I’m about to retire, but what is the best option to take with my personal pension fund? Q I’m due to retire soon and I recently received a maturity notice from my pension provider. They say it’s a personal pension and that I have the following options. Take 25% of the fund tax free and
How do we bridge the gap to buy our home via the First Home Scheme? Q Hi Philip, can you tell me about the new scheme available that may help myself and my partner buy our first home? We earn €70,000 between us and we are first time buyers currently trying to secure a mortgage.
Q It’s my 50th birthday soon and I’ve been working hard in various jobs for almost 35 years. I want to be in a position to retire by the time I’m 60. How can I make sure that can happen? A This answer is a long one. I’ll send you a list of the information
Q My partner and I saved diligently for a deposit so we could buy our first home. We have a respectable sum saved, but are getting confusing messages about whether now is a good time to buy. On one hand we hear the housing market is in crisis and we should buy when we can,
My partner and I are cohabiting, but what are the implications in terms of inheritance tax? Q My partner and I bought a house seven years ago and while we do not intend to marry we are in a committed long term relationship. We have taken out life cover but friends frequently advise we should
I’m worried about my mortgage repayments. What should I do if they rise? Q My mortgage repayment is rising all the time, it is beginning to cause me stress. When I asked my lender, I was informed I cannot fix the rate. I’m worried repayments will rise to a level I can’t afford. What happens
How To Be Prepared For A Financial Emergency And Unexpected Bills Q: How should I prepare for a financial emergency? A: If you don’t have enough savings to fall back on, you should take action now to protect yourself from an unexpected bill. A third of us are living on the financial edge, with no
What is life insurance? I’ve been told that I need life insurance but as I don’t have any children do I really need it? Life insurance is a simple product designed to provide a lump sum or monthly income payment on death. It is designed to provide your dependents with financial security on your
Mortgage protection and the benefits of switching “I’m finding it really hard to keep up with these price hikes and am cancelling unnecessary expenditure. As I don’t have any dependents, I’m thinking of cancelling my mortgage protection as it is very expensive. Is this a good idea?” Mortgage Protection (MP) is a life insurance
Should I switch mortgage now and what are the steps? “Hey SEFS, I’m thinking of switching mortgage. Should I? What are the steps involved? – Get switching (or at least find out if it’s possible and worth your while) 1. We need to find out how much is owed on your existing mortgage, the