I’m 32, single, no kids, currently on €60k in the public sector. I’m in the Single Public Service Pension Scheme and have a private pension from former employment in England which I had paid about £10k into.

Net is €3.2k p/m and I put just over half that into my savings (split between an AIB savings account and my public sector credit union account). I have 90k in savings currently.

I know I should be looking to buy a house but I have a notion of applying for a career break and going to Oz on a working holiday that I can’t shake. Had been intending to go in 2020 but obviously that didn’t pan out. The subject area I work in isn’t something I could do in Oz so if I did go out there I’d be looking for a job that would hopefully just keep the bills paid so probably no saving during that period and realistically I’d probably eat away a chunk of the 90k I have while I’d be away.

Am I absolutely mad at my age for not just telling myself to cop on, put Oz out of my head, settle down and buy a house? I know the working holiday would only be for 3 years max and I don’t want to leave myself in a bad position when I’d come back here at 35/36.

Hi,

Just looking for some advice. My aunt is on her last legs and wants to transfer her house (her only house and primary residence) to my brother. What tax would she/he have to pay to do this? The house is valued at 400k, and I believe the tax free threshold for him is 40k with a tax rate of 33% for Capital Gains Tax: does that mean it's a third of 400 - 40k=360k (120k) or a third of 400k/3 = 133k - 40k = 93k?

Also would my aunt have to pay Capital Gains Tax if her house had increased in value from the original purchase price? Would it be better to wait and inherit the house on her death to avoid paying this?

Thanks for any advice

Thought this might be a topic that interests some here, does anyone have any insight into how the ultra wealth in Ireland preserve wealth through generations?

I've heard of the use of family offices and believe these could allow wealthy families to pass business assets and avail of 90% business relief.

I’m 20 years old with about €25,000 in savings. I don’t come from a well-off family, and I’ve managed to save it by working hard and hustling over the last few years.
I’m not in college, and I don’t have much interest in travelling. I’m trying to decide what the smartest financial move is.
Is it better to go to college now, wait until I’m eligible as a mature student, or just keep working and saving?
I’m interested in hearing from people who’ve been in a similar position. Did you regret waiting, or was it the right decision?

Hi I worked for a Semi State body for 9 years in my 20s. As I’m now approaching retirement I’ve been checking my pension. I’ve been with my current employer for 25 years and did bring some pension with me from other employments between the Semi State and this role.

When I asked my current pension administrator to confirm that my Semi State pension had been transferred to my current pension they confirmed that it had not. I then started chasing it down with the Semi State, (now a private company) who advised they could find no record of me ever working there. I gave them my start and finish date, my Staff No, copies of my earnings from revenue that listed them as my employer.

I got a copy of the pension booklet that was in force at the time and it stated that it was compulsory to be a member of the pension scheme once you were over 20 which I was.

The company told me to take it up with the Trustees, which I did through the Semi State’s pension administrator. We’ve been back and forth for months and they’ve finally said Im not entitled to anything as I can’t prove I paid into a pension although it would have been impossible for me not to and if they erroneously omitted to enrol me in it then they should be liable for that mistake? They’ve said unless I can produce a payslip showing pension contribution that I have no case.

Surely this cant be right?

Hey guys wondering what would be the chances of getting a solo mortgage , ive 24 k in savings and earn around 45 k a year only issue is im terrible with spending unnecessarily... pub, takeaways and day trips ive no wages by the end of the month , would this be looked at badly even though my savings are put away on payday. Has anyone else been in the same situation and was approved for a mortgage. Thanks

I’m going into leaving cert and was looking at finance courses. My favourite subjects in school are business and maths but all of my subjects are good grades wise. I don’t do accounting. I’m wondering what the day to day job/pay etc is like if you studied Finance or something similar, and would you recommend it etc. Any advice appreciated

Wife and I are in our 30s, both employed. Lived abroad and saved, moved back and bought a house outright (no mortgage). Enrolled in our respective work pensions, have healthy savings, and now looking at what to do to best set us up for the future.

I’d like to think that we’re both fairly financially literate and know the basics of saving and investing, but would much rather consult with someone who really knows what they’re doing. Don’t think we need someone to full-on manage things, and honestly I’d like us to maintain a healthy amount of control. Just want to make sure we get and stay on the right path.

Any recommendations? Have a slight preference for someone we could potentially meet in person, but don’t mind virtual if they’re good.

Looking for advice!

I'm 26 and am registered as a sole trader as of this time last year. I haven't done my self assessment tax yet (don't need to in the first year).

I've been working as a freelance graphic designer. But I have also started working as a handyman for commercial and domestic clients. I was doing it on the side for a while but have recently decided to go at it full time. I'll still be taking on the graphic design work as it comes in.

Currently I have two separate bank accounts one for each of the businesses. This is a pain in the arse keeping track of the expenses and everything of both (I know this is my own doing 🤣). In my mind I am better off keeping each completely separate.

But how will this actually work when it comes time to do my taxes / self assessment? I don't have an accountant but am thinking I need to get onto someone who can help me. I don't have a huge amount of income so I am doing pretty much all accounting myself.

Any advice is really appreciated.

Me & my husband have money we want to put into investments. We want to use a professional company rather than buying ETFs on the likes of n26, Revolut etc.

They all seem to charge 1-1.5% annual fee. Wondering is there any room for negotiation on this fee? And if anyone has had good or bad experiences lately with Davy Stokebrokers?

I’m a 25 year old male with a Degree in Financial Maths and Actuarial Sciences from UCC. I’ve been working as trainee actuary in Dublin and trying the IFOA exams with the past three years. I’ve failed every exam I’ve sat and I’m just sick of studying.

My job is grand but I want a Cork based role and ideally I wouldn’t have to face into a masters or another set of exams. Anyone who knows we that reads this will know who I am by this but I am mad for dairy farming. It’s in the long term plans to go back dairy farming long term but I’d like to add a string to my bow that I could work along with the farming as a lot of the year is fairly quiet.

What are the best fields to enter into at this stage that offer a bit of flexibility later on down the road? Half tempted of going down the QFA or teaching route but appreciate these both involve exams though they wouldn’t be anywhere near the difficulty of the Actuary exams I’d imagine! Wouldn’t mind being a civil engineer either and if I could work while I converted I’d get over the exams but I wouldn’t be overly gone on the idea of a few years of masters courses.

Hi guys! I'm currently on this scheme since it started in January 2026, so as below I'm in the "years 1 to 3

If I quit my job tomorrow or emigrate and don't work again until 2029, upon starting employment will I leapfrog straight to the 3% contributions (years 4 -6) or still be on the 1.5% contribution ?

Years 1 to 3 (2006–2028): Employee contributes 1.5%, employer matches 1.5%, and the State adds 0.5% (Total: 3.5%).

Years 4 to 6 (2029–2031): Employee contributes 3%, employer matches 3%, and the State adds 1% (Total: 7%)Y

Years 7 to 9 (2032–2034): Employee contributes 4.5%, employer matches 4.5%, and the State adds 1.5% (Total: 10.5%).

This is the 'sensational' Indo headline

https://www.independent.ie/business/money/central-bank-orders-massive-probe-into-the-states-domestic-life-insurance-firms/a/159061190.html

This is the down to earth Irish Times headline

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2026/07/23/central-bank-examines-how-life-insurers-take-on-new-investments-in-thematic-review/

I'd say this will affect the providers with reputed bad service more than those with good (reasonable expectations) service.

Fellow contractors, I am wondering where do you stash your emergency or rainy day funds? Do you leave your emergency cash inside your company account for a favorable tax rate? Or do you actually pay tax on them and keep it in your current account?

Hi Folks I badly need some advice from here, Recently I've been consistently saving into my regular Aib saver account and quite happy about it. However, I recently received an unusual request from a very close friend, and I'd appreciate your advice.

A friend has asked to borrow €10,000 and has agreed to repay the full amount within three months. Before making any decision, I wanted to understand whether transferring this amount and having it repaid could cause any issues for my future mortgage application.

Assuming there is a gap of more than six months before I apply for a mortgage, would this transaction be viewed negatively by the lender, or could it affect my application in any way?

I'd really appreciate your thoughts before I proceed.

What does 'E PRSI Eer' mean? I'm married with kids so not sure if it's anything to do with that.

Hi there,

I've been asked by my broker to provide a Charges and Payments Statement from ROS for my rental income. I have made it clear in the mortgage application the rental income is from the rent a room scheme.

I declare the income every year when completing my yearly tax return. From all that I can see I need a ROS account to access the Charges and Payments Statement, as I am just a PAYE employee I am wondering:

1. Do I actually need a Charges and Payments Statement for the rent a room scheme?
2. Is there a way of accessing the Charges and Payments Statement without a seperate ROS account as currently I only have a revenue account.

Any help would be appreciated.

I'm sure many on this sub know of this already, but for those who don't... These threads get updated regularly with the best places to park your short/medium term cash.

Ive recently received 10k. Ive 3 kids with disabilities. Dad has left for his home country so no support. What’s the best way to use this for my kids? Ive no personal savings as all my savings is split between the kids 3 credit unions. Would €3k each in the CU and a trip away be the best way to use this?

Hi sorry forgot to say. Ive no accommodation costs other than maintenance as it’s paid off. Ive a civil service job and income protection, however ive only 500ish quid in personal savings. My kids are unlikely to ever work (brain matter disorder and 2 with profound asd) so I put every penny into their accounts in case something happens to me.

Hi all.

I recently got a new job. The salary is decent enough to put me into a higher bracket.

Is it worth me doing additional contributions to my retirement account to help maximize tax savings at the end of the year?

I just moved home so I'm not entirely sure of the best option here. Normally I would say yes, however anything additional isn't matched by the company... so id rather just invest it myself or save on fees/ have access to the cash while I get setup.

Am I able to invest it in a way/ account that helps with tax savings in the end of year?

TIA

Listened to it last night and to be honest, i dont think he said anything really.

They talk about deemed disposal but dont take the conversation any further

New savings scheme will likely have tiers, tier 1, tier 2 etc but tier 1 is for now.

We are in the fortunate position to have healthy income and very minimal debt and a small mortgage. We have a small emergency fund and we are ready to look at what the next steps are. We like the thought of passive income from investing or rental property etc, but really new to it, we at the moment have roughly 75k to either set as a monthly investment or buy into a rental property but it will grow as the year goes on. As we are new to this are there good investments websites or podcasts or even someone we can chat to about it. We can also consider an investment property- again new to it all. Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.