The last few months have been a stressful time for humanity. The mental load of worries and concerns arising from Covid-19 are many and varied. Humans are resilient and while we adjust to our new ways of working, shopping and restricted travel, there are still new worries arising for many of us as pandemic lingers […]
During this Covid -19 pandemic, one thing is certain and that is that nothing is certain and stock markets do not like uncertainty. Over the last few weeks, we have witnessed the shortest sharpest shock to the stock market in history. World Equities fell by close to 30% YTD to 23 March 2020. It is […]
The State pension has had a lot of attention over the past few weeks. In this month’s Construction Magazine, Susan outlines what issues should be considered when discussing it. From 2021, the age at which a person becomes entitled to collect the State pension will increase from 66 to 67. This increase has been the […]
We mean two things when we talk about planning for retirement. The first plan is to set up a pension scheme, either a personal pension or participation in your employer sponsored occupational pension scheme. Then you will need to regularly contribute, throughout your working life with the aim of accumulating a pot of money, which […]
Mortgage Protection Versus Life Cover I frequently get asked this by clients and friends alike…they go on to say “I have mortgage protection anyway, sure that’s the same thing right?” Yes, and No. Mortgage Protection is indeed Life Cover. It will pay off any outstanding balance on your mortgage if you die and it is […]
The State Pension has been in the news a lot in the last week. With all the news circulating, it’s fair to ask what is actually happening. In this post, we look at what is going on with the State Pension. Update: Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the government has postponed any decision on changes […]
In this month’s Construction Magazine, Susan asks if Ireland will finally become wise about pensions in the coming decade. This year is the beginning of a new decade and a good point to take stock of the last one while looking to the future. In 2010, Apple debuted the iPad. In 2012, we witnessed the […]
If you have a pension plan do you read and understand your annual benefit statement? It’s vital to review it as this could unlock some benefits to help your finances. In Milestone Advisory, I spend the majority of my time with clients who are approaching retirement or who have already reached this particular milestone. This […]
Protecting You, Your Family and Your Future Health and Safety is vital in the construction sector. Protecting your finances is also an important part of your future planning. The way to protect your finances is to save for the future and insure against the unexpected. It is that simple. But it gets complicated as there […]
In October each year, the Construction Industry Federation (CIF), run their annual Safety Week campaign. This campaign serves as a reminder about the health and safety of everyone involved in the Construction Industry. The ultimate goal is to provide people with all the relevant information available to enable them to protect themselves. Protecting your finances […]
It’s time to take control of your pension planning. If you haven’t already started saving for retirement, it’s not too late. The current tax relief available within the pension framework was designed to allow older people save more money. As you can see from the table below, from age 50 the percentage of your salary on […]
Taking a holistic approach While the role of the financial adviser is to focus on the money, sometimes the planning phase can raise other issues a client has not previously considered. In the pre-retirement financial planning phase, it is beneficial to take a holistic approach, so that along with diligently saving money, you also make […]
In this edition of Irish Building Magazine, Susan O’Mara, Financial Services Consultant with Milestone Advisory gives some tips on financial changes we can make to help improve our financial health in 2019. If you are one of those rare people who is doing everything right with their money, this article is not for you. For […]
The “2018 National Skills Bulletin”, published by SOLAS, makes for interesting reading if you are running a company; you need to know what is in store for the labour market in your sector. If you are a parent with kids pondering their choices for the CAO – it is also worth a read. It may […]
This year, it’s time for us all to think about planning for the next 20 years rather than just on the year ahead when it comes to planning for our retirement. At this time each year, I would usually write nine things to do better in 2019 or alternatively, what is the outlook for 2019 […]
For most people, paying less tax is desirable. Paying less tax through tax relief schemes is possible and it’s a great way to help yourself in the future. It’s that time of the year again when financial advisers and accountants are focused on ensuring their clients maximise the tax reliefs available through pension savings. If […]
What is the pensions time bomb? In a short, it’s the unavoidable shortfall between pension requirements and the State’s ability to pay it. Excluding public sector workers, who have close to full pension coverage, the private sector figure is only approximately 37% coverage. This means that nearly two-thirds of private sector workers are reliant on […]
If you follow my regular advice column in Construction Magazine, you’ll note that there is a heavy bias towards retirement planning. As a Financial Advisor for the construction sector, I meet many members of the sector’s two big schemes, CERS and the Construction Workers Pension Scheme. My concern is that private pension coverage in Ireland […]
Did you know that if you are a business owner, there is a way to protect your business in the event of the death or serious illness of an important member of your team?
The team in Milestone Advisory are proud to be Gold Sponsors at the Irish Construction Industry Awards held in City West on Thursday 14th June 2018. The Irish Construction Industry Awards recognises and rewards companies who strive for excellence. As the leading provider of financial advice for the construction sector, we think it is fitting […]
