Better With Money

Meet Zainab Adeyemi, a chartered accountant and 24 year old Dubliner who's recently just hit a six-figure net worth. Known as @iamzayade to her followers, Adeyemi has carved out a niche on social media for having built her wealth from scratch and sharing investment tips with fellow Irish Gen Zs. She tells host Aideen Finnegan her interest in investing started early, at the age of 14, and was likely driven by the fact she grew up in money “survival mode.” Having tried to save for a house deposit, Adeyemi decided to switch course. Initially she began with investing small amounts of money, before moving to a trading platform that simulated how to do it with larger amounts. If you've ever wondered if it's actually possible to accumulate wealth on a modest budget, this is the episode for you. Adeyemi explains her portfolio mix (pension, broad ETFs, some stocks and an emergency fund), how automating payments turbo-charged her investment journey and the mistakes she made in the early days (like investing in Gamestop after Elon Musk tweeted about it). This episode is for information purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.This episode is brought to you in association with Standard Life Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Even if you wouldn't agree with investing in weapons, fossil fuel or tobacco companies you might be surprised by what's hiding in your pension or exchange traded fund. Ciarán Hughes, a certified financial planner and founder of Ethico.ie, explains how ethical and sustainable investing works and why it's worth doing over traditional investing. That could involve investing in a diversified fund of healthcare, renewable energy or social housing firms. His simple message is "exclude the bad, add in the good and push the rest to improve." This episode looks at how ordinary Irish investors can dig in to their holdings to see what they may inadvertently be exposed to, how some funds may use imagery "like a wind farm" to appear more sustainable than they really are, and whether investing in an ESG fund can provide the same returns over time to a traditional one. The information is for education purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.This episode is brought to you in association with Standard Life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Carlotta Aringhieri (@OnTheMoneyWithMe) is a financial content creator who - just days after payday - only has €100 left in her current account. But not for the reasons you might think. She’s a huge advocate of having a payday routine where she allocates her salary, as soon as its paid, into various accounts aligned with her savings, investments, loan repayments, bills or fluctuating expenses like grocery bills. With the advent of digital-only banking and the ease of moving money from one pot to another, the budgeting habit has exploded in popularity on social media as a way of helping people stay in control of their finances. After tracking her numbers, Carlotta has found that sticking to the payday routine she designed for herself has resulted in her net worth increasing by €60,000 since the beginning of the year. “Seeing it grow is really motivating.” While it’s taken her years to get to this point, she shares her story and explains how you can come up with your own payday routine to “feel more confident with your money, because if you know that your future self is taken care of, your pension, your investment, your savings is taken care of, you can spend more guilt-free” This episode is brought to you in association with Standard Life.This episode is for information purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Government’s planned personal investment account for ordinary savers was finally revealed on budget day, but it wasn’t long until the questions began arriving by email to The Irish Times business desk. Questions like “Do you get to choose where your money's invested, or does the government supply guidance via a reliable broker?", “Will I still have to pay income tax on dividends?” and “ what is the interest rate in the new investment scheme?" It prompted Your Money columnist Cliff Taylor to ask if never-before-investors know they’ll largely be left to their own devices in figuring out the new scheme, what their risk is and assessing if it represents a good deal for them. He joins Better with Money host Aideen Finnegan to discuss the knowledge gaps and financial landmines for investors and Government alike. Taylor also explains the finer details of the scheme that were revealed yesterday with the publishing of the Finance Bill.This episode is brought to you in association with Standard Life.Better with Money is for information purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Parents around the country were left confused last week when the Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers said he was reducing the “maximum childcare fees paid by parents from €735 to €550 per month” for children up to senior infants from September of next year. It led to a slew of emails to The Irish Times with parents wondering why they are currently paying well above that figure - from €959 up to €1,400. Irish Times deputy business editor Dominic Coyle explains that "not for the first time, there appears to be a substantial “reality gap” between the Government’s understanding of the “maximum” cost of care and the real maximum under its own core funding rules." In this episode of Better with Money, Coyle and host Aideen Finnegan explain the fee system under the Core Funding scheme, what subsidies are available to parents and how lower-income households can avail of extra supports to help with the cost (such as the income assessed subsidy which will rise €73,000 next year). The episode also examines what's driving costs for the sector and why childcare providers feel they're being under-compensated.This episode is brought to you in association with Standard LifeUnderstanding the fee caps and subsidies for parents under the National Childcare SchemeDominic Coyle on the gender pension gap Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aideen Finnegan is joined by Dan Malone of Honest.ie for a debrief on the new personal investment account scheme unveiled by Finance Minister Simon Harris in Budget 2027. Dan explains it's a tax-advantaged “home” for investing in assets like stocks, funds, bonds and ETFs, with a €12,000 annual contribution cap and a €50,000 tax-free threshold. Once you go above that, a flat 1% tax rate kicks in on the portion above €50k. The bad news is that will happen even in years when markets fall and you lose money, with Dan warning that could meaningfully "drag on long-term returns." They discuss uncertainty around provider fees, whether accounts will be self-directed or offer pre-packaged options, and if it will be easy to move existing investments into the new account. Dan urges people not to wait until the planned July 1st 2027 launch to start investing, citing how long it took to get pension auto-enrolment off the ground.This episode is brought to you in association with Standard Life Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Not everyone can afford or even wants health insurance. But for those who do - or those who worry affordability will force them to drop theirs - this episode of Better with Money is your ultimate guide to saving at a time of stringent price hikes. Dermot Goode has been working in the area of health insurance for over 35 years and what he doesn't know about the industry isn't worth knowing. He explains how many people are on outdated, overly expensive plans and could save by switching within the same insurer. Families can split cover for different members to reduce their bills. There are key phrases you can use when on the phone to insurers to get the best deals. Dermot explains community rating, waiting periods, age loadings from 35, how pre-existing conditions are assessed from medical evidence, and the two-year “upgrade rule” for extra benefits. He warns against low-value entry-level plans and high-excess products, outlines what mid-level and corporate plans cover, and highlights children’s deals, young adult rates, and add-ons like dental plans and HSF cash plans for outpatient costs.Presented by Aideen Finnegan.This episode is brought to you in association with Standard Life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Irish Times deputy business editor, Dominic Coyle, and trust and estate practitioner,Trea McGuinness, discuss what’s set to be the biggest transfer of generational wealth ever in Ireland. That’s because the over 65s own the lion’s share of the country’s private wealth and they’re set to pass on billions of euro – much of it tied up in property – over the coming decades. But McGuinness, who’s a partner with BHSM, emphasises it’s important for younger people to draw up a will and not to fall into the trap of thinking they don’t have an estate to pass on. In this conversation with host Aideen Finnegan, they discuss whether it’s better to gift assets while alive, the risk of people impoverishing themselves to leave money behind, and how inheritance can trigger bitter family disputes. The episode also covers intestacy rules, rights of residence complications, divorce and capital gains issues, blended families, cohabiting couples being taxed like “strangers.”This episode is for information purposes only and does not constitute financial or legal advice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Investment expert Kevin Elliott returns to the podcast to answer the most commonly asked questions about Exchange Traded Funds, including the one he gets asked by almost every client: "Should I start investing in ETFs now, or wait for the personal investment account set to be announced by the government on budget day?" In this conversation with host Aideen Finnegan, he also gives his take on whether the scheme will help "middle Ireland" on the basis of what we know so far (annual contribution cap, tax-free gains up to a threshold, and providers handling Revenue reporting). Kevin uses the equivalent UK and Swedish schemes as a reference point to compare the likely structure, the tax applied, and why he expects fees to be high relative to what broker apps currently charge. Kevin spoke to Better with Money back in July and you can listen to that episode here. For absolute beginners, we have ETF explainer episodes with Dan Malone here and here.Better with Money is for information purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As "Cheap Irish Homes" returns to TV screens, Better with Money explores whether vacant and derelict properties could actually offer a route to home ownership for first-time buyers, or would it be a rookie mistake to take on a "fixer-upper" that big? Rachael Uí Bhaoill – aka @the.renovation.strategist - believes it’s “absolutely doable” adding her own first home was “a dump” she bought in recession. Now she flips properties and advises clients on renovations through her company Spreag.ie. The former corporate banker shares how she does it with "financials first" approach, warning she won't even let her clients browse Pinterest before they've had a reality check with their mortgage lender. Also on the podcast, SEAI programme manager Stephen Farrell outlines the grants available for energy upgrades, including retrofit supports worth up to €35,000 through the One-Stop Shop scheme. These can be availed of before works begin, making the move more accessible to those on smaller budgets.Presented by Aideen Finnegan.This episode is for information purposes only and does not constitute advice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.