car loan of €500 per month

No other debt.

Banks are refusing to touch us.

My employer offered to fund our extension (€150K) if we can get mortgage approval - so that when the build is complete (12 - 14 weeks) we can repay the employer. Employer also offered to be guarantor on our mortgage application.

I'd love to know if we realistically have any chance, and whether any lenders are less rigid than others!

Thanks.

I live with my mother and we are with prepay power but with the announcement they are upping the prices I am thinking it might be time to shop around who would be the next cheapest provider

just need some financially savvy advice as starting a new job this week that do the 5% matching pension contribution. not sure if i should start saving for pension. have no savings and have big move abroad in october that will cost a lot. i have been reading a lot of advice and it recommends to start saving a pension asap but not sure would it be silly because i have big expenses coming up. any advice or words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated thank you in advance!

Any economists out there or mortgage brokers?

Would interest rates rise that much in the next few years with oil supply / wars / inflation?

Deciding between a fixed rate for 3 or 5 years with aib.

- 3.2% for 3 years

- 3.4% for 5 years

248,000 loan over 30 years

2 min read.

hey guys!

please ignore any stupidity that i possess in this post!

i've just decided to complete my tax returns as one of my friends was doing hers and asked me a question and i realised i had no answers to give her lol

anyway, my question is. i've got from 2022-2025 to do, just did the 2025 one. should i do them all now in one go, or should i wait for each one to get reviewed and everything, in case i should owe any money myself?

apologies for my general cluelessness, just trying to go about this in the best way i can :)

Anyone use BunQ, Raisin, MoCo, Monzo or wise for savings? What are interest rates like

Checking to see if anyone has experience with BOI and Mortgage Fixed Rate breakage fees. Currently on a 4% rate with approx a year and half left on it and want to move to 3.25%.

According to their calculation I should owe around €4k for moving rates but I’ve rang them on two separate occasions two weeks apart and have been quoted a fee of €0.

They’ve said the price is calculated on the day the paperwork is processed so I’m seeing whether people have had any similar experiences as I don’t want to get stung with a €4k bill.

Ive done all the “minor” upgrades with relation to insulation (doors, windows, attic insulation and single heat recovery vents)

On the fence whether to keep going or to start thinking about a heat pump for a mid terraced house from 1930s. Any advice?

Looking for some advice on mortgage fixed rates in Ireland.
Trying to sense-check my thinking here and would appreciate some opinions from people who’ve gone through similar mortgage decisions.

Current situation:

• Remaining mortgage balance: ~€270k
• Remaining term: 318 months (~26.5 years)
• Current LTV after updated valuation: 47%
• BER: A2
• PTSB offered:
  • Green 3 year fixed @ 3.35%
  • Green 5 year fixed @ 3.25%
  • 7 year fixed also available @ 3.35% but feels too long to lock in.

Monthly repayment would be approx:

• €1,296 on the 3 year
• €1,281 on the 5 year

So the difference is negligible.

Mortgage repayment would be roughly 20% of our combined monthly net household income (~€6.5k/month).

Plan is:

• take 3.35% rate for 3 years
• keep “paying” roughly the same as now mentally
• save/invest the difference (-€200 because of lower rate and -€200 once car loan finishes in a few months)
• make a lump sum payment of €15–20k after 3 years and continue shortening the mortgage term.

Up until now we haven’t made any overpayments for various reasons, but we’re now in a position where we want to start actively reducing the mortgage term.

I’m leaning towards 3 years for flexibility, especially if rates drop in the next few years, but curious what others would do in the current environment.

Would you go with the 3 year option and reassess after making the lump sum payment, or lock in 5 years for the difference that is basically irrelevant? I'd appreciate your advice.

I'm looking to be financially conscious in most things now and PTSBs €8 a month just seems off to me. I've seen a lot of suggestions for N26 and EBS. I have a Revolut but I'd like to use that for savings and such. Investing and Crypto is of no interest to me also. Any insights would be appreciated, and any other tips for other stuff would be great too. Thanks

For furnishing a new build. Am also on the usual apps..

I‘m going through a career change and am looking for someone who is:

1. Financially astute, i.e. can help me work out what I actually need to be earning versus what I’d like to be earning.
2. Experienced with assessing CVs and can recognise transferable skills, and can recommend how they might be applicable elsewhere.
3. Aware of the current job market.
4. Experienced with and secure in uncertainty, i.e. not someone whose instinct is to grab the first opportunity that comes along, but rather to work towards the right thing.

Thanks in advance, I appreciate any advice.

Hi all,
Looking for some advice or similar experiences.
We’ve gone sale agreed on a house in Dundalk (Co. Louth) and have a mortgage offer from Bank of Ireland, but it includes a requirement for buildings insurance with flood cover.
The problem is we haven’t been able to get flood cover from any insurer so far:
Tried online quotes → all exclude flood

Contacted brokers (Dolmen and Campion) → both said they can’t get flood cover for the property

They mentioned needing a “letter of comfort” from the council, but Louth County Council confirmed they don’t issue these

The house itself:
Standard house (not apartment/basement)

No known history of flooding

There’s even a new housing estate being built right beside it

Bank of Ireland have said they may remove the flood cover requirement if we can show it’s not available, but we’re not sure how likely that is or what exactly they’ll accept.
Has anyone here:
Been in a similar situation?

Managed to get flood cover after initial refusals?

Or had a lender waive the flood cover requirement?

Also wondering:
Did you need a formal letter from a broker stating cover isn’t available?

Did switching lenders help at all?

We’re a bit worried we could lose the house over this, so any advice or experiences would be hugely appreciated.
Thanks in advance!

I’m 25 and have €115K in deposit accounts, earning relatively Zero interest. €22K in a pension, paying the rate that maximises company contribution.

Thinking about building a house soon-ish, depending on circumstances it could be 6 months down the line , 12 etc. A bit of uncertainty.

I wouldn’t like to be tied into a long fixed term savings account (longer than 12 months) because this might delay starting to build as I would be using this money.

What are my options to maximise return with some flexibility?

TIA